TREES OF AMERICA. 193 



the wood is both handsome and strong, and 

 almost as durable as the locust. It makes 

 excellent ship-timber, and would be very 

 much used in ship-building if its growth was 

 not so slow ; in this respect the locust is much 

 to be preferred. The leaves are very large, 

 thick, and tough, almost round, of a dark 

 green, and different from the leaves of most 



o / 



other trees, in being rough and wrinkled on 

 the surface, somewhat like the leaf of a cab- 

 bage. The fruit is exactly like the fruit of 

 the white mulberry in size and taste, but it is 

 purple. It is pleasant, but too sweet to eat 

 much at a time. The leaves of the white 

 mulberry are thin and tender, and the silk- 

 worms will eat nothing else. White mul- 

 berries grow readily in all parts of the 

 United States, and they are very much culti- 

 vated ; within the last ten or twelve years the 

 business of raising silk-worms and preparing 

 the silk, has begun to be quite extensive and 

 profitable, but it will be a long time before 

 we shall make enough to supply our own 

 wants." 



" Where do we get silk, Uncle Philip ?" 

 "Principally from France, and Italy, and 



from China. The worms require a great deal 



R 



