210 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



by pounding, is used in some parts of the 

 country for the seats of chairs. 



" Another kind is the red, or, as some call it, 

 the slippery elm." 



" Oh, we know that, Uncle Philip ; the bark 

 is good to eat." 



" Yes ; it is used by physicians too : by 

 boiling it in water they make a thin jelly, 

 very like flax-seed tea, that is good for colds and 

 fevers. It is thought to be nourishing, and is 

 often given to sick people, instead of arrow- 

 root. The red elm is smaller than the white, 

 but the wood is stronger, and more durable. 

 The leaves are larger, thicker, and rougher ; 

 the seeds are larger and rounder. The bark 

 is brown on the outside, and of a reddish 

 white on the inside. The wood is chiefly 

 used for ship-blocks, and the timbers of boats ; 

 it makes excellent rails, too : but it is not very 

 common. 



" The other kind of elm grows only in the 

 Southern States, and is there called the 

 wahoo ; an Indian name, of which I do not 

 know the meaning. It is a small tree, seldom 

 more than thirty feet high, and nine or ten 

 inches thick. The seeds and leaves are very 

 much like those of the white elm. but not 



