232 CONVERSATIONS. 



mean, do you know, sir ? It seems to belong- 

 to a great many kinds of trees ; there are the 

 loblolly oak, and the loblolly bay, and now 

 the loblolly pine." 



" I do not know, indeed, my dear, what it 

 means ; I suspect, however, that it is used to 

 signify common, for I observe that the trees to 

 which it is given are all very abundant and 

 hardy, and grow in almost any kind of soil. 

 This loblolly pine is quite common in Virginia 

 and the Carol inas, where it shoots up to the 

 height of eighty or ninety feet : the leaves are 

 very slender, light green, and grow in parties of 

 three : the cones are long and slender, and 

 rather handsome : the wood is bad, but it yields 

 turpentine in abundance. It is used chiefly 

 for fuel, but sometimes for pumps, and in 

 making wharves. This ends our talk about 

 pines ; the next time you come to see me, I 

 will tell you about the spruces and cedars." 



