TREES OF AMERICA. 239 



" And do they make spruce-beer from the 

 branches of this kind too ?" 



" They might ; but the leaves have a strong 

 unpleasant smell, and therefore they are never 

 used for beer except when the black spruce 

 is not to be had. There is a good property, 

 however, about the roots of the white spruce 

 that makes up for the bad smell of its leaves ; 

 you remember what I told you about the 

 great use made of the birch-bark by the 

 Canadians ?" 



" Oh yes, Uncle Philip ; for making ca- 



noes.' 



" Yes ; and if you remember, I told you, 

 too, that the sheets of bark were sewed to- 

 gether with the fibrous roots of the white 

 spruce ; do you know what fibrous means ?" 



" Yes, sir, I believe I do ; I think it means 

 something like threads ; flax is fibrous, and 

 so are silk and cotton.'' 



" Ah, 1 see you understand it very well : 

 now the fibres of the white spruce-roots are 

 tough and strong, and by soaking the roots 

 in water, they can be pulled apart so as to 

 make very good stout thread. After ihe sheets 

 of bark are sewed together, the seams are 

 coated over with the tin pen tine or resinous 



