The Laurels and the Sassafras 



fishing rods. Durable in the "^oil and in water, it is used for posts 

 and rails, and for boats and barrels. The bark, especially of the 

 roots, is strong in a volatile oil used to flavour medicines. The 

 bark itself is sold in drug stores, and people buy it in spring and 

 make sassafras tea "to clear the blood." The leaves and twigs 

 yield a mucilaginous substance which is used in the South to give 

 flavour and consistency to gumbo soups. The useful properties 

 of its various members are as nothing when compared with the 

 beauty and desirability of the living tree, which is beautiful 

 throughout the year — as a towering tree or a roadside sapling. 



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