30 AGE OF TREES. || 



vour. So we import those of Spanish growth, 

 to roast for our desserts. 'But there are va- 

 rieties of the oak tree, even in England ; and 

 many sorts abroad, which bear a fruit with a 

 pleasant taste, like a nut. And these acorns, 

 which at present are so astringent and rough, ^ 

 when boiled or soaked in water, lose much of 

 their peculiarity in that respect, and become,"' 

 as I am told, eatable, and even agreeable." 



Some of these trees," observed Mrs. Heath- 

 field, have attained a great size ; can any 

 judgment be formed of their age ?" 



Their size," I said, bespeaks certainly 

 considerable age ; but their exact period can-^ 

 not, perhaps, be ascertained till they are cut 

 down. Then, if we examine carefully the endj| 

 formed by the saw, we shall find the surface to 

 be composed of circles, one within another, from 

 the bark to the centre. As it is known that 



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