The butternut, the chip-munks’ friend, the wood is soft and dark;
We know it by its frond-like leaves as well as by its bark.
The maple is a staple tree, its syrup very sweet
Its wood is good for floors you see; in its shade we like to meet.
The hazel bush might raise a blush if called a tree, ’tis true;
(The rhyme is fierce but in a rush we stop at nought—do you?)
The chestnut is the best nut, its wood is very good;
’Tis easy to split and easy cut; the nuts are good for food.
The basswood’s wood is fine for trunks, when bound with duck or leather.
Saw up tree trunks in boards, not chunks, and fasten them together.