IV. 2. THE HICKORY. 193 



by luxuriant and rapid growth, and reaching, before the end of 

 June, on the vigorous shoots of young trees, their full length of 

 eighteen or twenty inches. 



The male flowers are in slender, pendulous, green tassels or 

 catkins, three on each common stalk, which comes out at or near 

 the base of the new shoots, the middle one from three to five 

 inches long, the opposite lateral ones half as long, or more, with 

 a small, slender scale at the base of each. The shining, imbri- 

 cate scales of the catkins contain each three or four stamens. 

 The inconspicuous fertile flowers are in groups of from two to 

 four together, on the ends of the shoots, containing each two 

 stigmas, surrounded by the four parts of the calyx, which, by 

 their surprising development, form the husk of the future nut. 



The fruit of the shellbark is nearly globular, varying much 

 in size, but usually from five to seven inches in circumference. 

 The husk is, in its immature state, green and nearly smooth, 

 but afterwards turns brown, and sometimes almost black. It is 

 of a spongy substance, very thick, and marked with four de- 

 pressed furrows, by which it separates into as many distinct 

 pieces, one of which is larger than the rest. The nuts, which 

 differ in size and shape, still more than the unhusked fruit, are 

 about an inch long, and from two to two and a half in cir- 

 cumference, white or yellowish white, oblong, and compressed, 

 marked with four distinct angles, corresponding to the seams 

 in the husk, prolonged at the extremity, and crowned with 

 the hardened remains of the stigma. They vary very much in 

 hardness and thickness ; the best varieties being thinner and 

 softer, and having commonly a rounder and fuller shape than 

 the poorer sorts. The kernel is very sweet, much superior in 

 quality to that of any other native nut, and. in the best varie- 

 ties, it is equal to any imported nut. It ripens in October. Every 

 fruit, which is much used for food, except this, has been im- 

 proved by the careful cultivation of many centuries. The 

 shellbark hickory is a proper subject for experiments, to be 

 made with special reference to the improvement of the nut. 

 Those varieties should be selected, which unite, in the greatest 

 degree, thinness of shell, with fullness and richness of kernel. 

 If as great a change can be wrought as has been effected in the 

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