75 



The Hickories. 



There are four species of Hickory native to Canada. The shag- 

 bark, the bitternut, the pignut and mockernut. 



The shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) is the chief one of value 

 for the production of edible nuts. It is confined to the St. Law- 

 rence valley from Montreal westward and along Lakes Erie and 

 Ontario for a distance of 40-50 miles back from the shore. It 

 reaches a height of fifty to ninety feet and a trunk diameter of one 

 to three feet and grows best on deep, fertile loams. 



Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis) 



This species has a wider range than the shellbark and is found 

 in southwestern Quebec and throughout Ontario from the Quebec 

 border to the Georgian Bay district. It grows best on low wet soils 

 near streams but is also found on higher well-drained sorts. There 

 are two fair sized trees on such a soil on the O. A. C. campus. This 

 species may prove to be of value as a stock for grafting with the 

 shellbark kingnut and some of the good hybrid hickories. 



The mockernut (Carya alba) and the pignut (Carya glabra) 

 occur along the north shore of Lake Erie and along Lake St. Clair. 



The mockernut is not of much value as a nut tree but the wood 

 is considered to be superior to other species of hickory. 



The pignut is generally a small tree which produces nuts of 

 variable size, form and flavor. The kernel may be bitter or it may 

 be sweet and the nuts vary from round to pear-shape. 



The Hazels. 



There are two species of hazels native to Canada — the common 

 hazel (Corylus Americana) and the beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta). 

 The hazels have a wider range than other nut-bearing plants in Can- 

 ada, being found in almost every province from Nova Scotia west- 

 ward to British Columbia and as far north as Edmonton in Alberta 

 and Prince Alberta in Saskatchewan. In Ontario the beaked hazel 

 grows as far north as Hudson Bay and in many other parts the com- 

 mon hazel grows very abundantly and bears heavily. In Norfolk 

 County it is very common and in places almost covers the roadside 

 in the little traveled sections. Dr. N. E. Hansen of Brookings, 

 South Dakota, has made a few selections of the common hazelnut 

 found in Manitoba and is now propagating the best of these for dis- 

 tribution. 



A few filberts have been planted in Ontario but have not done 

 very well. The growth of wood has been good but little or no nuts 

 have been produced. In Guelph there is a filbert about fifteen feet 

 tall growing on the grounds of J. W. Bell, but like most other fil- 

 berts in this province it has not yielded nuts. 



The Beech (Fagus grandiflora) 



This tree grows in the hardwood region from Nova Scotia west- 

 ward to the western end of Lake Superior. 



