62 



THE HICKORY GROUP (Cory a sp.) 



Tliis is the most valuable native sijecies for the production of nuts. 

 It occurs in Ontario in the region extending from the southeastern 

 shores of Lake Huron nortlieastward to the border of the Province of 

 Quebec and southward to the lakes and the St. Lawrence. In Quebec 

 it is confined to the southwestern section. 



The sliagbark occurs most abundantly and thrives best in the 

 vicinity of the great lakes and their connecting rivers^ but it does well 

 at some distance from the lakes. 



Other species of hickorj^ are: the bitternut (Carya cordiformis), 

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



The bitternut has the widest range of any native hickory, occurring 

 from Montreal westward to Collingwood and southward to the St. 

 I^awrence River and the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The tree 

 does not usually grow very large, being from fifty to seventy feet in 

 height and one to two feet in diameter. The nut is rather small but 

 has a thin shell and contains a kernel with an extremely bitter flavor; 

 hence the name bitternut. The nuts are useless because of their bitter 

 flavor but the tree makes a good stock for grafting with superior 

 types of shagbark-bitternnt hybrids. It also offers interesting possi- 

 bilities as a parent in crossing with desira'ble types of the shagbark 

 and: northern grown pecans. 



The mockernut is a tall tree and occurs in a strip of territory 

 bordering on Lakes Sries and Ontario. It produces a large nut with 

 a thick shell and a small kernel whicli is generally disappointing; 

 hence the name mockernut. Because of this undesirable characteristic, 

 it is not of much value as a nut tree, but like the bitternut it may bo 

 top-grafted to better sorts. 



The pignut grows from forty to sixty feet in height and up to 

 three feet in diameter and occurs in the Niagara district and in the 

 Lake Erie counties. The nut varies considierably in form and size 

 and flavor of kernel. The usual shape is oval. Some are pear shaped, 

 and others again are broader than long. In some nuts the kernel is 

 bitter while in others it is sweet. A few variations of this species 

 have been located which are considered valuable for their nuts. 



