HARDWOOD RECORD 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Shagbark Hickory. 

 Uieoria ovata (Mill.) — Briton. 

 Shagbark hickory is the best known and 

 most widely distributed of the hickories. Its 

 range of growth is from southern Maine and 

 Quebec, near Montreal, to Delaware, and 

 along the Appalachian mountains to Florida, 

 northern Alabama and Mississippi; west 

 through southern Michigan to cen- 

 tral Minnesota and northeastern 

 Nebraska, central Kansas, Indian 

 Territory and eastern Texas. 



It is known as shellbark hickory 

 in Vermont, New Hampshire, Mass 

 achusetts, Ehode Island, New York. 

 Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, 

 West Virginia, North Carolina, 

 South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Ar- 

 kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Indi- 

 ana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kan- 

 sas, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan and 

 Ontario; as shagbark hickory in 

 Vermont, New Hampshire, Massa- 

 chusetts, Ehode Island, Connecticut, 

 New York. New Jersey, Pennsylva- 

 nia, Delaware, South Carolina, Ua 

 bama, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, 

 Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Minne- 

 sota, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa; siin 

 ply as shellbark in Khode Island, 

 New York, Pennsylvania and North 

 Carolina; upland hickory in Illi- 

 nois; hickory in Vermont and Ohio; 

 scaly bark hickory in West Vir- 

 ginia, South Carolina and Ala- 

 bama; shagbark in Rhode Island 

 and Ohio; shellbark tree in Dela 

 ware; white walnut in New Jersey; 

 walnut in New York and Vermont; 

 white hickory in Iowa and Arkan- 

 sas; shagbark walnut and sweet 

 walnut in Vermont; redheart hick 

 ory in Mississippi. 



Shagbark hickory is of the wal- 

 nut family. In shape it is conical, 

 with a narrow head and column- 

 like trunk. In height it ranges 

 from seventy-five to one hundred 

 and forty feet. It never grows in 

 omprehensive forest, but is the 



al tree- intermingled with a 



variety of hardwood growth, exist- 

 ing in perfect community with sas- 

 safras, black gum, cherry, poplar, 



buckeye, birch, chestnut, bassw I. 



oak, ash and sett maple. Its time of 

 bloom is in May, and it fruits in September and 

 October. The Imrk of the tree is gray, loosob 

 attached, and breaking into long. Im.se strips, 

 which curve away from the trei at thi bot 

 torn oft " at the top, but remain attai bed 



ing the tree the rugged ap- 

 i which accounts for the name 



tte, w ith yel 



THIRTEENTH PAPEK. 



lowish-green and brown scales. The leaves 

 are compound and alternate; they have rough 

 stalks containing five or seven leaflets; they 

 are sessile, tapering to a point, and having a 

 rounded base. The lower pair of leaflets is 

 markedly different from the rest in shape; 

 sharply serrate and thin; dark green and 

 glabrous above; lighter below. The flowers 



TYPICAL SHAGBARK HICKORY GROWTH, TENNESSEE 



• in not appear until the leaves have fully ma 

 tured; they grow in catkins, the staminate 



ones being light green, slender, an, I growing 

 in groups of three on long peduncles; the 

 pistillate ones grow in spikes of from two to 

 five flowers. The fruit grows within a densi . 



, hill.. ; ^limine, ami smooth ell tile out 



opening in four parts. 'I'll'' net is 

 nearly white, four-angled, and Satte I at the 



sides; the kernel has a sweet, strong flavor. 

 Its large winter buds are very interesting. 

 Early in spring the dark brown outer scales 

 fall away; the inner scales then lengthen to 

 protect the leaf, sometimes attaining a length 

 of five inches. Its inner scales are marvels 

 oJ beauty in texture and in color. The body 

 of the s<ale is thick and leathery, but its sur- 

 face, especially the inner, is soft 

 with a silken nap, gorgeously dyed in 

 yellow, orange and red, suggesting 

 the chimney corner and the heat 

 which glows from a hickory log. 



The heart wood of shagbark hick- 

 ory is light brown; the sap wood 

 ivory or cream colored. The annual 

 i ings are (dearly marked; the medul- 

 lar^ rays are numerous, but thin. 

 The wood is close-grained and corn- 

 pact, but with a bright surface. The 

 weight of the seasoned wood is ap- 

 proximately fifty pounds to the cubic 

 Coot. In structural qualities the 

 wood is very heavy, hard, strong and 

 exceptionally tough and flexible. It. 

 stands first in elasticity and tough- 

 ness among all American woods, and 

 second to maple in hardness. The 

 wood lias neither smell nor taste; it 

 burns well, with a long, steady, quiet 

 flame, and exhales no aroma or juice 

 when heated. 



The representative uses of the 



w 1 are in carriage and wagon 



making; it is used for axle trees, 

 spokes, rims, singletrees, doubletrees, 

 neck-yokes; also largely in agricul- 

 tural implement work; for sleigh 

 runners and axe handles. In pioneer 

 days it was a favorite material for 

 the weaving of baskets and for 

 splint bottom chairs. The younger 

 ■ til of shagbark hickory, known 

 commercially as second growth, pos- 

 sesses a high value for the light 

 structural work on carriages and fo'l 



uses where great elasticity, re- 



ih ace .and resistance are required 



in a small quantity of wood. The 



nuts of the tree form an important 



le "i ■ ommerce. 



Bhagbark hickory is one of 

 the most interesting trees growing 

 in this country, because it is a strict- 

 ly American tree, and so wedded to 

 it- native soil that it has thus far 

 refused to become a citizen of any 

 country. In the sturdiness of its 

 roots and trunk, in the boldness with which 

 it flings out its tough branches, in its strong 

 ncii idua ii i and charai ter, and in its gen- 

 eral fruitfulness, not forgetting the uncouth 

 roughness of its bark, it fully manifests its 

 America nism. 



A great deal of hickory is exported 

 Gireat Britain and the < lontinent, usual!} 



ot her 



to 



