RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



63 



Native Forest Trees of Rhode Island. 



No. XVI. 



BY L. W. RUSSELL. 



Gary a amara.- — The bitternut Hickory. 



C. amara, or tlie bitternut hickory, is not 

 common in Rhode Island. There are speci- 

 mens in the groves in the vicinit3^of Sayles- 

 ville, but few which are well developed. 

 As an ornamental tree, it is the finest of 

 the hickories. In the open grounds favor- 

 able to its growth, it attains the height of 

 sixty or seventy feet, with a semi-orbicular 

 head, sometimes assuming the columnar 

 form, stately and noble in its proportions. 

 The limbs ;ire lithe and slender, starting 

 from a central stem, which tapers gradu- 

 ally from the roots to the top. The spray 

 is fine, and the leaves are on stems corre- 

 spondingly small. The leafiets var}' from 

 seven to eleven, and are small, narrow, un- 

 equilateral and smooth on both sides. The 

 characteristics named give the tree an airy 

 gracefulness, which renders it highly at- 

 tractive. In the autumn the tree is still 

 more beautiful from the rich tints of or- 

 ange which appear on the foliage. 



The buds show characteristics by 

 the tree may be readily identified, 

 are small, the terminal ones flattened, 

 curved, and considerably lengthened, while 

 the axillary ones are short and rounded. 



The fruit furnishes the easiest means of 

 identification. It is small, thin shelled, and 

 noticeable for the winged edges of the seams. 

 The nuts can easily' be crushed in the fin- 

 gers, while the meat is so bitter as to be in- 

 edible, squirrels and boys alike refusing 

 them. 



The bark is usually smooth with an occa- 

 sional loose flake upon old trees. It dyes a 

 permanent yellow, and was much used by 

 the Indians in coloring. The wood contains 

 the excellent qualities of the other hickories, 

 from which it is not usually distinguished. 

 The hickories are distinctly American, their 

 place being taken in Europe In* the wal- 

 nuts. 



The Butternut. — Juijlans cinerea. 



This stately tree is closely allied to the 



which 

 They 



hickories. It is a native of Rhode Island, 

 but not common. There are a few fine na- 

 tive specimens in the vicinity of Stump 

 Hill, They are also seen in the yards, or 

 in the vicinity of old farm houses, where 

 the}' have been planted for their nuts and 

 shade. The tree does not grow nearly as 

 dense a head as the hickories, and lacks 

 the grace which belongs to some of them. 

 Still, in spots where there is ample room for 

 its wide spread, it is a ver}* desirable tree 

 to plant. 



No one is liable to mistake the butternut 

 for any other tree, unless it be for the black 

 walnut, J. nigra. The body grows to a 

 large size, frequently four feet in diameter. 

 The limbs are few and stout, the branchlets 

 being stiff to the ends. The limbs are long, 

 the lower ones nearly horizontal. The l)ark 

 is graj', smooth on young trees, somewhat 

 ridged on old trunks. It has long been 

 used for coloring shades of brown. 



The sterile flowers are seen in May in 

 large green catkins, six or seven inches 

 long. The fertile flowers are upon terminal 

 downy stalks, tvvo to seven in a bunch. 

 The well-known fruit ripens in October. If 

 properly dried, it yields a sweet, edible 

 meat, but too oily for healthfulness. The 

 wood is light, slightly tinged with pink. It 

 works very smooth in finishing, and is com- 

 ing into high repute for cabinet work and 

 nice inside work for dwellings. As the tree 

 grows very rapidly, the planting of it for 

 timber is worthy of consideration. 



'• The Woodchuck. — Woodchuks isa ver}' 

 curus animal. It is made of hair and eyes 

 and has two front teeth, and can see a man 

 with a gun when his eyes are shut and 

 bolted. I have seen a dog shake a wood- 

 chuk till both were black in the face. A 

 woodchuk can snivel up his nose, show his 

 teeth and look as homel}^ as I can without 

 trying. They sit on one end and eat with 

 the other. A woodchuk can get home faster 

 than a gun can shoot. He is round all over, 

 except his feet which are black. When 

 eaten they retain the flavor of their nests, 

 and seem to be cooked without being pared. 

 A fat woodchuk, when eat properly is no 

 laughin' matter. They come under the head 

 of "domestic animals," and think their ain't 

 no place like home when a dog goes for *em." 



