JUGLANDACB^. 



SILVA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



133 



commercial importance. Oil made from the kernels of the nuts was used by the Indians/ who also 

 pressed a milky substance from them ; ^ the bitter astringent inner bark has been employed successfully 



the treatment of dyspepsia and intermittent fever/ and in homoeopathic practice ; ^ and a yellow dye 

 obtained from the inner bark. No other trees give greater dignity and character to the forests of 

 stern North America or surpass the Hickories in vigor and beauty of appearance.^ Numerous insects ^ 



and whereas our Gunnes that are stocked with English Walnut, ^ U. S. Dispens. ed. 16, 1744. 



are soone broken and cracked in frost, being a brittle wood; wee * Millspaugh, Am, Med, PL in Homoeopathic Remedies, ii. 157. 



are driven to stocke them new with the Country Walnut, which ^ Poreher, Resources of Southern Fields and Forests, 322. 



will indure all blowes, and weather; lasting time out of minde. ® In the Fifth Annual Report of the United States Entomologi- 



These trees beare a very good Nut, something smaller, but nothing cal Commission, published in 1890, one hundred and sixty-nine 



inferiour in sweetnesse and goodnesse to the English Nut, having species of insects are recorded as living upon Hicoria, and very 



no bitter pill." little is known of those which attack these trees in the southern 



Their Hickory-wood handles have made American axes known states. Many insects that injure the Hickories feed also on other 



all over the world, and it is to the light American carriages, only plants, although a large number seem to confine themselves to this 



made possible by the use of Hickory wood in their construction, genus. More than fifty species are known to affect the bark and 



that the American trotting horse, one of the greatest triumphs of wood of the trunk and branches, both when they are green and 



the breeder's art, owes his superiority. Hickory wood is the best after they have become dry. A large portion of these wood-borers 



fuel yielded by the American forests; and for hoops no other are the larvae of beetles belonging to the family Cerambycidae. 



American wood equals it. 



Cyllene pictus, Drury, which resembles the common Locust-borer, 



1 " The third sort is, as this last, exceeding hard shelled, and hath often does serious injury to the Hickories. Goes tigrinus, De Geer, 



a passing sweet karnell ; this last kind the Indians beat into pieces and several other species of this genus, are often common on these 



with stones, and putting them, shells and all, into morters, mingling trees, in the larval state boring first into the bark and sapwood and 



water with them, with long woodden pestells pound them so long later into the solid wood. CMon dnctus^ Drury, is often destructive 



togither untill they make a kind of mylke, or oylie liquor, which to drying hickory timber. (See Garden and Forest, i. 148.) Saperda 



they call powcohicora." (Strachey, The Historie of Travaile into discoidea, Fabricius, and Stenosphenus notatus, Olivier, are also said 



Virginia Britannia, ed. Major, 129.) 



to affect the Hickories, and several species of Dicerca and Chryso- 



" The Wild Wallnut, or Hiquery-Tree, gives the Indians, by bothris, are common on them. Larvse of such minute beetles as 



boyling its Kernel, a wholesome Oyl, from whom the English fre- Sinoxylon basilare, Say, and Apate basilaris, Say, often make deep 



quently supply themselves for their Kitchen uses ; It's commended slender tunnels in the dry wood. A twig-girdler, Oncideres cingu^ 



for a good Remedy in Dolors, and Gripes of the Belly; whilst new latus, Say, and Elaphidion villosumy Fabricius, sometimes cut off the 



it has a pleasant Taste; but after six Moneths, it decays and grows small branches. Some species of Agrilus, Acanthoderes quadrigih- 



acid; I believe it might make a good Oyl, and of as general an use hus. Say, Liopus cinereus, Leconte, and the larvse of several other 



as that of the Olive, if it were better purified and rectified." beetles bore into the branches and twigs, although frequently not 



(Thomas Ash, Carolina, or a Description of the Present State of that until the wood is dead. The Hymenopterous, Tremex Columba, 



Country, 12.) 



Linnaeus, is reputed to be a destructive borer of the Hickory in 



"Hiccory Nuts have very hard Shells, but excellent sweet Ker- some localities. Chramesus Icorice, Le Conte, and Scolytus 4-5pmo- 



nels, with which, in a plentiful Year, the old Hogs, that can crack sus, Say, and several other species of Scolytidse; and Magdalis, 



them, fatten themselves, and make excellent Pork. These Nuts and other Curculionidae, live in the bark of dead or living trees, 



are gotten, in great Quantities, by the Savages, and laid up for A scale insect, Lecanium Caryce, Fitch, and large masses of aphids. 



Stores, of which they make several Dishes and Banquets. One of like Eriosoma Caryce, Fitch, Lachnus Caryce, Harris, are found on 



these I cannot forbear mentioning ; it is this : They take these the surface of the bark of young branches. 



Nuts, and break them very small betwixt two Stones, till the Shells 



The Hickories are favorite food-plants of several species of the 



and Kernels are indifferent small; And this Powder you are pre- large Silk-spinners and other Bombycidse which also feed upon the 



sented withal in their Cabins, in little wooden Dishes; the Kernel foliage of Juglans, and of numerous species of Catocala. Halesidota 



dissolves in your Mouth, and the Shell is spit out. This tastes as Caryce, Harris, is often common, and the Fall Web-worm and the 



well as any Almond. Another Dish is the Soup which they make larvse of Datana ministra, Drury, frequently defoliate the branches. 



of these Nuts, beaten, and put into Venison-Broth, which dissolves The larvse of Phycis ruhrifasciella, Packard, live in the buds and 



the Nut, and thickens, whilst the Shell precipitates, and remains at leaf-stalks in spring and early summer, and some other Pyralid^ 



the bottom. This Broth tastes very rich,'' (Lawson, History of and some species of Tortricidae and Tineidae live either in the 



Carolina, 98.) 



2 a 



folded leaves or in curiously constructed cases which protect their 



The fruit is in great estimation with the present generation bodies. Gelechia carycevorella, Packard, lives within the young 



of Indians, particularly Juglans exaltata, commonly called shell- leaves, which it rolls up, and larvse of Coleophora caryafoliella, 



barked hiccory. The Creeks store up the last in their towns. I Chambers, live in cylindrical cases on the under surface of the 



have seen above an hundred bushels of these nuts belonging to one leaves. Among leaf-miners which attack the Hickories are Litho- 



family. They pound them to pieces, and then cast them into boil- colletis carycefoliella, Clemens, Lithocolletis carycealbella, Chambers, 



mg water, which, after passing through fine strainers, preserves and Nepticula carycefoliella, Clemens. The leaves of Hickories are 



the most oily part of the liquid: this they call by a name which frequently affected by numerous species of gall-making insects, 



signifies hiccory milk; it is as sweet and rich as fresh cream, and is which often twist and disfigure them. Between fifteen and twenty 



an ingredient in most of their cookery, especially homony and corn distinct kinds of galls have been described as formed by different 



cakes." (William Bartram, Travels in North America, 38.) species of Phylloxera on these trees, Phylloxera carycecaulis. Fitch, 



