132 How to Know the Trees 



at the base are rather small, but those at the 

 top are much larger, usually six or seven inches 

 long and nearly half as broad. These dark 

 green leaflets are finely toothed at the edges, and 

 very fragrant when you crush them in your hand. 

 The dark brown buds are over a half -inch long. 

 They are covered with fine, soft hairs. 



The hickory nut, like the beechnut and chest- 

 nut, comes in a husk. But the husk of the hick- 

 ory nut is round, with a smooth coat, and holds 

 just one nut. When it ripens in October, this 

 thick husk splits open in four or more pieces, 

 and falls from the nut. The nut too is round, 

 with a thick, hard shell and large sweet meats 

 inside. 



There is a very shaggy appearance to the hick- 

 ory tree. It is another tree which you may easily 

 recognize by the bark. The bark is smooth and 

 gray on the twigs and younger branches; on the 

 old trees it is dark gray and thick, hanging 

 from the trunk in long strips forced out by the 

 growing wood inside. This wood is very strong 

 and hard, and light brown in color. Hickory, 

 when green, is heavier than water, and sinks in 

 it like a stone. Hickory is used wherever a strong, 



