196 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



turn black, and are in no way ornamental. Considerable 

 interest is attached to its cultivation through the superior 

 excellence of its nuts, which, however, are only occasionally 

 produced in this region. It is readily distinguished by its 

 fruit, which is long or olive shaped, with a thin covering, 

 scarcely opening but a little at the apex. The nut has a thin 

 shell, frequently marked by faint purple lines or dots. It 

 grows well in a dry loamy soil, and I have seen good speci- 

 mens in rocky situations, and on gravel. 



4. Pignut hickory (C. porclna). A very ornamental kind, 

 having more sprayey branchlets and more numerously divid- 

 ing branches than the others. It has the smoothest bark, with 

 numerous small fissures, of any of the tribe. The leaves 

 turn to a rich yellow in the fall. It is but a middle sized tree, 

 but the timber is highly valued for its toughness. It grows 

 best in rather moist clayey situations. It is easily distinguished 

 by its fruit, which is pear-shaped, and slightly flattened. 

 The covering of the nut does not open, or but very partially, 

 and is thin. The nut has no angles, is a little heart-shaped 

 at the apex, and also has a thin shell. 



5. Bitternut (C. amara) is my favorite as an ornamental 

 tree. In favorable situations it is lofty, often 80 or 90 feet 

 high. I have seen it in open situations in rich alluvial river 

 bottoms, form a perfect cone. The branches, like those of 

 the Pignut, are densely clothed with fine spray, and in the fall 

 the leaves turn to a rich golden yellow. It is very readily 

 distinguished by its fruit, which is the smallest of the kinds 

 mentioned. The covering is very thin, may almost be said to 

 be papery, and opens half way down mXo four divisions, each 

 di\Y'\s\oi\ tapering to a point. The nut also tapers suddenly 

 to a very sharp point, has a thin shell, and an intensely bitter 

 kernel. 



6. Small Fruited hickory (C. microcarpa). A middle 

 sized tree, ornamental in its outlines, but not equal to the two 

 last. It is coarser in its appearance than 4 and 5 ; but not near 

 so much so as 1 and 2. It would be more liable to be mis- 

 taken for the Pignut, at first sight, than any of the others ; 

 but is well distinguished by its fruit, which, though it varies 



