HICKORY-NUT 



HICKORY-NUT 



1489 



separately under Pecan. For the botany of the hick- 

 ories, see Carya. 



In flavor and quality of kernel, the shagbark is 

 esteemed by most Americans as the choicest of native 

 nuts, though in these respects the shellbark is but lit- 

 tle inferior to it. The thinner shell and larger propor- 

 tion of kernel have given the former precedence over the 

 latter in most cultural efforts; though the thrifty 

 growth, symmetrical form and luxuriant foliage of the 

 latter render it one of the most handsome and useful of 

 native trees for roadside or lawn 

 planting. The shagbark has the 

 broader area of natural distribu- 

 tion; being found in localities 

 throughout most of the United 

 States to the eastward of the Great 

 Plains, except on the lowlands of 

 the South Atlantic coast and Gulf 

 states. The shellbark is mainly 

 confined to the valley of the Mis- 

 sissippi and its larger tributaries, 

 extending eastward, however, into 

 eastern Pennsylvania and western 

 New York. 



The pignut, which is similar to 

 the shagbark in area of distribu- 

 tion, is much inferior to the others 

 in quality, but shows wider varia- 

 tion than either in this respect, 

 and has disclosed at least one 

 variety of distinct cultural merit. 



As the hickories, other than the 

 pecan, are slow-growing species at 

 best, they should not be planted 

 on other than fertile soil. The 

 shellbark is native to river bot- 

 toms, and requires richer land 

 than the others, which endure a 

 rather wide range of soil character- 

 istics, provided there is sufficient 

 depth and good drainage. Deep, 

 well-drained fertile loams, either 

 of sandy or clayey nature, are 

 acceptable to all the species. 



Propagation. 



All the species are propagated 

 by seed. Planting is frequently 

 done in autumn, but, to lessen the 

 destruction by rodents, is more 

 safely done in early spring. In 

 such case the freshly gathered 

 nuts, after removal from the hulls, 

 should be stored in slightly damp- 

 ened sand during the winter or 

 stratified, as other tree seeds. Uni- 

 formity of growth is promoted by 

 planting nuts where trees are to 

 stand, as the transplanting process 

 in ordinary seasons is accompanied 

 by a considerable loss. If trees must be transplanted, 

 it is probably best to transplant annually in nursery 

 rows, in rich soil, to promote growth of fibrous roots 

 and lessen the shock of final transplanting to the 

 permanent location. 



The propagation of the hickories (except the pecan) 

 by budding and grafting, is exceedingly difficult, even 

 the most experienced propagators securing but a partial 

 stand in the nursery, under favorable conditions. This 

 fact coupled with the comparatively high mortality 

 in transplanting such trees from the nursery has greatly 

 retarded the dissemination of the many choice varieties 

 that have been located in the form of seedling trees, 

 during the past quarter-century. 



One of the simplest methods of multiplying the 

 stock of a choice tree, to a limited extent, and thus to 



95 



5 5a 



1837. Forms of hickory-nut. 1, la, Kentucky; 

 2, 2a, Kirtland; 3, 3a, Rieke; 4, 4a, Swain; 5, So, 

 Weiker. 



insure the preservation of the variety, is that sug- 

 gested by Fuller in his" "Nut Culturist," which was 

 apparently one of the first methods successfully 

 employed in shagbark propagation. This consists in 

 the "turning up or exposing at the surface of the 

 ground of side roots, severed from the parent tree." 

 The severed side roots are straightened up and tied to 

 stakes to hold them in position with their cut ends about 

 level with the surface of the ground to stimulate the 

 formation of shoots from adventitious buds, one of 

 which is eventually made the 

 trunk of the new tree. The lower 

 end of the root is not severed until 

 the top has formed, when the new 

 tree should be transplanted to its 

 permanent location in rich and 

 mellow soil and kept well mulched 

 until thoroughly established. The 

 method is slow and sharply limited 

 in extent of application but is per- 

 haps the surest in the hands of 

 the amateur grower. 



The late Jackson Dawson, the 

 very skilful propagator of woody 

 plants at Arnold Arboretum, 

 achieved a considerable degree of 

 success in propagating the shag- 

 bark by side-grafting on specially 

 grown bitternut (C. minima) seed- 

 lings. He grew the seedlings in 

 boxes 4 inches deep, for one or 

 two years until of sufficient size 

 for grafting. The seedlings were 

 then transferred to pots in autumn 

 and taken into the greenhouse 

 about January 1. They were side- 

 grafted, close to the collar. As 

 soon as the roots began to start, 

 the potted trees were plunged in 

 sphagnum to the top bud of the 

 cion and left until March to 

 callus. 



As improvement in method and 

 technique in pecan-propagation 

 has been accomplished by south- 

 ern nurserymen during the past 

 ten years, considerable attention 

 has been given to the hickory by 

 some of them, with the result that 

 a certain degree of success has 

 been attained with the annular 

 and patch-bud methods, both in 

 nursery propagation and top- 

 working. Unfortunately, in many 

 cases, the shagbark has been bud- 

 ded upon southern pecan seed- 

 lings, the ability of which to 

 endure the minimum temperatures 

 of the northern regions where the 

 principal interest in shagbark 



planting exists Is at least very doubtful. 



The cleft-grafting of thoroughly established stocks at 

 the crown, in early spring, has thus far proved the most 

 practical method for the average propagator. This is 

 accomplished by removing the earth to a depth of 3 

 to 4 inches from the base of the tree. The stock is cut 

 off with a fine saw about 2 inches below the ground-line 

 or at the top of the root-swelling. Cions having terminal 

 buds should be inserted by either center or side-graft 

 methods. The entire stump should then be carefully 

 mounded over to the top buds of the cion with fine 

 earth of a texture that will retain moisture without 

 baking. The cjons should be cut when entirely dormant 

 and held in sphagnum or sawdust in an ice-house or 

 elsewhere to keep the buds from swelling until the 

 stocks are starting. The young growth needs to be 



