298 CARRIEREA CARYA 



sepals' very downy. A pair of ovate yellowish bracts are set on the 

 flower-stalk. Fruit a spindle-shaped capsule, downy, 3 to 4 ins. long, 

 f in. wide at the middle, splitting into three narrowly lanceolate valves. 

 Seeds winged. 



Native of West and Central China, at altitudes of 2000 to 3000 ft. ; 

 introduced for Harvard University in 1908. Mr Wilson, who introduced 

 it, tells me that it is a tree of singular beauty of flower, and a great 

 acquisition to gardens should it prove hardy. On this point nothing 

 certain can be stated yet, but it would seem to be best adapted for the 

 milder parts of the country. Its nearest allies among hardy trees are 

 Idesia and Poliothyrsis. 



CARYA. HICKORY. JUGLANDACE^:. 



Of the twelve or fourteen species of hickory as yet recognised there 

 are doubtless many more as yet undistinguished about half are in 

 cultivation in the British Isles. They are all natives of Eastern North 

 America. From its two allies, Juglans and Pterocarya, the genus is 

 distinguished by its pith being solid, and not, as in the others, divided 

 into thin transverse plates ; and from Juglans in particular by the 

 branched male inflorescences and four-valved fruit. The hickories are 

 large, deciduous trees with pinnate leaves ; the leaflets rather wide apart 

 on a common stalk, themselves nearly or quite stalkless. Male flowers 

 mostly in three-branched, slender catkins, produced either at the end 

 of the previous year's shoots or at the base of the young ones of the 

 current year; whilst the few-flowered, female inflorescence terminates 

 the young shoot. Nut surrounded by a husk, which is often thick and 

 becomes hard by the time the seed is ripe. 



Considering their great beauty of foliage and stately habit and there 

 is scarcely any tree more striking than a well-grown young hickory this 

 genus is strangely uncommon in gardens. The reason appears to be 

 their dislike of disturbance at the root, which makes them unsuited to 

 ordinary nursery conditions. The frequent transplanting which is 

 practised by good nurserymen to ensure success at the final removal of 

 their stock is, in my experience, worse than useless with hickories. It 

 induces a stunted, ultimately diseased condition, from which, at the best, 

 it takes them long to recover. The great secret with hickories is to get them 

 in their permanent places early. To anyone desirous of trying these fine 

 trees I would recommend the following procedure. The best species to 

 experiment with are C. alba, amara, porcina, and tomentosa. Nuts of 

 these should be obtained in autumn from a reliable American seedsman 

 as early as possible after they are ripe. During the winter they should 

 be kept in a box of moist earth, either inside or out-of-doors. In spring 

 the nuts may be placed singly in 6-in. pots, in a slightly heated frame 

 or greenhouse. After they have germinated, all that is necessary is to 

 protect them from frost until they are planted out about the end of May, 

 if sufficient progress has been made. Caryas need a deep, loamy soil 

 if they are to thrive permanently. Previous to planting the seedlings out, 

 the ground should be well worked, and it is wise to put a couple 



