THE HICKORIES 



THERE are twelve species of Hickories known to botan- 

 ists and they are all indigenous to North America. None can 

 be found growing naturally elsewhere. Eleven of them be- 

 long to the United States, but only four of these are deemed 

 of sufficient value as timber trees to be considered here. 

 Large consumers place them in two classes and speak of 

 them as Shellbark Hickory and Black Hickory, while the 

 lumber trade calls the lumber cut from all of the valuable 

 species "hickory," and by this general designation the 

 consumer will not be wronged if lumber cut from no other 

 species than the four hereafter considered is given him, 

 although the class called Black Hickory is preferred by 

 some carriage manufacturers. Only an expert is capable of 

 distinguishing between the woods. For most purposes all 

 four species are alike very valuable and have no competi- 

 tors. For light carriagework there is no rival of Hickory. 

 The beauty, lightness, strength, and superiority of carriages 

 constructed of our best Hickories have never been attained 

 by the use of any other wood, while for handles and all 

 purposes where strength, combined with lightness, is desired, 

 it is unsurpassed. All species rank first-class for fuel. Hick- 

 ory is also largely used for smoking meat, the United States 

 Forestry Bureau reporting that thirty-one thousand cords, 

 or approximately twenty-two million feet, are annually de- 

 manded by the four hundred and seventy-three packing 

 establishments in the United States for smoking meat. 

 This does not include what farmers use for the same pur- 

 pose, which is quite likely as much more. Unfortunately 

 there has been little or no attempt made to perpetuate the 

 supply of this extremely valuable wood, and carriage-makers 

 are facing a famine in it which will become acute within 

 fifteen years, if not before. 



