272 THE HICKORIES 



to produce a good growth after two or three cuttings have 

 been made. If allowed to grow it is seldom that a sprout 

 reaches a size large enough for a sawlog before decay sets 

 in. It is a fairly good seeder, and its fruit is promptly 

 seized by squirrels, mice, and mankind; and when these 

 consumers are at all numerous, there is little chance for 

 natural reproduction. As the tree bears fruit quite early, 

 sometimes when only thirty years old, when growing in 

 the open, obtaining seed need not be a difficult task, if 

 existing trees are cared for. The nuts should be planted 

 six feet apart and the trees thinned as conditions indicate. 

 The young growth being superior for handles, there will 

 soon come a return for the money invested. Like the 

 Black Walnut, the tree is profitable for both wood and 

 fruit. 



SHELLBACK HICKORY : Hicoria laciniosa 



THIS tree closely resembles the Shagbark. In some local- 

 ities it is known as the King-nut. Its form and habit of 

 growth are quite similar and the quality of its wood is prac- 

 tically the same. Its range, however, is less in extent, it being 

 seldom found north of central New York or east of the Alle- 

 ghanies. Neither does it extend as far south as the Shagbark. 

 Its western limit is about the same. It also prefers a moist 

 soil, being partial to rich bottom lands which are some- 

 times flooded in spring. Probably its best development is 

 near the large swamps and lowlands of the lower Ohio 

 River basin and in central Missouri. It is one of the most 

 common trees to be found there. 



The tree does not attain as great a diameter as the 

 Shagbark, seldom exceeding three feet, but in height and 

 general characteristics of stem and crown, it is substan- 

 tially the same. The heartwood is somewhat darker than 

 the Shagbark, but the sapwood is thin and nearly white. 

 The wood is used for the same purposes. The casual ob- 

 server can distinguish between the trees mainly from the 



