THE HICKORIES 37 



ets for heavy market use, are almost indestructible. No 

 fuel is better than seasoned hickory wood. 



Shagbark or Shellbark d'O rU3 O/^^'fe? 

 Hiemia ovata, Britt. 



The shagbark has gray bark that is shed in thin, tough, 

 vertical strips. Attached by the middle, these strips often 

 spring outward, at top and bottom, giving the bole a most 

 untidy look {see illustrations , pages, 6, 71), and threatening 

 the trousers of any boy bold enough to try cHmbing into 

 the smooth-barked top to beat off the nuts. 



In spite of the ragged-looking trunk, a shagbark grown 

 in the open is a noble tree. The limbs are angular, but 

 they express strength to the utmost twig, as the bare ob- 

 long of the tree's lofty head is etched against a wintry sky. 



The nuts are the chief blessing this tree confers upon the 

 youngsters of any neighborhood. Individual trees differ 

 in the size and quality of their fruit. The children know 

 the best trees, and so do the squirrels, their chief com- 

 petitors at harvest time. 



Frost causes the eager lads to seek their favorite trees, 

 and underneath they find the four-parted husks dropping 

 away from the angled nuts. There is no waiting, as with 

 walnuts, for husking time to come. The tree is prompt 

 about dropping its fruit. Spread for a few weeks, where 

 they can dry, and thieving squirrels will let them alone, 

 hickory nuts reach perfect condition for eating. Fat, 

 proteid, and carbohydrates are found in concentrated form 

 in those delicious meats. We may not know their dietetic 

 value, but we all remember how good and how satisfying 

 they are. No tree brings to the human family more val- 



