202 THE HICKORY. 



setts we see them following the lines of the old stone- 

 walls, having come up from nuts planted by squirrels 

 on the strip of land around the borders of the fields. We 

 are indebted to this fortunate circumstance for thousands 

 of beautiful and valuable trees, which, but for this narrow 

 border of neglected land, would not have been allowed to 

 " cumber the ground." The trees that originated in these 

 borders had ample room to expand, assume their normal 

 shape, and acquire their full dimensions ; and as we see 

 them running upwards with but little width, we may- 

 consider this to be their natural style of growth. 



Hickories are abundant on fertile slopes, near brook- 

 sides, and on rocky hills that abound in clay and yellow 

 loam. They do not prosper on light, sandy soils, and are 

 not found in bogs. They are even a better indication 

 of a fertile soil than the oak. The shellbark alone drops 

 its leaves before they are tinted in the autumn. The 

 most remarkable species in ISTew England are the shell- 

 bark, the fignut, the white hickory, and the bitternut. 

 These four have nearly the same , outward characters. 

 They are, indeed, so much alike that the shellbark alone 

 is readily distinguished by the exfoliation of the outer 

 rind of its bark as soon as it has come to fruit-bearing. 

 The bark of the other three species is channelled or fur- 

 rowed, like that of the ash. The fruit of the fignut is 

 fig-shaped ; and as the epithet ficiformis was very early 

 applied to this species, it is evident that the vulgar name 

 of pignut is a corruption of the true name, which ought to 

 be restored. 



Had the old painters been acquainted with the Hickory, 

 they would have admired it beyond most other trees. 

 The peculiarities of its shape are remarkable. The breaks 

 in its foliage cause that variety and irregularity of outline 

 which are generally regarded as picturesque qualities. I 

 see, while I am writing, directly before my window, a 



