WALNUT FAMILY 



guishing character and differ in general aspect from those 

 of the other hickories. 'J"he fruit also is individual, four 

 ridges or wings reach from the apex 

 half way to the base ; sometimes two 

 of these reach the base, all of them 

 never. The kernel is extremely bit- 

 ter. 



This species loves the water and in 

 Ohio should be sought at the mar- 

 gins of streams, but in the south it 

 changes its nature and crowds upon 

 the poor, dry, gravelly soil of Ala- 

 bama and Mississippi. It grows rap- 

 idly for a hickory, but the entire fam- 

 ily are slow of growth. 

 The nuts should be planted where they are to grow, as the 

 trees are difficult to transplant. 



Bitternut. Hicon'a minima 

 K' ^o 1 J-a' long. 



SHELLBARK HICKORY. SHAGBARK 



l/'ubi ia ovaln. Cdrya alba. 



Shagbark refers to the loose shaggy appearance of the bark, and as 

 this peels off easily the tree is also known as Shellbark. 



Not abundant in New EnglaQcl, reaches its largest size in the val- 

 ley of the Ohio, In the forest attains the height of one hundred 

 feet with a straight columnar trunk. Prefers a deep, rich, rather 

 moist soil. Its tap root is very large and vigorous, and the tree is 

 best reared directly from the nut. 



Bark. — Dark gray, separates into strips often three feet or more 

 long, three to eight inches wide, which cling to the trunlc usually by 

 the middle giving it a rough shaggy appearance. On young stems 

 and branches smooth and light green. Branchlets stout, at first 

 green, slightly angled, downy and covered with brown scurf, during 

 first year reddish or light gray, smooth and shining, later becoming 

 dark gray, finally light gray. Leaf-scars are ovate to semi-orbicular 

 or very obscurely three-lobed, pale. 



Wood. — Light brown, sapwood nearly white; heavy, tough, close- 

 grained and extremely clastic. Used in manufacture of agricultural 



28a 



