FOREST TREES. 67 
shell of the nut is very thick, and extremely hard; 
the kernel is sweet but small, and difficult to extract; 
hence, probably, the name of Mockernut. 
According to Michaux, who proved the fact by 
actual experiment, this species is of the slowest growth 
of all the Hickories. This consideration will, proba- : 
bly, induce cultivators to prefer some other species 
for propagation. 
4, Carya glabra—Pignut Hickory. 
Leaflets, five or seven; ovate lanceolate; serrate, 
smooth; fruit, pear-shaped, or roundish obovate; 
husk, thin, splitting about half way down, and gen- 
erally adhering when the nut falls; nut, hard and 
tough; kernel, small, sweet or bitterish. 
In the southern parts of New England, and in the 
Middle States towards the Atlantic coast, the Pignut 
is one of the most multiplied of the Hickories. 1t 
appears to be less common in the Western States. It 
is a large tree, growing to the height of seventy or 
eighty feet, with a diameter of three or four feet. 
The wood is considered by many the strongest and 
toughest of the Hickories, and is preferred where it 
grows, for axletrees and axe handles. The nuts serve 
only as food for animals and are never taken to mar- 
ket. 
5. Carya oliveformis—Pecan-nut. 
Nearly smooth; leaflets, thirteen or fifteen; oblong 
lanceolate; serrate; somewhat falcate; nut, olive- 
shaped with a thin shell. 
