FOREST TREES. vig 
two, long and pointed, recurved; fruit, a round berry; 
flowers, greenish, axillary. 
Celtis occidentalis, var. crassifolia—Hackberry. — 
Leaves, obliquely cordate, ovate, acuminate, serrate, 
thick, very rough. 
The Hackberry is found in the Western States, 
almost exclusively upon the richest soils, in which it 
often attains the height of eighty feet, with a diameter 
of only eighteen or twenty inches, and a trunk straight 
and undivided to agreatheight. It is usually braced 
on all sides by large projecting roots, which rise two 
feet or more above the surface of the ground. The 
foliage and spray resemble those of the Elm, but the 
tree is less spreading. Its fruit is about the size of a 
pea, with a sweet pulp enveloping the seed, and is 
often produced in considerable quantity. Its wood 
is white, and splits easily, but speedily decays when 
exposed to the weather. Bails made from it last but 
a short time. It is sometimes sawed into lumber to 
be used for inside work, but it shrinks and swells 
greatly with the alternations of dryness and moisture 
in the atmosphere. Its most important use is for the 
manufacture of flat hoops for flour and fruit barrels, 
for which it is well fitted. 
The Hackberry is a fine tree, but cannot be recom- 
mended for cultivation for the sake of its timber. 
The Nettle tree of the Eastern States, of which this 
is a variety, greatly resembles it. Another species, 
the Celtis Mississippiensis, is found in Southern 
Illinois, but I am unacquainted with it. 
7* 
