Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-05-14

come out on the shoots of the same spring
and are situated at their extremity. The
ovarium is crowned by two rose-colored
stigmata. The fruit is commonly single
and suspended by thin, pliable pedun-
Gle three inches in length: its form is
oblong-oval without any appearance of
seam. 1t is often two and half inches
in length and five inches in circumfer-
ence. 1t is covered with viscid adhe-
sive substance composed of small. trans
parent vesicles which are easily discerned
by the aid of glass. The nuts are hard,
oblong. rounded at the base and termi-
mated at the summit in an acute point.
The surface is very rough and deeply
and irregularly furrowed. They are ripe
in the neghborhood of New York about
the 18th of September-a fortnight ear
lier than the other species of walnut.
Some years they are so abundant that
one person may gather several bushel of
them in one day. The kernel is thick
and oily and soon becomes rancid; hence
doubtless are derived the names of but
ternut and oilnut. These nuts are rarely
seen in the markets of New York and
Philadelphia. The Indians. who inhabit-
ed these regions pounded and boiled
them, and, separating the oily substance
which swan upon the surface. mixed it
with their food. When the fruit has at
tanned about half its growth it is some
times used for making pickles. being first
plunged into boiling water and thorough
ly wiped to clean it of its down, and af-
terward preserved in vinegar
The black walnut and butternut. when
young. resemble each other in their foil
age and in the rapidity of their growth:
but when arrived at maturity their forms
are 50 different as to be distinguished at
first sight. Remarkable peculiarites are
also found on examining their wood. es-
pecially when seasoned: the black wal
nut is heavy, strong and of dark brown
color, while the butternut is light. of
! little strength and of reddish hue: but
they possess in common the great advan-
tage of lasting long and of being secure
from the annoyance of worms. From
its want of solidity and from the diff
Guilty of securing pieces of considerable
length. butternut timber is never used in
the cities in the construction of houses.
though it is sometimes employed for this
purpose in the country. In some dis
tricts of New Jersey it is often taken for
sleepers which are placed Immediately
on the ground in the framing of houses
and barns. As it long ressts the effects
of heat and moisture it is esteemed for
posts and rails and for troughs for the
use of cattle. For corn shovels and
wooden dishes it is preferred to the red
Towering maple. because it is lighter
and less liable to split: consequently ar
ticles made of it are sold at higher
price. Near New York have observed
it to be made use of for canoes formed of
one or two logs and for the futtockS de-
signed to give them Soliditv: bur in boats
of considerable size some stronger wood
is selected for this purpose. At Pitts
burgh on the Ohio the butternut is some
times sawn into planks for the construc-
ton of small Skitis, which, ON account of
their lightness, are in request for de-
sCending the river. At Windsor in Yer
mont it is used for the panels of coaches
and chaises: the workmen finding it eX-
cellently adapted to this object not only
from its lightneSs. but because it is not
liable to split and receives paint in a SUI
perior manner. Indeed. have remarked
that its pores are more open than those
of the poplar and Eastwood.
The medicinal properties of the but
ternut bark have long since been proved
by several eminent physicians of the
United States, and among Others by DR..
Cutler. An extract in water or even a
decoction sweetened with honey is ac-
knowledged to be one of the best cathar-
tics afforded by the materia medica: its
purgative operation is always sure and
unattended in the most delicate constitu-
tions with pain or irritation. Expert
ence has shown that it produces the best
l
commonly given in the form of pills.
and, to adults, in doses of from half a
scruple to scruple. 1t is not, however
in general use except in the country
where many of the farmers wives pro-
vide IA small store of it in the spring for
the wants of their families and their
neighbors. They obtain it by boiling
the bark entire in water till the iuuid is
reduced by evaporation to a thick viscid
substance which is almost black. This
is faulty process: the exterior bark. OF
the dead part which covers the cellular
integument, should first be taken of; fol-
by continued boiling it becomes charged
with four-tifths of the liquid already en-,
rched with eXtractive matter. | have
also seen this bark successfully employ,
ed as a revulsive in inflammatory oph,
thalmias and in the toothache: Il piece OF