The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-19
NUTS.


 There is, perhaps, no better way to get the true flavor of the au- preference, we should go on bright, sunny morning, after a sharp frost, when the air is just cool enough to sug- gest exercise If we start early, the grass will be covered with dew, except on the shady side of the barns and stone walls, where the white rime still awaits the coming of the sun. The hedges along the roadside will be bril- l liant with color Here we shall see a patch of scarlet rose hips; there the dark red spires of the sunach, sur rounded by their crimson leaves, and just beyond, perhaps the gorgeous tints of the poison ivy gleaming through the feathery white clouds Of the wild clematis. Along the tops of the lichen- covered stone walls stretch l the long arms of the Virginia creeper, bearing a wealth of blue berries, suf- fused with a delicate bloom, and here and there, behind the bronze black berry leaves, we shall see long purple clusters of wild grapes.
 From a distance the woods present great variety of color Some of the trees still retain a tinge of green; some are bright yellow, others orange, brown, purple and copper-colored, and some of the naples and liquid ambers appear to be on fire,
 And now we hear many bird-voices; more, in fact, than we have heard all the summer Some are the call notes of birds which reared their families in the north and have come down to spend the winter with us and others are the farewell songs of summer resi- dents which will shortly depart for the south Amongst them we recognize the 'tsip" of the junco, or snowbird, and the merry prattle of the chickadee, and the sound of vigorous raking amongst the fallen leaves calls our attention to numerous chewinks, whose white tipped tailfeathers may be seen flashing here and there among the underbrush.
 Early as we are, we are not the first nut ut-gatherers on the scene; the squirrels were before us. Here and there amongst the trees we can see where these active creatures have cut off the punches of nuts, and even as we approach a certain hickory tree, we may see chipmunk scamper away with his cheek pouches distended to an alarming extent with contributions to his winter store.
 When he reaches some old stump or heap of stones, perhaps he will pause, twitch his tail once or twice, and dis appear. There is his burrow-a wind ing tunnel which extends several hun dred feet into the ground, and which has several lateral galleries where he stores his nuts and wheat and grass seeds. Near the end of the main tun- nel he has a., nest of leaves, where he sleeps perhaps with several of his fellows. He is not true hibernator, like the flying squirrel, but wakes up at to take his meals. If we watch the spot where he disappeared, we shall see him come out again in few seconds, with the swelling all gone from his face, and if we keep perfectly | still he will start at once for another load. The red squirrels and gray ! squirrels also store up large quantities of nuts generally in hollow trees or un- | der stumps and logs; but they have to carry one nut at time, for unlike the chipmunk they have no cheek pouches.
 But now for our own nuts. We shall [ see more hickories than any others; they are the commonest of all the Eastern States. There Is a great difference in hickory nuts. and when we have choice we may as we'll gather the best. Of the several species the shagbarks or sheligarks is the finest, and we need never to mistake the tree for any other, for the loose bark peeling up in ong grap strips all over the trunk, identifies 1t at once
 And not for its nuts alone is the 3hellbark hickory famous; it's wood is amongst the hardest. touchest and ,losest- grained in the country. A single ,ubic foot of it weighs over fiftv-two and 1t is considered the best uel in the American woods. But 1t is oo good to burn, for nothing better ,an be used in the manufacture of car 'iages wagon spokes and axe handles. md it is also highly prized by coopers md makers of agricultural imple- nents. There are two species of hckory-nut which we must be careful to avoid he bitternut and the pignut, neither of which is fit to eat The bitternut, or [ IS many call it. swamphickory, is very bitter. and the pignut, although at first ather sweet. has a disagreeable, bitter { ftertaste. The first time I ever went nutting, I { pent half day gathering pignuts. I