Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-11
l.ur BEARING TREES.

Many Species of the Hickory-Peean o
the South-The Walnut.
Among our nut bearing trees th'
hickories are perhaps the best known
They are strictly North American
trees; none now grow in any othe'
part of the world. There are four
teen known species; one Mexican
while the other thirteen grow east o
the Rocky Mountains. Our own state
boasts of six Species Of which the
shagbark or shellbark is most noted
because of its nuts and its peculiar
bark.
The wood Of most species is tough
strong and flexible-especially valu'
able for farm implements, tool han.
dies, etc. There is no other kind Of
fuel that excels dry hickory for heat
and brilliancy of flame. No other OF
our trees bear such valuable nuts. Nc
finer shade trees are to be found. But
because of the value of the wood fol-
implements and fuel the finest trees
f the forest have been sacrificed and
as a consequence the crop Of wild nuts
Is decreasing while the demand Is In
creasing. Nurserymen are now exper-
imenting to find the best method OF
propagating the trees and improving
the varieties.
The Creek and Alonquin tribes OF
Indians made a drink from the
pounded nuts, shells and all, and call
ed it "powcohickora." Recent bota-
nists have adopted the latter part OF
the Indian name, with slight change
(hicoria) as the name Of the genus,
which seems very fitting.
We scarcely think of the pecan as
hickory, yet it Is the largest Of our
hickories. 1t is native Of the south
ern and southwestern counties Of the
state and grows to perfection in the
rich, moist soils Of river bottoms. The
wood Of the pecan Is hard, brittle, of
a light reddish brown and Is the least
valuable Of all the hickories, except
for fuel and for its nuts which are
collected and sold in all the markets
of the north. What the pecan Is to
the river valley people the shellbark,
shagbark and mockernut hickories
might, with little forethought and
care, become to the people living on
the uplands further north.
The black walnut Is a grand tree
growing in river bottoms and on hill
sides west from western Massachu-
setts to Minnesota and southwark to
Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tex
as. The trunk is tall and straight.
The branches are stout and spreading,
grown in the open.
The flowers Of the walnut are much
like those of the hickory except that
the pistillate flowers, instead Of be-
ing yellowish green are Of rich red.
The pistils as in the case of the hick-
ory divide into two plumy heads.
The nutriment which nature pro-
vides for baby walnuts and hickories
Is stored in the seed leaves. While
the pollen is flying from the boughs
the forming nut has four communi-
eating chambers in which one embryo
plant lives all alone. AS the seed
leaves are packed with oils and
starches for the sustenance Of the
young tree they swell and stretch and
soon occupy the entire four roomed
apartment When they have attain
ed their growth they are lobed and
folded so as to fill every Granny of the
in which they lie. This Is the
reason that the kernels show such ir-
regular surfaces when taken from the
shells.
The family's botanic name, Jug
lans, Is derived from Jovis CLANS
Jove's nut. Roman writer's applied
this name to the European walnut on
account Of the excellence Of its nuts.
Jove's acorn was the walnut of COM
merce, for curiously enough 1t was
this nut, not the fruit Of the oak,
which the Romans called an acorn.
Indiana Farmer.