Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-02
NUT-BEARING TREES.
Many Species of Hickory-Pecan of
South-The Walnut.
rom the Indiana Farmer

rom Inc INDIANA FARMER.
Among our nut-bearing trees the hick-
cries are perhaps the best known. They
are strictly North American trees; none
now grow in any other part of the world.
There are fourteen known species: One
Mexican. while the other thirteen grow
east of the Rocky mountains. Our own
state boasts Of six Species OF which the
shagbark or shellbark Is most noted be-
cause OF its nuts and its peculiar bark.
The wood Of most species Is tough,
strong and fleXible-eSpecially valuable
for farm implements. tool handles, etc.
There is no other kind Of fuel that ex-
cells dry hickory fer heat and brilliancy
of flame. No other of our trees bear
such valuable nuts. No finer shade trees
are to be found But because Of the
value Of the wood for implements and
fuel the finest trees of the forest have
been sacrificed and as consequence the
crop of wild nuts is decreasing while the
demand is increasing. Nurserymen are
now experimenting to find the best meth
cd of propagating the trees and improving
the varieties.
The Creek and Algonquin tribes of In
dians made a drink from the pounded
nuts. shells and all. and called it pow
cohickOra." Recent botanists have adopt
ed the latter part of the Indian name.
with slight change hicoria) the
name Of the genus, which seems very At
ting.
We scarcely think of the pecan as a
hickory. yet it Is the largest of our h!ck-
cries. 1t is native of the southern 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 n 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 she'll
bark. shagbark and mLckernut hickories
might, with a little forethousht and care,
become to the people living on the up
lands farther north.
The black walnut is 4 grand tree, grow
ing in river bottoms and on hillsides west
from western Massachusetts to Minnesota
and southwark to Georgia. Florida, MIS-
sissippi and Texas. The trunk Is tall
and straight. The branches are stout
and spreading. forming Handicapped
tree when grown in the open.
The flowers of the walnut are much like
those of the hickory except that the pis-
tillate flowers, instead of being yellowsh
the case OF the hickory, divide into two
pluny heads.
The nutriment which nature provides
for baby walnuts and hickories is stored
flying from the boughs the forming nut
has four communicating chambers in
which one embryo plant lives all alone
AS the seed leaves are packed with oils
and starchcs for the sustenance Of the
young tree they swell and stretch and
soon occupy the entire four-roomed
apartment When they have attained
their growth they are lobed and folded
so as to fill every Granny OF the nutshell
III which they lie. This is the reason
that the kernels show such irregular sur
ia ces when taken from the shells.
The family's botanic name. Juglans,
Is derived from Jovis glans-Jove's nut
Roman writer's applied TINS name to the
European walnut on account OF the ex-
ceience OF it's nuts. Jove's acorn was the
walnut of commerce, for. curiously enough,
1t was this nut. not the fruit of the oak,
which the Romans called an acorn