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HICKORY
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HICKORY , a shortened See also:form of the See also:American See also:Indian name pohickery. Hickory trees are natives of See also:North See also:America, and belong to the genus Carya. They are closely allied t:o the walnuts (Juglans), the See also:chief or at feast one very obvious difference being that, whilst in Carya the husk which covers the See also:shell of the See also:nut separates into four valves, in Juglans it consists of but one piece, which bursts irregularly. The See also:timber is both strong and heavy, and remarkable for its extreme See also:elasticity, but it decays rapidly when exposed to See also:heat and moisture, and is peculiarly subject to the attacks of See also:worms. It is very extensively employed in manufacturing See also:musket See also:stocks, See also:axle-trees, screws, See also:rake See also:teeth, the bows of See also:yokes, the wooden rings used on the See also:rigging of vessels, See also:chair-backs, See also:axe-handles, See also:whip-handles and other purposes requiring See also:great strength and elasticity. Its See also:principal use in America is for hoop-making; and it is the only American See also:wood found perfectly See also:fit for that purpose. The wood of the hickory is of great value as See also:fuel, on See also:account of the brilliancy with which it See also:burns and the ardent heat which it gives out, the See also:charcoal being heavy, compact and See also:long-lived. The See also:species which furnish the best wood are Carya See also:alba (shell-bark hickory), C. tomentosa (mockernut), C. olivaeformis (pecan or pacane nut), and C. porcina (See also:pig-nut), that of the last named, on account of its extreme tenacity, being preferred for axle-trees and axle-handles. The wood of C. alba splits very easily and is very elastic, so that it is much used for making whip-handles and baskets. The wood of this species is also used in the See also:neighbour-See also:hood of New See also:York and See also:Philadelphia for making the back bows of See also:Windsor chairs. The timber of C. amara and C. aquatica is considered of inferior quality. Most of the hickories form See also:fine-looking See also:noble trees of from 6o to 90 ft. in height, with straight, symmetrical trunks, well-balanced ample heads, and bold, handsome, pinnated foliage. When confined in the See also:forest they shoot up 50 to 6o ft. without branches, but when See also:standing alone they expand into a fine See also:head, and produce a lofty See also:round-headed See also:pyramid of foliage. They have all the qualities necessary to constitute fine graceful See also:park trees. The most ornamental of the species are C. olivaeformis, C. alba and C. porcina, the last two also producing delicious nuts, and being worthy of cultivation for their See also:fruit alone. The husk of the hickory nut, as already stated, breaks up into four equal valves or separates into four equal portions in the upper See also:part, while the nut itself is tolerably even on the See also:surface, but has four or more See also:blunt angles in its transverse outline. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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