The hickories are nearly allied to the walnuts; the (* Loudon errs greatly in his Arboretum, in supposing the butternut to be identical with the Black walnut: no trees in the whole American forest are more easily distinguished at first sight. He also states the fruit to be rancid and of little value; but no American lad of a dozen years will accord with him in this opinion.) chief botanical distinction consisting in the covering to the nut, or husk; which in the hickories separates into four valves, or pieces, when ripe, instead of adhering in a homogeneous coat, as upon the Black walnut and butternut. In size and appearance, the hickories rank with the first class of forest trees; most of them growing vigorously to the height of 60 or 80 feet, with fine straight trunks, well balanced and ample heads, and handsome, lively, pinnated foliage. When confined among other trees in the forest, they shoot up 50 or 60 feet without branches; but when standing singly, they expand into a fine head near the ground and produce a noble, lofty pyramid of foliage, rather rounded at the top. They have all the qualities which are necessary to constitute fine, graceful park trees, and are justly entitled to a place in every considerable plantation.
