Hickory-Nuts
Categories:
Vii Wild Food On The Trail
In gathering hickory-nuts you must be able to distinguish between the
edible variety and others that are fair on the outside but bitter
within. There are nine varieties of hickory-nut trees, and in general
appearance they are alike. All have compound leaves and the leaflets are
larger and fewer to the stem than the walnut, usually numbering from
five to eleven. The nuts grow in small clusters as a rule, often in
pairs, and the outer husk separates when ripe into four pieces, allowing
the nut to drop out clean and dry. The full-grown tree is of good size
and is found almost everywhere in the United States.