CHAPTER IX.

MISCELLANEOUS NUTS--EDIBLE AND OTHERWISE.

In the following list of plants there are a few that in no way can be considered as related to the true nut-bearing trees and shrubs; but as the word "nut" has been attached as a prefix or affix in commerce, or elsewhere, they are admitted, even if for no other purpose than to designate their true position in the vegetable kingdom. For convenience, they are recorded in alphabetical order, the most familiar of the common names--where there are more than one--being given precedence, the botanical or scientific following, with a brief description, as my limited space will not permit of anything more extended.

It is not claimed that this catalogue of nuts is complete, but it is probably as near it as any heretofore compiled and published, and it may serve as the basis for a better and more extended one at some future time.

ACORN, OR OAK NUT.--The fruit of the oak, Quercus (_Cupuliferæ_), monœcious, evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, with alternate and simple straight-veined leaves. A very large genus, of about two hundred and fifty species, mainly in the temperate region of the northern hemisphere. There are some forty species native of the United States. The nuts are, on the whole, rather too harsh and bitter flavored to be esteemed or considered edible by civilized nations at the present day, but in former times some of the oak nuts were often an important article among the garnered food of the household. They were used--and are still, in some countries--boiled, roasted, and even ground and made into bread and cakes. They have also been used as a substitute for coffee, and for malt in making beer. Strabo says that in the mountains of Spain the inhabitants ground their acorns into meal, and Pliny affirms that in his time acorns were brought to the table with the dessert, in Spain. Every student of English history is well aware of the importance of the acorn, not only as food for man, in Great Britain, in the time of the Druids, and later, but also for feeding swine, deer, and other wild and domesticated animals. But with the advance of civilization and the production of better food, the oak nut ceased to be classed among the important culinary supplies. There are, however, a few species of the oak yielding nuts fairly edible in their raw state, and these are much improved by roasting. The best of those among our native species are to be found in the varieties of the white oaks of the North, and in the evergreen (_Quercus virens_) of the Southern States. But with so many far superior species of edible nuts, it is very doubtful if any of the oaks will ever be cultivated for their fruit.

AUSTRALIAN CHESTNUT.--The seeds of a large tree, native of Australia, the _Castanospermum australe_, the name of the genus being derived from _Kastanon_, chestnut, and _sperma_, a seed, because the seeds resemble, in size and taste, the common chestnut. But the tree belongs to the bean family (_Leguminosæ_), and the seeds are produced in large, long pods. They are about an inch and a half broad, somewhat flattened, and of the color of a chestnut when ripe. They are roasted and eaten by the natives, but are rather unpalatable to those who have been accustomed to something better in the way of edible nuts. These seeds are also known as "Moreton Bay chestnuts."

AUSTRALIAN HAZELNUT.--The fruit of _Macadamia ternifolia_ (_Proteaceæ_). There are two species, both evergreen trees or tall shrubs confined to eastern Australia. The fruit is a kind of drupe with a fleshy exterior, enclosing a hard shelled nut, not unlike a small walnut. The kernel, when mature, has a rich and agreeable flavor, much like but richer than the hazelnut, hence one of its local names, for it is also known as "Queensland nut." This nut tree would probably thrive in southern Florida, and in the warmer parts of California.

BEN NUT.--Fruit of _Moringa aptera_ (_Moringeæ_). Small, unarmed trees; only three species in the order, these inhabiting tropical Asia, northern Africa and the West Indies. The one producing the ben nuts grows from fifteen to twenty feet high, and is found in upper Egypt, Syria and Arabia. The seeds,--or nuts, as they are called,--are produced in capsules or seed-pods about a foot long, and while not edible, an oil is expressed from them which is largely used in the manufacture of perfumery, and known in commerce as ben oil. Another species, the _M. pterygosperma_, or winged-seeded Moringa, is known as the horse-radish tree, the bark of the roots being used as a substitute for horse-radish.

BETEL NUT OR PINANG.--The fruit of a lofty palm, _Areca Catechu_ (_Palmaceæ_). A native of Cochin China, the Malayan Peninsula, and adjacent islands. A slender-stemmed palm, with regular pinnate leaves and long, narrow leaflets. The fruit is produced on an erect, fleshy spike, each fruit about the size of a hen's egg, with a thick, fibrous rind or husk, enclosing a hard nut somewhat like an ordinary nutmeg. These are used by being cut into small pieces or slices, then rolled up in a leaf of the betel pepper (_Piper betel_), a little lime sprinkled over it, and then chewed or held in the mouth, as practiced by those who use tobacco for chewing. This habit of chewing the betel nut is said to be almost universal among the Malayan races, all carrying a box containing the nut leaf and lime. These nuts are shipped in large quantities to countries where they do not grow, and the habit of chewing them has spread enormously, of late years, and is likely to increase, as it has with tobacco; and the effect upon the users is said to be very similar, although some authorities claim that the betel is the most injurious of the two, having a far more deleterious effect upon the teeth and gums. But this may be due to the use of the lime. Travelers in countries where these nuts are in common use tell wonderful tales about the invigorating effects of the betel, and how their assistants and followers are enabled, by its use, to perform the most exhausting labor for days at a time, which, without it, would be impossible. We have no doubt that the users of tobacco will claim just as much for this narcotic weed, and probably could produce as many trustworthy witnesses in support of it. The betel is, like tobacco, a narcotic stimulant, and causes giddiness in persons unaccustomed to it, excoriates the mouth, and is so burning that Western nations will be slow to adopt this Eastern habit.

BLADDER NUT.--A rather inappropriate name for the seed pods and small seeds of one of our common large deciduous shrubs, the _Staphylea trifolia_. It is sometimes planted for ornament. The small white flowers are produced in hanging racemes, succeeded by large bladdery pods, hence its common name.

BRAZIL NUT.--The fruit of _Bertholletia excelsa_, a lofty tree of the myrtle family (_Myrtaceæ_). The tree attains a height of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet, with stems three to four feet in diameter. The leaves are broad, smooth, and about two feet long, rather thick, and of the texture of leather. The fruit is produced mainly on the uppermost branches, and is globular, four to six inches in diameter, with a brittle husk on the outside, and within this a hard, tough, woody shell, fully one-half inch thick, containing a large number of the closely packed, three-sided, rough nuts, about an inch and a half to two inches or over in length, as seen in Fig. 101. The kernels are very white, solid and oily. When mature the fruit falls entire, and the natives of the country collect them, splitting the shells to obtain the nuts. An occasional entire fruit is sent to other countries, as a curiosity, or for the cabinet of some botanist. The Brazil nut is not only indigenous to Brazil, but also of Guiana, Venezuela (forming immense forests on the Orinoco, where they are called Juvia), and southward on the Rio Negra and in the valley of the Amazon. In fact, the supply appears to be inexhaustible; the only difficulty is in getting the nuts from the forests to some point where they can be shipped out of the country. The principal export is from Para, but there are many smaller cities and towns where a load of these nuts may be obtained on short notice. A very superior oil may be obtained from the nuts, by pressure, but the principal use for them is for desserts and confectionery. They are always abundant in our city markets.

BREAD NUT.--The fruit of a large tree, the _Brosimum Alicastrum_, of the bread fruit family (_Artocarpaceæ_), native of the West Indies, but best known in Jamaica. The botanical authorities disagree in regard to this species, some claiming that it is a large tree, with wood similar to mahogany; others that it is only a small shrub, only five or six feet high. It has lance-shaped leaves, male and female flowers in globular heads, and usually on separate trees. The fruit is about the size of a plum, containing one seed or nut, which is only edible after roasting.

BUFFALO NUT.--See Oil nut.

BUTTERNUT.--See Souari nut.

BYZANTIUM NUT.--See Filberts, Chap. VI.

CANDLE NUTS.--A small evergreen tree, the _Aleurites triloba_ of the spurgewort family (_Euphorbiaceæ_). It is a native of most warm countries of the East: India, Malay, southern Japan, and nearly all the islands of the Pacific ocean, and in some of these it is cultivated for the fruit, which is about two inches in diameter. In the center there is a hard nut, very oily, with the flavor of the walnut. The oil obtained from these nuts is in common use among the natives of the Polynesian islands. In the Hawaiian group the kernels are strung on a small, dry stick, which serves the purpose of a wick, and then one end lighted, as with an ordinary tallow or wax candle, hence probably the common name of candle nut. These nuts are said to be used in the same way in India. Large quantities of oil is also expressed from them and used for various purposes, and occasionally small quantities are exported to European countries.

CAPE CHESTNUT.--The name of a beautiful evergreen ornamental tree, native of south Africa, and recently introduced into European gardens from the Cape of Good Hope, hence its common, and its specific scientific name, _Calodendron capense_. It belongs to the Rue family (_Rutaceæ_). The flowers are red, produced in long terminal racemes, the tree growing about forty feet high, and said to be one of the finest trees of that part of Africa. It is now under trial in Florida. Why called a chestnut I have been unable to discover.

CASHEW NUT.--A large shrub or small tree, native of the West Indies, and for this reason often referred to as the "Western Cashew," or _Anacardium occidentale_. It belongs to the Terebinth family (_Anacardium_), consequently is closely related to our native poison sumachs (_Rhus_). The tree is an evergreen, with entire feather-veined leaves; flowers of a reddish color, very small, sweet-scented, and produced in terminal panicles. The fruit is kidney-shaped, and borne on a fleshy receptacle, and when ripe of reddish or yellow color. The nut proper is enclosed in a leathery covering, consisting of two layers, between which is deposited a thick, caustic, oily substance, exceedingly acrid; but this is eliminated by heat, so that when the kernels are roasted they have a pleasant flavor and are highly esteemed for dessert. Some care is required in roasting these nuts, as the fumes given off during this operation cause inflammation of the eyes. The nuts also yield an excellent oil, very similar to the best olive oil. Although originally found only in the West Indies, this nut is now widely distributed throughout the tropical countries of the East; in fact, naturalized in all hot climates, and is also under trial in southern Florida.

CAUCASIAN WALNUT. WINGED WALNUT.--The winged fruit of _Pterocarya fraxinifolia_, also known as _P. Caucasica_ of nurserymen's catalogues. It belongs to the walnut family (_Juglandaceæ_), and is a tree growing thirty to forty feet high, somewhat resembling the common ash (_Fraxinus_). It is a pretty, hardy, ornamental tree, thriving only in moist soils. Seeds on winged nuts produced in long, drooping racemes, but of no special value. Introduced into England from Caucasus in 1800, and now plentiful here in nurseries.

CHESTNUT.--See Chapter V; also Horse-chestnut, and Moreton Bay, Tahiti and Water chestnuts.

CHOCOLATE NUT OR BEAN.--The seeds of a small tropical tree, _Theobroma Cacao_, of the chocolate nut family (_Sterculiaceæ_). Indigenous to tropical America, but now cultivated more or less extensively in all hot climates. The tree grows from fifteen to twenty feet high, with long, pointed, smooth leaves. The flowers are small, yellow, and produced from the old wood of both stems and branches, succeeded by a pod-like fruit six to ten or more inches long, containing fifty to a hundred seeds, resembling beans more than they do nuts. When the fruit is ripe it is gathered, at which time the seeds are covered with a gum-like substance, and to remove this they are subjected to a slight fermentation, after which they are dried in the sun, this giving them their usual brown color. Chocolate nut trees are extensively cultivated in Brazil, New Grenada, Trinidad, and, in fact, throughout tropical America, and their cultivation is, upon the whole, very profitable, as the demand is almost unlimited.

CLEARING NUT.--This is an East India name for the seeds of _Strychnos potatorum_, a plant belonging to the well-known nux vomica family (_Loganiaceæ_). It is a small tree, native of India, the wood of which is used for various purposes. The fruit is about the size of a cherry, and contains one seed; this is dried, and used for clearing muddy water, this being effected by rubbing one of the little nuts around the sides of the vessel that is to be filled, after which the water is poured in, and then, through some unknown agency, all the foreign matter settles, leaving the liquid perfectly pure, clear and wholesome.

COCOANUT.--One of the most widely-known and largest of edible nuts; the product of _Cocos nucifera_, a lofty, tree-like palm (_Palmæ_ or _Palmaceæ_). It is a native of tropical Africa, India, Malay, and of nearly all the islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It only thrives near the seacoast or where the sea breezes reach it, requiring no special care after the nuts and young plants once become established in a congenial soil. The coco palm grows from fifty to one hundred feet high, with pinnate leaves from ten to twenty feet long. The nuts are produced in clusters of a dozen or more, and when full grown are somewhat triangular and a foot long, the outer coat or husk composed of a tough fiber. The nuts, when cleaned of their husks, are too well known to call for a further description here. In countries where these nuts are plentiful, their contents form nearly the entire food of the natives, the milky fluid serving for drink, and the more solid parts as a substitute for meat and bread. The cocoa-nut utilized in more ways, and for a greater variety of purposes, than any other kind known, and it would require a volume to briefly enumerate them. Of recent years there have been plantations made of this nut on the coast of southern Florida, and one of the most extensive of these is by a man from New Jersey, but I have not heard from him of late, or seen any reports as to the results of his experiments. It is reported that there are about 250,000 cocoa-nut trees now growing in Florida.

COCOANUT, DOUBLE.--This is the fruit of another lofty palm, _Lodoicea Sechellarum_, and is usually considered the largest member of the order. It is a native of the Seychelles islands, in the Indian ocean. It is said to reach a hight of a hundred feet, with a stem two feet in diameter. The fruit is a large, oblong nut, with a rather thin rind or husk, and when this is removed the nut appears to be double, or two oblong nuts firmly united, a kind of twin formation, the entire nut weighing from thirty to forty pounds. These immense nuts are produced in bunches of eight to ten, the cluster sometimes weighing from three to four hundred pounds. It is supposed that these nuts require about ten years to grow and mature. They are useless as food, but the shells are manufactured into various useful articles by the natives, and they are also transported to other countries and valued as curiosities. There is a great demand for the leaves of this palm for making hats, baskets, etc., and as the trees have to be cut down to obtain them, they are becoming rather scarce.

COLA NUT, KOLA NUT OR GOORA NUT.--The fruit of a small tree, native of the warmer parts of western Africa, and known to botanists as _Cola acuminata_, and of the Sterculiad family (_Sterculiaceæ_). In its native country it grows thirty to forty feet high. The leaves are oblong-elliptical, six to eight inches long, and pointed (acuminate), and from this it probably derived its specific name. The flowers are yellow, and produced in axillary racemes, and succeeded by simple bean-like pods, each containing several nut-like seeds, which the natives call cola or goora nuts. These nuts have long been an article of trade among the native tribes of Africa, they being valued for their supposed efficacy in allaying thirst, promoting digestion, giving strength, and preventing exhaustion during the performance of hard manual labor. This tree was early introduced into the West Indies and Brazil, but its reputation in Africa does not appear to have been sustained it its Western habitat.

COQUILLA NUT.--The fruit of the Piassaba palm, _Attalea funifera_, a native of Brazil, where it grows about thirty feet high. The fruit is produced in bunches, and are each about three inches long, covered with a thin rind. The nut is very hard, and is used as a substitute for bone and ivory in the manufacture of articles for the household.

COQUITO NUT.--This is the fruit of the wing-leaved palm of Chile, JUBÆA SPECTABILIS. It is a moderately tall species, and closely resembles, in general habit, the date palm. The nuts are edible, but they are of secondary importance, this palm being valued mainly for the sweet sap issuing from the stem when cut down, this continuing to exude from it for weeks after it is severed from the roots. The sap is gathered and boiled, and when reduced to the consistency of molasses becomes an article of commerce, under the name of Meil de Palma or palm honey.

CREAM NUT.--A local name of Brazil nut.

DAWA NUT.--See Litchi nut.

EARTH NUT, OR EARTH CHESTNUT, ETC.--A small, low-growing, herbaceous plant of the carrot family (_Umbelliferæ_), common in waste or uncultivated grounds in Great Britain and other countries of northern Europe. Formerly botanists supposed there were two species, but of late only one, the _Bunium bulbocastanum_. On the roots there are small, nut-like tubers, of a sweetish taste, and they are eaten by children, either in the raw state or after being roasted. These tubers have various local names, and in addition to the above, they are called kipper nuts, and pig nuts in England, but a familiar local name in Scotland is lousy nuts, because it is said that eating them is sure to breed lice. But this story may have been invented by parents to deter their children from digging and eating the roots of wild plants. Willdenow, in naming this species, certainly recognized its edible qualities, and that children were fond of it, else he would not have called it an earth chestnut,--_bulbo_, bulb, and _castanum_ from _castanea_, the chestnut.

ELK NUT.--See Oil nut.

FISTICKE NUT.--See Pistacia nut.

FOX NUT.--The seeds of a floating, annual aquatic plant, the _Euryale ferox_, native of India, and belonging to the water lily family (_Nymphæaceæ_). It is a handsome plant, with leaves about two feet in diameter, of a rich purple on the underside, with thorn-like spines on the veins. Flowers deep violet-red. The seeds of this species are eaten by the natives, the same as the aborigines of this country gathered the seeds of our indigenous _Nelumbium luteum_, under the name of water chinquapin, using them for food in the late fall and winter.

GINKGO NUT.--The large, round, white, somewhat flattened, nut-like seeds of the now common maidenhair tree, or _Ginkgo biloba_, also known as _Salisburia adiantifolia_ of some nurserymen's catalogues and many recent botanical works. The former, however, is the older and correct scientific name. This tree is a native of China and Japan, and of a slender, sparsely branched habit, growing from fifty to eighty feet high in its native countries. It is a deciduous, cone-bearing (_Coniferæ_) tree, with two-lobed, fan-shaped leaves two to three inches broad, divided about halfway down from the top. The male and female flowers are on separate trees, and to secure seed or nuts both sexes must be grown near together. The ginkgo was introduced into European gardens in 1754, and there are now many fruiting specimens, especially in France, from whence the nuts have long been secured for planting, by nurserymen and others interested in tree culture. There are very few bearing trees in this country, and one in Washington, D. C., has been fruiting for a number of years. In China and Japan the seeds or nuts are valued for their edible qualities, but they have a kind of disagreeable, balsamic taste in their raw state, although this is dispelled by roasting, after which they are quite sweet and palatable. As the trees do not begin to bear until of considerable age, and the nuts are inferior to many other kinds, I do not think the ginkgo will ever become very popular in this country as a nut tree.

GOORA NUT.--See Cola nut.

GORGON NUT.--See Fox nut.

GROUNDNUT.--The small, globular tubers of the dwarf three-leaved ginseng, _Aralia trifolia_, are called groundnuts in some of our Northern States, and they are frequently sought for, dug up and eaten by children, as I know from personal experience. The plant belongs to the ginseng family (_Araliaceæ_), and is closely related to the true five-leaved ginseng (_Aralia quinquefolia_), but our groundnut has only three leaves, instead of five; besides, it is a somewhat smaller plant, rarely more than six to eight inches high. When the scattered seed sprout in spring, they send down a long, slender, thread-like rootstock, to a depth of from four to six inches, and at the bottom of this the small tuber is produced. It has a somewhat pungent taste, but this only whets the appetite of a boy when on a hunt for ground nuts.

GROUNDNUT.--The tubers of one of the most widely distributed climbing plants of the Eastern States, and common in low, wet grounds almost everywhere, from Canada to Florida, and westward to the Mississippi. This plant is described in most of the botanical works of the present day under the name of _Apios tuberosa_, and it belongs to the Pulse family (_Leguminosæ_), and is closely related to the common and well-known wistarias, although much smaller and of a more slender habit. It is a smooth, perennial, twining vine, with pinnate leaves, and dense racemes or clusters of small brownish-purple pea-shaped flowers. The subterranean rootstocks bear long strings of edible tubers, from one to two inches long, and from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, somewhat variable in shape, dark brown on the outside, but white within. When boiled or roasted these tubers have a rich, farinaceous, nutty flavor. This tuber or groundnut is the one described by Mr. Thomas Herriot, the historiographer of Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition to Virginia in 1585, under the Indian name of "Openawk." He says: "These roots are round, some as large as walnuts, others much larger; they grow in damp soil, many hanging together, as fixed on ropes; they are good food, either boiled or roasted." These tubers are to be found in the swamps and damp soils of Virginia at this day, just as they were at the time of Herriot's visit, but many modern historians have tried to make out that Raleigh's colonists found our common potato among the Indians at that time, although I have never been able to find a scrap of trustworthy history to support such a claim, or that Raleigh himself ever planted or cultivated the American potato in Ireland or England, or, in fact, ever tasted one of these tubers.

GROUNDNUT.--See Peanut or Goober.

HAZELNUT, OR CHILE HAZEL.--This is merely a local English name for the fruit of a small evergreen tree, native of Chile, S. A., where it is known as Guevina, and this has been adopted as the name of the genus, adding the specific name of the European hazel, so we have _Guevina Avellana_, although in some botanical works it may be found under the name of _Qudria heterophylla_. It belongs to the Protea family (_Proteaceæ_). It has white, hermaphrodite flowers, in long axillary racemes; these are succeeded by coral-red fruit about the size of a large cherry; the stone or nut-like seeds being edible are largely used by the Chileans. They are said to taste like the hazel, hence the name. Trees are hardy in the southwest of England, and would probably succeed here in the Southern States. It has been planted and found to thrive in California. Readily propagated from seed or green cuttings under glass.

HORSE-CHESTNUT.--The fruit of a genus of deciduous ornamental trees and shrubs, native of Asia and North America. The common horse-chestnut, or _Æsculus Hippocastanum_, is a native of Asia, and was introduced into Europe over three hundred years ago, its large, smooth seeds and prickly husks probably suggesting both its common and scientific names, although these trees do not even belong to the same order as the true edible chestnuts (_Castanea_), but to the soapworts (_Sapindaceæ_). It is supposed that the prefix, "horse," was derived from a custom among the Turks, of giving the nuts to horses as a medicine when these animals were afflicted with a cough or inclined to become wind-broken. In southern Europe they are sometimes fed to cows to increase the flow of milk, and at one time they were employed for making paste for book binders. They are scarcely edible, although containing considerable farinaceous matter, owing to the presence of a bitter narcotic principle. Our native species, better known as Buckeyes, with both smooth and prickly fruit, are equally worthless as food.

IVORY NUT.--There are two species of palms producing nuts hard enough to be employed as a substitute for ivory, in the manufacture of small articles of domestic use. But the one best known to commerce under the name of ivory nut is the fruit of _Phytelephas macrocarpa_, native of New Granada and other parts of Central America. This palm is a low-growing and almost decumbent species, the stem seldom more than six to eight inches in diameter; but the leaves are of immense length, or from fifteen to twenty feet, growing in bundles, or clusters. The fruit consists of about forty nuts, enclosed in a rough, spiny husk, of a globular form, produced on a short footstalk growing from the axis of the leaves, the whole bunch weighing from twenty to thirty pounds. They are two inches long, slightly triangular, and covered with a thin, pulpy coat, which becomes dry, papery and brittle when thoroughly dried, but when in its green state it is sometimes utilized by the natives for making a favorite beverage. The ripe nuts are very solid, hard, and when polished resemble ivory. Immense quantities of these nuts are imported into this country, as well as Europe, and used as a substitute for bone and ivory for making buttons, toys, and similar small articles.

JESUIT CHESTNUT.--See Water chestnut.

JICARA NUT.--A local name, in some of the Central American States for the Calabash (_Crescentia Cujete_). A low-growing, rather rough tree, with simple leaves, usually three growing together on a broad leafstalk. The fruit is extremely variable, both in size and form, but mainly globose, and two to four inches in diameter. The shell is very hard, and largely used for drinking cups, and these are sometimes highly ornamented on the outside. The kernel is scarcely edible, but is used by the natives as a medicine.

JUBA NUT.--See Coquito nut.

JUVIA NUT.--See Brazil nut.

KIPPER NUT.--See Earth chestnut.

LITCHI NUT OR LEECHEE NUT.--I am inclined to think that the affix of "nut" to this Oriental fruit is an Americanism, and not used elsewhere. There are three distinct species of this fruit known among the Chinese, under the name of Litchi, Longan or Long-yen, and Rambutan, all the product of the Nepheliums, a genus of the soapberry family (_Sapindaceæ_). By some of the earlier botanical works the litchi is placed either in the genus _Dimocarpus_ or _Euphoria_. Within the past few years this fruit has appeared in our markets, in consequence of the increased trade with Oriental countries, and facilities for rapid transit across the continent. The litchi is a globular fruit, about one inch in diameter (Fig. 103), with a thin, chocolate-brown colored shell covered with wart-like protuberances. When fresh the shell is filled with a white, jelly-like pulp, in the center of which there is one rather large, smooth brown seed. The pulp is of a most delicious sub-acid flavor, but it is often rather dry and stale in the nuts which reach us from China and Japan. The tree producing this fruit is seldom more than twenty-five feet high, with rather sturdy twigs and branches, the leaves composed of about seven oblong pointed leaflets. This is said to be one of the most popular of Oriental fruits, and the trees would probably succeed in many of the Southern States and in California. It is now on trial in Florida, having been introduced there in 1886. It has been fruited in England many times, but always under glass, where the plants receive protection and artificial heat. A full description of this species, accompanied by a superb colored plate of the _Nephelium_ or _Dimocarpus Longana_, appeared in the "Transactions of the London Horticultural Society," 1818, p. 402. There are not only a large number of species of the Nepheliums bearing edible fruit, but, as might be expected from their long and extensive cultivation, many local varieties, especially in the southern provinces of China and throughout the islands of tropical Asia. The Dawa of the Fiji islands is the fruit of _N. pinnatum_, a tree growing sixty feet high, and forming extensive forests on those islands. At some future time we may be receiving the dawas under the name of Fiji nuts.

LOUSY NUT.--See Earth chestnut.

MARKING NUT.--The seeds of _Semecarpus Anacardium_, an evergreen tree of the cashew-nut family (_Anacardiaceæ_), native of tropical Asia, and especially Ceylon. It has large, oblong leaves, and grows about fifty feet high, and the fruit is produced on a fleshy receptacle. The natives roast and eat these nuts, and the black juice obtained from the green fruit is used for marking cloth, hence the common name. The juice is also mixed with lime to make an excellent indelible ink, also for a kind of varnish.

MIRITI NUT OR ITA PALM NUT.--These are the Indian names of the fruit of a lofty palm tree, the _Mauritia flexuosa_, of the swamps along the Orinoco river, also in wet soils at higher elevations. This giant palm grows to a hight of a hundred and fifty feet, with an immense crown of large, fan-shaped leaves, and just beneath these the fruit appears in a pendulous cluster eight to ten feet long, containing several bushels, weighing, altogether, from one to three hundred pounds. The individual nuts are about the size of an ordinary apple, with a very smooth shell, somewhat veined or streaked. The natives of the country not only use the farinaceous kernels of these nuts as food, but obtain a saccharine material from the pith, out of which they make wine by fermentation. The petioles of the leaves also furnish them with a strong fiber, used as thread-cord, and for various other purposes.

MORETON BAY CHESTNUT.--See Australian chestnut.

MONKEY-POT NUT.--See Sapucaia nut.

MYROBALAN NUT.--This name is applied rather indiscriminately to the fruits of several species of the genus _Terminalia_, which are, in the main, large trees of the Myrobalan family (_Combretaceæ_). They are native of India, Malay, Fiji, and, in fact, almost all the islands of the Pacific in warm latitudes. The fruits are similar to large plums, but slightly angular, containing a hard, nut-like seed. They are used principally for tanning leather, and also for making ink similar to that made from oak galls. The kernels of all the species are edible, and are eaten by the natives. In the Fiji islands the _Terminalia Catappa_ is a favorite tree with the natives, and they plant it near the houses. The kernels of this species have the flavor of the sweet almond.

NICKAR NUT.--The seeds of two species of _Guilandina_, a genus of the bean family (_Leguminosæ_). They are climbing plants, with hard-wooded, prickly stems, forming almost impenetrable thickets near the seacoast in the East Indies and other tropical countries. They have become widely distributed, as the pods readily float when they drop into the water. The pods are about three inches long, very prickly, containing seeds or nuts about the size of small marbles, and exceedingly hard; but in time the water softens them, after which they sprout and grow when cast upon the shore by the waves. The two species are distinguished mainly by the color of the nuts, those of _G. Bonduc_ being yellow, and those of _G. Bonducella_ gray, or with a reddish tint. Of no value or use except as botanical curiosities.

NITTA OR NUTTA NUT.--The native African name of the seeds of _Parkia Africana_, a tree of the sensitive-tree section of the bean family (_Leguminosæ_). It grows about forty feet high, and has compound winged leaves. It has become naturalized in the West Indies. The pods grow in clusters, the seeds imbedded in a yellowish, sweet pulp, like the carob or St. John's bread, and the negroes are very fond of them. In the Soudan the seeds are roasted, and then allowed to ferment in water until they are soft and putrid, after which they are washed, pounded and dried, then made up into cakes to be used as a sauce for different kinds of food. It is supposed that the African traveler, Mungo Park, first brought these seeds or nuts to the notice of Europeans, and Robert Brown named the genus _Parkia_ in his honor.

NUTMEG.--A name applied to the fruits of a large number of trees, and of different orders of plants. The true nutmegs of commerce are the fruits of trees belonging to the genus _Myristica_, and of the family _Myristicaceæ_. The oldest and best known of these is the _M. fragrans_, a small, widely branching tree, growing twenty to twenty-five feet high, and supposed to be indigenous to the Indian Archipelago. The fruit is about the size of an ordinary walnut, with a thick rind, which, upon opening, at maturity, discloses a reddish aril covering the nut within. This aril or husk is the mace of commerce, while the true nutmeg is the center or hard seed (nut). The Brazil nutmeg is longer than the true species, and is sold under the name of long nutmeg, and is the fruit of _M. fatua_. Another species, the _M. otoba_, is cultivated in Madagascar, but is scarcely known in commerce.

Another species, the _M. sebifera_, is a common tree in the forests of Guiana, North Brazil, and up into Panama. It is utilized principally for the oil extracted from the nuts, obtained by macerating them in water, the oil rising to the surface, and as it cools skimmed off.

The seeds of several species of conifers and laurels are known, either locally or in commerce, as nutmegs, or are used as a substitute for the true nutmeg. There are three different kinds of trees, native of Guiana, in addition to the one already named, the seeds of which are employed as a spice or medicine. One of these is the _Acrodiclidium camara_. These nuts are known in commerce as "Ackawai nutmegs," and are used mainly as a cure for diarrhœa and colic. Another is the seed of the _Aydendron Cujumary_ tree, and they are known in commerce as "Cujumary beans," although they are not, strictly speaking, a bean, and the same is true of the so-called "Puchurim beans," from the same country, for they are the fruit of _Nectandy Puchury_, a small tree of the laurel family. They are used as a tonic, and considered highly stimulating.

_Clove Nutmeg_, or Madagascar nutmeg of commerce, is the fruit of _Agathophyllum aromaticum_, a small evergreen tree, indigenous to Madagascar.

_Brazilian Nutmegs_ are the highly aromatic seeds of _Cryptocarya moschata_, or _Atherosperma moschata_ of some botanists. It is a lofty tree, native of Brazil. The aromatic nuts are used as a substitute for nutmegs, but are very inferior to the genuine.

_Peruvian Nutmeg, or Plum Nutmeg._--The seeds of a large evergreen tree with aromatic foliage, like our common sassafras, and for this reason is sometimes called Chilean or Peruvian sassafras. The seeds are of no more economic value than those of our native sassafras. It is known under various botanical names, but _Laurelia sempervirens_ is, perhaps, the most familiar.

_California Nutmeg_, or _Stinking Nutmeg_, is the nut-like seed of _Torreya Californica_, a small tree of the yew family (_Taxaceæ_). The fruit is from an inch to an inch and a half long, with a fleshy rind enclosing a hard, long nut, which is slightly grooved like a nutmeg. The fruit, leaves and wood are strongly scented, hence the name of "stinking nutmeg," or "stinking yew." Another species, the _T. taxifolia_, is a native of Florida.

OIL NUT.--The fruit of a low-branching, deciduous native shrub, growing three to ten feet high, with alternate leaves and small greenish flowers in terminal spikes. It is the _Pyrularia oleifera_ of Gray, and _Hamiltonia oleifera_ of Muhlenberg. The fruit is in the form of a pear-shaped drupe, about an inch long, the small seed or nut with an oily kernel of strong acrid taste; of no value. This shrub is found on shady banks in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and southward into Georgia.

PARADISE NUT.--See Sapucaia nut.

PEANUT, GROUNDNUT, GOOBER.--The well-known fruit of _Arachis hypogæa_, a low-growing annual belonging to the pulse or pea family (_Leguminosæ_), supposed to be a native of South America, but now extensively cultivated in nearly all semi-tropical countries and wherever the summers are long enough to insure the ripening of the seeds. Extensively cultivated in Virginia, south and westward. Too well known to require any further comment or notice here.

PECAN NUT.--See Chap. VII.

PEKEA NUT.--See Souari nut.

PERUVIAN NUT.--See Nutmegs.

PHYSIC NUT.--The seeds of _Jatropha Curcas_, a small tree of the spurgewort family (_Euphorbiaceæ_). It is native of some of the West Indies and warmer parts of South America, but now cultivated in other tropical countries for its seeds, which yield an oil used for the same purposes as castor oil, but rather more powerful and drastic. The seeds have a nutty flavor, but are rather dangerous if eaten in any considerable quantities, and death has been known to follow excess in this direction.

PHYSIC NUT.--In "Bartram's Travels," he refers to a seed or nut of a plant he found growing in Florida under this name, p. 41, as follows: " ... some very curious new shrubs and plants, particularly the physic nut or Indian olive. The stems arise, many from a root, two or three feet high; the leaves sit opposite, on very short petioles; they are broad, lanceolate, entire and undulated, having a smooth surface, of a deep green color. From the bosom of each leaf is produced a single oval drupe, standing erect on long slender stems; it has a large kernel and thin pulp. The fruit is yellow when ripe, and about the size of an olive. The Indians, when they go in pursuit of deer, carry this fruit with them, supposing that it has the power of charming or drawing that creature to them, from whence, with traders, it has obtained the name of physic nut, which means, with them, charming, conjuring or fascinating."

To what kind of fruit Bartram referred under the name of "physic nut," is not certain, but his description of the plant comes very near that of the American olive (_Olea Americana_), but the fruit of this and other closely allied plants of the same family are not "yellow" when ripe, but purple.

PIGNUT, OR HOGNUT.--See chapter on Hickory.

PINE NUT.--A name applied indiscriminately to the many species of pine trees (_Pinus_) bearing seeds large enough to be conveniently used as food. In southern Europe, and especially in Italy and the south of France, the seeds of the stone pine (_Pinus Pinea_) have been extensively used as food, from the earliest times down to the present day. Nearly all the ancient authors refer to them as among the valuable products of the country. Macrobius, in his story of the _Saturnalia_, speaks of the cones as _Nuces vel Poma Pinea_. These pine nuts are called _Pinocchi_ in Italy and Sicily, and occasionally a few reach this country, where the Italian name has been corrupted into Pinolas. These seeds or nuts are used for desserts, puddings and cakes, also eaten raw at table, as with almonds. They have a slight taste of turpentine, but it is not strong enough to be at all disagreeable.

In this country we have several native species bearing very large edible seeds, and they are known in the West under the general name of _Piñon_, or nut pines. The best of these nuts, to my taste, are the seeds of _Pinus edulis_, so named by the late Dr. Engelmann, because of its large, sweet and edible seeds. It is a small, low-growing tree, more or less common on dry hills and slopes, from Colorado southward through New Mexico, and into western Texas. The seeds of _Pinus Parryana_ and _Pinus cembroides_, of Arizona and Lower California, are also called Piñons, and largely gathered by the Indians. Farther east and north, we find the one-leaved pine (_Pinus monophylla_), and although the seeds are much smaller than those of _P. edulis_, they were formerly gathered in immense quantities by the Indians, to help eke out their often scanty winter store of food. Occasionally a small quantity of these pine nuts is sent to Eastern markets, but rarely, unless ordered early in the season. The trees of _P. edulis_ and _P. monophylla_ are perfectly hardy here, and worth cultivating for ornament, as well as their nuts, although their slow growth is a rather severe test of one's patience. Fig. 104 shows a Piñon branch.

PISTACHIO NUT.--Historically, this is a very ancient nut, for Bible commentators claim that it is the one sent by Jacob into Egypt. It is the fruit of a small, deciduous tree of the cashew family (_Anacardiaceæ_), a native of western Asia, but many centuries ago it had become naturalized in Palestine and throughout the Mediterranean regions. It has shining evergreen winged leaves, and the bark on the young twigs is brown, becoming russet-colored with age. There are several different species, but the one producing the nuts of commerce is the _Pistacia vera_, having brownish-green flowers in loose panicles, and these are succeeded by bunches of reddish fruit, about an inch long, with an oblique or bent point. The nuts have a double shell, the outer one usually red, the inner one smooth and brittle; the kernel is pale green, sweet, and of rather pleasant taste. There are a number of varieties, differing only slightly in form and size. This nut has been cultivated sparingly in Great Britain since 1570, but the climate is not quite warm enough to insure its ripening in the open air. It would probably succeed throughout the greater part of California, as well as in the extreme Southern States, but Mr. Berckmans writes me that it is not hardy in his grounds at Augusta, Ga. There is a species of pistacia known as _P. Mexicana_, found in central Mexico, and extending as far north as San Diego, in California, according to the report of Dr. Cooper (Botany of California, Vol. I, p. 109).

QUANDANG NUT.--A medium size Australian tree, the _Santalum acuminatum_, of the sandalwood family (_Santalaceæ_). It produces a plum-like fruit, which is best known in its native country as the quandang nut. It is used as a preserve, but is little known, except in or near its native habitats.

QUEENSLAND NUT.--See Australian hazelnut.

SAPUCAIA NUT.--The Brazilian name of, at least, two species of large forest trees growing in the valley of the Amazon and its tributaries. The best known of these is the _Lecythis Zabucajo_, a lofty tree of the myrtle family (_Myrtaceæ_). It is closely allied to the more common Brazil nut of commerce. The sapucaia nuts are produced in an urn-shaped, woody capsule, which has received the name of Monkey-pot, because when these capsules ripen the lid at the top is suddenly liberated, emitting a sharp sound, which, as heard by the monkeys, gives them notice that the nuts are falling, and that the first on the ground becomes the fortunate possessor of the largest number. The capsules or pots are about six inches in diameter, and the lid opening at the top about two inches. The nuts, which are packed very closely in the shell, are about one inch in diameter, and two to three in length, with a thin, brown, and very much wrinkled and twisted shell (Fig. 105). The kernel is white, sweet, oily, and somewhat more delicate in flavor than that of the common Brazil nut. In New York city these nuts are sold under the name of Paradise nuts. But this is probably only a local name, for I have been unable to find it in any botanical work. These nuts rarely come to this country in any considerable quantities; a few hundred pounds at a time would be considered a large consignment.

SASSAFRAS NUT.--See Nutmeg, Chilean.

SASSAFRAS NUT.--See Nutmeg, Puchury.

SNAKE NUT.--A large, roundish fruit, about the size of the black walnut, the product of the _Ophiocaryon paradoxum_, a large tree of the soapberry family (_Sapindaceæ_), native of British Guiana. This nut takes its name of "Snake nut," from the peculiar form of the embryo of the seed, which is curled up spirally. The Indians, thinking there must be some virtue in form, use these nuts as an antidote for snake bites, although, so far as known to science, they do not possess any medicinal properties.

SOUARI NUT, OR BUTTERNUT.--This nut, like the last, is a native of British Guiana, and is the fruit of the _Caryocar nuciferum_, a noble tree, growing a hundred feet high, having large, broad, trifoliate leaves, resembling those of our common horse-chestnut, but not quite as broad. The flowers are very large, and, with the tube, fully a foot long, of a deep purple on the outside, and yellow within. They are composed of five thick, fleshy petals, and as showy as some of our best and brightest-colored magnolias. The flowers are produced in terminal clusters or corymbs, succeeded by a large, round, four-celled fleshy fruit five to six inches in diameter; but as some of the embryo nuts usually fail to grow, it changes the form of the fruit as it enlarges towards maturity, and only one or two of the nuts mature and ripen, very much as frequently occurs in both the sweet and horse-chestnuts. The nuts are affixed to a central axis, and are of a rounded, subreniform shape, and even flattened to an almost sharp edge on one side, and broadly truncate at the scar (hilum) where they are attached to the pericarp or central axis. The shell is of a deep brown color, embossed, as it were, with smooth tubercles. They are from two to two and a half inches or more in their broadest diameter, as shown in Fig. 106. The kernel or meat is pure white, soft, rich and oily, with a pleasant flavor. This nut is a rarity in our markets, and Mr. H. R. Davy of New York, to whom I am indebted for a specimen, as well as other rare kinds, assures me that in his forty-five years' experience as a dealer in foreign fruits and nuts, he has never known of but one lot, and that one consisted of about one-half bushel, brought into his store by a sailor, who only knew their common South American name. These nuts are more frequently seen in European seaports than in those of this country.

SOUTH SEA CHESTNUT.--See Tahitian chestnut.

TAHITIAN CHESTNUT.--The seeds of a tree known in the South Sea islands by the native name of Toi, but to botanists as _Inocarpus edulis_. It belongs to the bean family (_Leguminosæ_). The tree grows sixty to eighty feet high, and when young the stems are fluted like a Grecian column, but as they increase with age the projections extend outward, until they form a kind of buttress all around the lower part, gradually decreasing upward. This so-called chestnut tree has yellow flowers, succeeded by fibrous pods containing one large seed or nut, which, when roasted or boiled, resembles the chestnut in taste. The nuts have a different local name in almost every one of the Pacific islands where it is at all abundant.

TAVOLA NUT.--See Myrobalan nut.

TALLOW NUT.--A local and nearly obsolete name for the fruit of the Ogeechee lime or sour gum tree (_Nyssa capitata_) of the swamps of Florida, Georgia and westward. The fruit is about an inch long, resembling a small plum, the pulp having an agreeable acid taste. Bartram, p. 94, refers to this fruit under the name of "Tallow nut," but why so called is not explained.

TALLOW NUT.--The fruit of the Chinese Tallow tree, _Stillingia sebifera_, of the spurgewort family (_Euphorbiaceæ_), a native of China, where it is, as well as in some of the warmer parts of America, extensively cultivated. It has been planted in a few localities in the Southern States, and appears to thrive. It is a small tree thirty to forty feet high, with rhomboid tapering leaves and a three-celled capsuled fruit, each cell containing only a single seed thickly coated with a yellow, tallow-like substance, hence its common name. This tallow or grease is used for making soap, burning in lamps, and also for dressing cloth.

TEMPERANCE NUT.--An English name of cola nut.

TORREY NUT.--The hard, nut-like seeds of _Torreya nucifera_, of Siebold, or _Taxus nucifera_, of Kæmpfer, and _Caryotaxus nucifera_, of Zuccarini, a tree native of Japan, where these nuts are eaten by the Japanese, either raw or roasted. An oil is also extracted from the nuts, for use in cooking or for burning in lamps. This Japanese tree belongs to the same genus as the so-called California nutmeg (see Nutmeg) and our Florida stinking cedar (_T. taxifolia_), also the great Chinese cedar (_T. grandis_).

WATER CHESTNUT.--Also known as water caltrops. The seeds of several species of water plants of the genus _Trapa_, of the evening primrose family (_Onagraceæ_). In southern Europe and eastward there is a species found in ponds, the seeds of which are called Jesuit chestnuts (_T. natans_), and in India and Ceylon a closely allied one, the Singhara-nut plant (_T. bispinosa_), while in Lago Maggiore there is another (_T. verbanensis_), but all may be varieties of one and the same species, including the _Trapa bicornis_, a two-horned water chestnut, extensively used in China and Japan as food under various local names. In China they are called Ling, and of late years have been occasionally imported and sold, more as curiosities than for eating. These seeds or nuts are of a dark brown color, and of the form and size shown in Fig. 107, resembling, in miniature, the skull of an ox with abbreviated horns. When fresh, the kernel is of an agreeable nutty flavor.

WATER CHESTNUT, OR CHINQUAPIN.--The seeds of the large yellow water lily (_Nelumbium luteum_), a very common plant in small ponds in the West and South, but more rare in the East. The seeds are about the size and shape of small acorns, and produced in a large, top-shaped, fleshy receptacle. They are edible, and are supposed to have been extensively used as food by the aborigines of this country.

INDEX.

Ackawai nutmeg, 274

Acorn, 254

Acrodiclidium camara, 274

Æsculus hippocastanum, 268

Agathophyllum aromaticum, 274

Aleurites triloba, 259

Almond, 12 bitter, 34 budding, bud in position, 28 incision for bud, 27 budding knife, 24 budding knife, Yankee, 24 prepared shoot of buds, 26 season for budding, 22 culture in California, 17 history of the, 13 insects and diseases, 39 Cercospora circumscissa, 43 Goes pulverulenta, 52 Scolytus rugulosus, 42 Taphrina deformans, 43 orchard in California, 18 planting and pruning, 32 propagation of the, 19 properties and uses of, 39 pruning, 33 raising seedlings for stocks, 20 soil and exposure for the, 30 varieties, 34 hard-shelled, 35, 36 large-fruited, 37 ornamental varieties, 38 peach, 37 soft or brittle-shelled, 36 sweet, 40 thin-shelled, 37

Amygdalus argentea, 39 Cochinchinensis, 38 communis amara, 34 dulcis, 35 fragilis, 36 macrocarpa, 37 persicoides, 37 incana, 39 nana, 39 orientalis, 39

Anacardium occidentale, 260

Apios tuberosa, 267

Arachis hypogæa, 275

Aralia trifolia, 266

Areca catechu, 256

Atherosperma moschata, 274

Attalea funifera, 264

Australian chestnut, 255

Australian hazelnut, 256

Aydendron cujumary, 274

Beech, American, 48 Chile, 48 European, 48 evergreen, 48 history of, 44 injurious insects, 52 properties and uses, 52 propagation of, 47 soil and location for the, 47 species and varieties, 48

Beechnut, 44 leaf, bur and nut, 51

Ben nut, 256

Bertholletia excelsa, 267

Betel nut, 256

Bladder nut, 257

Brazil nut, 257

Brazilian nutmegs, 273, 274

Bread nut, 258

Brosimum alicastrum, 258

Buffalo nut, 259

Bunium bulbocastanum, 265

Butternut, 259, 280

Byzantium nut, 259

California chestnut, 55

California nutmeg, 275

Calodendron Capense, 259

Candle nut, 259

Cape chestnut, 259

Caryocar nuciferum, 280

Caryotaxus nucifera, 283

Cashew nut, 260

Castanea chrysophylla var. minor, 57

Castanea chrysophylla var. pumila, 57

Castanea sempervirens, 55

Castanopsis, 55 bur, 57 chrysophylla, 55 leaves and nuts, 56

Castanospermum Australe, 255

Caucasian walnut, 261

Chestnut, 60 budding, 80 diseases of the, 116 distance between trees, 82 European varieties of, 99 Comfort, 100 Cooper, 100 Corson, 100 Dager, 101 Moncur, 101 Numbo, 102 spines of, 102 Miller's Dupont, 102 Paragon, 102 bur, 103 nut, 104 spines of, 103 tree, four years old, 105 Ridgely, 104 bur, 106 Scott, 107 Styer, 108 flowers, 61 French variety of the, 108 gathering and assorting, 65 grafting, 71 cleft, 77 growth of cion, 78 large trees, 79 materials, 72 modes of, 75 season for, 71 splice, 75 sprouts, 79 success in, 78 wax, 72 history of the, 62 insects injurious to, 113 Balaninus carytripes, 113 weevil, 114 Japan, 109 Advance, 110 Alpha, 111 Beta, 111 Early Reliance, 111 Felton, 111 Giant, 110, 111 Killen, 112 Parsons, 112 Parry's Superb, 112 Success, 112 mulching, 82 native varieties of the, 94 burless, 94 bush chinquapin, 96 common chinquapin, 97 Fuller's chinquapin, 97 chinquapin burs, 97 chinquapin tree, 98 Hathaway, 95 Phillips, 95 planting, 68 in nursery rows, 69 propagation of the, 64 seedbed and soil for, 67 soil and climate for, 83 species of, 86 American, 88 species bush chinquapin, 89 Castanea Americana, 88 Japonica, 93 nana, 89 pumila, 90, 91 sativa, 91 vesca, 91 European, 91 Japan, 93 leaf, 92 staking transplanted trees, 81 stocks from the forests, 70 transplanting and pruning, 80 uses of, 119

Chile hazelnut, 268

Chocolate nut or bean, 261

Clearing nut, 262

Clove nutmeg, 274

Cocoanut, 262 double, 263

Cocos nucifera, 262

Cola acuminata, 264 nut, 264

Coquito nut, 264

Coquilla nut, 264

Cream nut, 265

Crescentia cujete, 269

Cryptocarya moschata, 274

Cujumary beans, 274

Dawa nut, 265

Dimocarpus longana, 271

Earth nut, 265 chestnut, 265

Elk nut, 265

Euryale ferox, 265

Evergreen chestnut, 55

Fagus antarctica, 48 betuloides, 48 ferruginea, 48 obliqua, 48 sylvatica, 48

Fisticke nut, 265

Filbert or hazelnut, 118

Fox nut, 265

Galeruca calmariensis, 5

Ginkgo biloba, 265 nut, 265

Goober, 275

Goora nut, 264

Gorgon nut, 266

Groundnut, 266, 267, 275

Guevina Avellana, 268

Guilandina bouduc, 273 bonducella, 273

Hamiltonia oleifera, 275

Hazelnut or filbert, 118 American species of hazel, 126 beaked hazel, 127 Corylus Americana, 126 Corylus rostrata, 127 Asiatic species of hazel, 128 C. ferox & heterophylla, 128 blight, 138 Cryptospora anomala, 139 fungus, 141 European species of, 127 Constantinople hazel, 129 Corylus Avellana, 127 Colurna, 128 tubulosa, 130 history of the filbert, 120 insects injurious to filberts, 145 personal experience with filberts, 132 planting and pruning filberts, 124 propagation of the filbert, 122 soil, location, etc., for filberts, 123 varieties of filbert and hazel seedlings, 135 varieties extra large hazel seedling, 136 varieties large filbert, 119 large seedling hazelnut, 120 select list of, 130 Alba or white filbert, 130 Cosford, or Miss Young's thin-shelled, 130 Crispa, or frizzled filbert, 130 Downton, large square, 130 Grandis, or round cob-nut, 131 Lambert's filbert, 130 Purple-leaved filbert, 131 red filbert, red hazel, etc., 131 Spanish filbert, 132

Horse-chestnut, 268

Hickory nuts, 147 age of fruiting the, 193 big bud, 160 big shellbark, 157 bitter pecan, 165 bitternut, 163, 164 brown, 162 budding and grafting, 183 crown, on roots, 189 sprouts from roots, 190 Carya amara var. myristicæformis, 165 Carya olivæformis, 155 cultivation of the, 177 Hicoria pecan and synonyms, 155 Hicoria alba, 155 " " synonyms, 157 Hicoria aquatica, 165 " " synonyms, 166 Hicoria glabra, 162 " " synonyms, 164 Hicoria laciniosa, 157 " " synonyms, 159 Hicoria minima, 164 " " synonyms, 165 Hicoria myristicæformis, 165 Hicoria tomentosa, 160 " " synonyms, 162 history of the, 148 hognut, 162 Illinois nut, 155 insect enemies of the, 195 American silk worm, 202 Attacus luna, 202 belted chion, 199 bud worm, 202 burrows of scolytus, 200 Catocala, 202 Chion cinctus, 199 Chramesus icoriæ, 201 Clisiocampa sylvatica, 202 Cyllene crinicornis, 198 pictus, 198 robiniæ, 198 Elaphidion inerme, 199 Goes, beautiful, 199 pulchra, 199 tiger, 199 tigrinus, 199 Grapholitha caryana, 201 bark borer, 199 nut weevil, 202 shuck worm, 201 twig girdler, 196 leaf miners, 202 leaf rollers, 202 locust borer, 198 luna moth, 202 Oncideres cingulatus, 196 orange sawyer, 199 painted borer, 198 plant lice, 202 Scolytus 4-spinosus, 199 Sinoxylon basilare, 201 Telea polyphemus, 202 tent caterpillar, 202 Tortricidæ, 201 king nut, 160 mocker nut, 160 Pecan nut, 155 varieties of, 167 Alba, 167 Biloxi, 167 Colorado, 169 Columbian, 167 Early Texan, 168 Faust, 168 Frotscher, 168 Georgia Melon, 168 Gonzales, 168 Harcourt, 168 Idlewild, 169 Jewett, 169 Lady Finger, 169 large, long, 167 Little Mobile, 167 Longfellow, 168 Pride of the Coast, 169 Primate, 168 Mexican, 169 Meyers, 170 Ribera, 168 Risien, 169 Stuart, 169 Turkey Egg, 169 Van Deman, 169 pignut 162, 164 planting for profit, 194 propagation of the, 180 shellbark or shagbark, 155 varieties of, 170 Hales' paper-shell, 172 long hickory, 173 from Missouri, 173 Western, varieties of, 174 Floyd pecan, 177 long, 174 Nussbaumer's, 174-176 species and varieties, 224 swamp hickoria, 164, 165 switch bud, 162 thick, or western shellbark, 157, 158 white-heart, 160

Inocarpus edulis, 282

Introduction, 1

Importation of nuts, 8

Imported nuts, value of, 9

Ita palm nut, 271

Ivory nut, 269

Jesuit chestnuts, 269, 283

Jicara nut, 269

Juba nut, 270

Jubæa spectabilis, 264

Juvia nut 258, 270

Kipper nut, 270

Kola nut, 264

Laurelia sempervirens, 275

Lecythis Zabucajo, 279

Leechee nut, 270

Litchi nut, 270

Lodoicea Sechellarum, 263

Longan, 270

Longyen, 270

Lousy nut, 271

Macadamia ternifolia, 256

Madagascar nutmeg, 274

Marking nut, 271

Mauritia flexuosa, 271

Miriti nut, 271

Miscellaneous nuts, 254

Monkey-pot nut, 272

Moreton Bay chestnuts, 255

Moringa optera, 256 pterygosperma, 256

Myristica fatua, 273 fragrans, 273 otoba, 274 sebifera, 274

Myrobalan nut, 272

Nectandy puchury, 274

Nelumbium luteum, 284

Nephelium pinnatum, 271

Nepheliums, 271

Nickar nut, 272

Nittar, or Nutta, 273

Nuces vel Poma Pinea, 277

Nutmeg, 273

Nutmeg hickory, 165

Nyssa capitata, 282

Oak nut, 254

Oil nut 265, 275

Olea Americana, 276

Openawk, 267

Ophiocaryon paradoxum, 280

Paradise nut, 275

Parkia Africana, 273

Peanut, 275

Pekea nut, 275

Peruvian nut, 275 nutmeg, 274

Phytelephas macrocarpa, 269

Physic nut, 276

Pinang, 256

Pine nut, 276

Pinocchi, 277

Pinolas, 277

Pinon, 277

Pinus cembroides, 277 edulis, 277 monophylla, 278 Parryana, 277 pinea, 276

Piper betel, 256

Pistacia Mexicana, 278 vera, 278

Pistachio nut, 278

Plum nutmeg, 274

Pterocarya fraxinifolia, 261

Puchurim beans, 274

Pyrularia oleifera, 275

Quandang nut, 279

Qudria heterophylla, 268

Queensland nut, 256

Quercus virens, 255

Raffia, or Roffia, 25

Rambutan, 270

Salisburia adiantifolia, 265

Santalum acuminatum, 279

Sapucaia nut, 279

Sardis nut, 63

Sassafras nut, 280

Semecarpus anacardium, 271

Singhara-nut plant, 283

Snake nut, 280

Sonari nut, 280

South Sea chestnut, 282

Staphylea trifolia, 257

Stillingia sebifera, 282

Stinking nutmeg, 275

Strychnos potatorum, 262

Tahitian chestnut, 282

Tallow nut, 282

Tavola nut, 282

Taxus nucifera, 283

Temperance nut, 283

Terminalia Catappa, 272

Theobroma cacao, 261

Torrey nut, 283

Torreya Californica, 275 nucifera, 283

Trapa bicornis, 283 bispinosa, 283 natans, 283 verbanensis, 283

Walnut, 203 American, 224 black, 232 black, in husk, 232 varieties of, 233 butternut, 224 sugar, 227 varieties of, 225 California, 234 Carya cathartica, 225 Juglans Californica, 234 cathartica, 225 cinerea, 224 hybrida, 225 oblonga alba, 225 nigra, 232 nigra, husk removed, 233 nigra oblonga, 233 rupestris, 235 New Mexico, 235 Texas, 235 Wallia cinerea, 225 white, 224 budding and grafting, 218 flute, 220 history, 203 husking, 250 hybrids in California, 227 flowering branch of, 228 Juglans Californica, 229 Sieboldiana, 231, 237 insect enemies of the, 251 Citheronia regalis, 252 Regal walnut moth, 252 Jovis glans, 203 Juglans, 203 Oriental, 236 Juglans ailantifolia, 237 Camirium, 236 Catappa, 236 cordiformis, 239 Japonica, 236 Mandshurica, 237 Persian, 204 in America, 209 Persian, Barthere, 242 Chaberte, 242 Chile, 240, 242 Cluster, 243 Cut-leaved, 243 English, 240 Franquette, 243 French, 240 Gant, or Bijou, 243 Juglans regia, 240 regia octogona, 245 serotina, 247 Kaghazi, 244 Large-fruited Præparturiens, 244 Late Præparturiens, 244 Late, 247 Madeira nut, 240 Mayette, 245 Mesange, or paper-shell, 245 Meylan, 246 Octogona, 246 Parisienne, 246 Præparturiens, 246 Precocious, 246 Racemosa, or Spicata, 243 Royal, 240 Small fruited, 240 St. John, 247 Variegated, 248 Vilmorin, 247 Vourey, 247 Weeping, 248 planting and pruning, 223 propagation of, 215 seedling, 216

Water chestnut, 269, 283, 284 chinquapin, 284 hickory, 165

Western cashew, 260 chinquapin, 55

Winged-seeded moringa, 256

Winged walnut, 261

SENT FREE ON APPLICATION.

DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE

--OF--

RURAL BOOKS,

CONTAINING 116 8VO. PAGES,

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED, AND GIVING FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF NEARLY 600 WORKS ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS:

Farm and Garden,

Fruits, Flowers, Etc.

Cattle, Sheep, and Swine,

Dogs, Horses, Riding, Etc.,

Poultry, Pigeons, and Bees,

Angling and Fishing,

Boating, Canoeing, and Sailing,

Field Sports and Natural History,

Hunting, Shooting, Etc.,

Architecture and Building,

Landscape Gardening,

Household and Miscellaneous.

PUBLISHERS AND IMPORTERS:

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,

52 & 54 Lafayette Place, New York.

=Books will be Forwarded, postpaid, on receipt of Price.=

STANDARD BOOKS.

=Mushrooms: How to Grow Them.=

Any one who has an ordinary house cellar, woodshed or barn, can grow Mushrooms. This is the most practical work on the subject ever written, and the only book on growing Mushrooms published in America. The author describes how he grows Mushrooms, and how they are grown for profit by the leading market gardeners, and for home use by the most successful private growers. Engravings drawn from nature expressly for this work. By Wm. Falconer. Cloth. Price, postpaid. 1.50

=Land Draining.=

A Handbook for Farmers on the Principles and Practice of Draining, by Manly Miles, giving the results of his extended experience in laying tile drains. The directions for the laying out and the construction of tile drains will enable the farmer to avoid the errors of imperfect construction, and the disappointment that must necessarily follow. This manual for practical farmers will also be found convenient for references in regard to many questions that may arise in crop growing, aside from the special subjects of drainage of which it treats. Cloth, 12mo. 1.00

=Allen's New American Farm Book.=

The very best work on the subject; comprising all that can be condensed into an available volume. Originally by Richard L. Allen. Revised and greatly enlarged by Lewis F. Allen. Cloth, 12mo. 2.50

=Henderson's Gardening for Profit.=

By Peter Henderson. The standard work on Market and Family Gardening. The successful experience of the author for more than thirty years, and his willingness to tell, as he does in this work, the secret of his success for the benefit of others, enables him to give most valuable information. The book is profusely illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Henderson's Gardening for Pleasure.=

A guide to the amateur in the fruit, vegetable and flower garden, with full descriptions for the greenhouse, conservatory and window garden. It meets the wants of all classes in country, city and village who keep a garden for their own enjoyment rather than for the sale of products. By Peter Henderson. Finely Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Johnson's How Crops Grow.=

New Edition. A Treatise on the Chemical Composition, Structure and Life of the Plant. Revised Edition. This book is a guide to the knowledge of agricultural plants, their composition, their structure and modes of development and growth; of the complex organizations of plants, and the use of the parts; the germination of seeds, and the food of plants obtained both from the air and the soil. The book is a valuable one to all real students of agriculture. With numerous illustrations and tables of analysis. By Prof. Samuel W. Johnson of Yale College. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Johnson's How Crops Feed.=

A Treatise on the Atmosphere and the Soil, as related in the Nutrition of Agricultural Plants. This volume--the companion and complement to "How Crops Grow"--has been welcomed by those who appreciate the scientific aspects of agriculture. Illustrated. By Prof. Samuel W. Johnson. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Market Gardening and Farm Notes.=

By Barnet Landreth. Experiences and Observations for both North and South, of interest to the Amateur Gardener, Trucker and Farmer. A novel feature of the book is the calendar of farm and garden operations for each month of the year; the chapters on fertilizers, transplanting, succession and rotation of crops, the packing, shipping and marketing of vegetables, will be especially useful to market gardeners. Cloth, 12mo. 1.00

=Forest Planting.=

A Treatise on the Care of Woodlands and the Restoration of the Denuded Timber-Lands on Plains and Mountains. By H. Nicholas Jarchow, LL. D. The author has fully described those European methods which have proved to be most useful in maintaining the superb forests of the old world. This experience has been adapted to the different climates and trees of America, full instructions being given for forest planting on our various kinds of soil and subsoil, whether on mountain or valley. Illustrated, 12mo. 1.50

=Harris' Talks on Manures.=

By Joseph Harris, M. S., author of "Walks and Talks on the Farm," "Harris on the Pig," etc. Revised and enlarged by the author. A series of familiar and practical talks between the author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and other neighbors, on the whole subject of manures and fertilizers; including a chapter especially written for it, by Sir John Bennet Lawes of Rothamsted, England. Cloth, 12mo. 1.75

=Truck Farming at the South.=

A work which gives the experience of a successful grower of vegetables or "truck" for Northern markets. Essential to any one who contemplates entering this promising field of Agriculture. By A. Oemler of Georgia. Illustrated, cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Sweet Potato Culture.=

Giving full instructions from starting the plants to harvesting and storing the crop. With a chapter on the Chinese Yam. By James Fitz, Keswich, Va., author of "Southern Apple and Peach Culture." Cloth, 12mo. .60

=Heinrich's Window Flower Garden.=

The author is a practical florist, and this enterprising volume embodies his personal experiences in Window Gardening during a long period. New and enlarged edition. By Julius J. Heinrich. Fully illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. .75

=Greenhouse Construction.=

By Prof. L. R. Taft. A complete treatise on Greenhouse structures and arrangements of the various forms and styles of Plant Houses for professional florists as well as amateurs. All the best and most approved structures are so fully and clearly described that anyone who desires to build a Greenhouse will have no difficulty in determining the kind best suited to his purpose. The modern and most successful methods of heating and ventilating are fully treated upon. Special chapters are devoted to houses used for the growing of one kind of plants exclusively. The construction of hotbeds and frames receives appropriate attention. Over one hundred excellent illustrations, specially engraved for this work, make every point clear to the reader and add considerably to the artistic appearance of the book. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Bulbs and Tuberous-Rooted Plants.=

By C. L. Allen. A complete treatise on the History, Description, Methods of Propagation and full Directions for the successful culture of Bulbs in the garden, Dwelling and Greenhouse. As generally treated, bulbs are an expensive luxury, while, when properly managed, they afford the greatest amount of pleasure at the least cost. The author of this book has for many years made bulb growing a specialty, and is a recognized authority on their cultivation and management. The illustrations which embellish this work have been drawn from nature, and have been engraved especially for this book. The cultural directions are plainly stated, practical and to the point. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Henderson's Practical Floriculture.=

By Peter Henderson. A guide to the successful propagation and cultivation of florists' plants. The work is not one for florists and gardeners only, but the amateur's wants are constantly kept in mind, and we have a very complete treatise on the cultivation of flowers under glass, or in the open air, suited to those who grow flowers for pleasure as well as those who make them a matter of trade. Beautifully illustrated. New and enlarged edition. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Long's Ornamental Gardening for Americans.=

A Treatise on Beautifying Homes, Rural Districts and Cemeteries. A plain and practical work at a moderate price, with numerous illustrations and instructions so plain that they may be readily followed. By Elias A. Long, Landscape Architect. Illustrated, Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=The Propagation of Plants.=

By Andrew S. Fuller. Illustrated with numerous engravings. An eminently practical and useful work. Describing the process of hybridizing and crossing species and varieties, and also the many different modes by which cultivated plants may be propagated and multiplied. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Parsons on the Rose.=

By Samuel B. Parsons. A treatise on the propagation, culture and history of the rose. New and revised edition. In his work upon the rose, Mr. Parsons has gathered up the curious legends concerning the flower, and gives us an idea of the esteem in which it was held in former times. A simple garden classification has been adopted, and the leading varieties under each class enumerated and briefly described. The chapters on multiplication, cultivation and training are very full, and the work is altogether one of the most complete before the public. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 1.00

=Henderson's Handbook of Plants.=

This new edition comprises about fifty per cent. more genera than the former one, and embraces the botanical name, derivation, natural order, etc., together with a short history of the different genera, concise instructions for their propagation and culture, and all the leading local or common English names, together with a comprehensive glossary of Botanical and Technical terms. Plain instructions are also given for the cultivation of the principal vegetables, fruits and flowers. Cloth, large 8vo. 4.00

=Barry's Fruit Garden.=

By P. Barry. A standard work on Fruit and Fruit Trees; the author having had over thirty years' practical experience at the head of one of the largest nurseries in this country. New edition revised up to date. Invaluable to all fruit growers. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Fulton's Peach Culture.=

This is the only practical guide to Peach Culture on the Delaware Peninsula, and is the best work upon the subject of peach growing for those who would be successful in that culture in any part of the country. It has been thoroughly revised and a large portion of it rewritten, by Hon. J. Alexander Fulton, the author, bringing it down to date. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Strawberry Culturist.=

By Andrew S. Fuller. Containing the History, Sexuality, Field and Garden Culture of Strawberries, forcing or pot culture, how to grow from seed, hybridizing, and all information necessary to enable everybody to raise their own strawberries, together with a description of new varieties and a list of the best of the old sorts. Fully illustrated. Flexible cloth, 12mo. .25

=Fuller's Small Fruit Culturist.=

By Andrew S. Fuller. Rewritten, enlarged, and brought fully up to the present time. The book covers the whole ground of propagating Small Fruits, their culture, varieties, packing for market, etc. It is very finely and thoroughly illustrated, and makes an admirable companion to "The Grape Culturist," by the same well known author. 1.50

=Fuller's Grape Culturist.=

By A. S. Fuller. This is one of the very best of works on the Culture of the Hardy Grapes, with full directions for all departments of propagation, culture, etc., with 150 excellent engravings, illustrating planting, training, grafting, etc. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Quinn's Pear Culture for Profit.=

Teaching How to Raise Pears intelligently, and with the best results, how to find out the character of the soil, the best methods of preparing it, the best varieties to select under existing conditions, the best modes of planting, pruning, fertilizing, grafting, and utilizing the ground before the trees come into bearing, and finally of gathering and packing for market. Illustrated. By P. T. Quinn, practical horticulturist. Cloth, 12mo. 1.00

=Husmann's American Grape Growing and Wine-Making.=

By George Husmann of Talcoa vineyards, Napa, California. New and enlarged edition. With contributions from well known grape-growers, giving a wide range of experience. The author of this book is a recognized authority on the subject. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=White's Cranberry Culture.=

Contents:--Natural History.--History of Cultivation.--Choice of Location.--Preparing the Ground.--Planting the Vines.--Management of Meadows.--Flooding.--Enemies and Difficulties Overcome.--Picking.--Keeping.--Profit and Loss.--Letters from Practical Growers.--Insects Injurious to the Cranberry. By Joseph J. White, a practical grower. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. New and revised edition. 1.25

=Fuller's Practical Forestry.=

A Treatise on the Propagation, Planting and Cultivation, with a description and the botanical and proper names of all the indigenous trees of the United States, both Evergreen and Deciduous, with Notes on a large number of the most valuable Exotic Species. By Andrew S. Fuller, author of "Grape Culturist," "Small Fruit Culturist," etc. 1.50

=Stewart's Irrigation for the Farm, Garden and Orchard.=

This work is offered to those American Farmers and other cultivators of the soil who, from painful experience, can readily appreciate the losses which result from the scarcity of water at critical periods. By Henry Stewart. Fully illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Quinn's Money in the Garden.=

By P. T. Quinn. The author gives in a plain, practical style, instructions on three distinct, although closely connected branches of gardening--the kitchen garden, market garden, and field culture, from successful practical experience for a term of years. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=Roe's Play and Profit in My Garden.=

By E. P. Roe. The author takes us to his garden on the rocky hill-sides in the vicinity of West Point, and shows us how out of it, after four years' experience, he evoked a profit of $1,000, and this while carrying on pastoral and literary labor. It is very rarely that so much literary taste and skill are mated to so much agricultural experience and good sense. Cloth, 12mo. 1.50

=The New Onion Culture.=

By T. Greiner. This new work is written by one of our most successful agriculturists, and is full of new, original, and highly valuable matter of material interest to every one who raises onions in the family garden, or by the acre for market. By the process here described a crop of 2000 bushels per acre can be as easily raised as 500 or 600 bushels in the old way. Paper, 12mo. .50

=The Dairyman's Manual.=

By Henry Stewart, author of "The Shepherd's Manual," "Irrigation," etc. A useful and practical work, by a writer who is well known as thoroughly familiar with the subject of which he writes. Cloth, 12mo. 2.00

=Allen's American Cattle.=

Their History, Breeding and Management. By Lewis F. Allen. This book will be considered indispensable by every breeder of live stock. The large experience of the author in improving the character of American herds adds to the weight of his observations and has enabled him to produce a work which will at once make good his claims as a standard authority on the subject. New and revised edition. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. 2.50

=Profits in Poultry.=

Useful and ornamental Breeds and their Profitable Management. This excellent work contains the combined experience of a number of practical men in all departments of poultry raising. It is profusely illustrated and forms a unique and important addition to our poultry literature. Cloth, 12mo. 1.00

=The American Standard of Perfection.=

The recognized standard work on Poultry in this country, adopted by the American Poultry Association. It contains a complete description of all the recognized varieties of fowls, including turkeys, ducks and geese; gives instructions to judges; glossary of technical terms and nomenclature. It contains 244 pages, handsomely bound in cloth, embellished with title in gold on front cover. $1.00

=Stoddard's An Egg Farm.=

By H. H. Stoddard. The management of poultry in large numbers, being a series of articles written for the AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo. .50