ich has no scales at all.
The color of its bud is a characteristic orange yellow. The bark is
of a lighter shade than the bark of the mockernut hickory and the
leaflets are more numerous than in any of the hickories, varying
from 7 to 11. Its nuts are bitter.

BLACK WALNUT (_Juglans nigra_)

Distinguishing characters: By cutting a twig lengthwise, it will be seen
that its *pith* is divided into little _chambers_ as shown in Fig.
71. The bud is dark gray and satiny. The bark is dark brown and
deeply ridged and the fruit is the familiar round walnut.

[Illustration: FIG. 70.--Bark of the Mockernut Hickory.]

Form and size: A tall tree with a spreading crown composed of stout
branches. In the open it grows very symmetrically.

Range: Eastern United States.

Soil and location: The black walnut prefers a deep, rich, fertile soil
and requires a great deal of light.

Enemies: The tree is a favorite of many caterpillars.

Value for planting: It forms a beautiful spreading tree on open ground,
but is not planted to any extent because it is hard to transplant.
It grows slowly unless the soil is very deep and rich, develops its
leaves late in the spring and sheds them early in the fall and
produces its fruit in great profusion.

Commercial value: The wood is heavy, strong, of chocolate brown color
and capable of taking a fine polish. It is used for cabinet making
and interior finish of houses. The older the tree, usually, the
better the wood, and the consumption of the species in the past has
been so heavy that it is becoming rare. The European varieties which
are frequently planted in America as substitutes for the native
species yield better nuts, but the American species produces better
wood.

[Illustration: FIG. 71.--Twig of the Black Walnut. Note the large
chambers in the pith.]

[Illustration: FIG. 72.--Twig of the Butternut. Note the small chambers
in the pith.]

Other characters: The _fruit_ is a large round nut about two inches in
diameter, covered with a smooth husk which at first is dull green
in color and later turns brown. The husk does not separate into
sections. The kernel is edible and produces an oil of commercial
value.

The _leaves_ are compound and alternate with 15 to 23 leaflets to
each.

Comparisons: The _butternut_ (_Juglans cinerea_) is another tree that
has the pith divided into