to
much extent, owing to its less abundant supply and poorer quality, but
is used for repair work on wagons, for boxes, crates, wagon hubs,
rollers, bowls, woodenware, and for cattle yokes and other purposes
which require a strong, non-splitting wood. Heartwood is light brown
in color, often nearly white; sapwood hardly distinguishable, fine
grain, fibres interwoven. Wood is heavy, not hard, difficult to work,
strong, very tough, checks and warps considerably in drying, not
durable. It is distributed from Maine to southern Ontario, through
central Michigan to southeastern Missouri, southward to the valley of
the Brazos River in Texas, and eastward to the Kissimmee River and
Tampa Bay in Florida. It is found in the swamps and hardwood bottoms,
but is more abundant and of better size on the slightly higher ridges
and hummocks in these swamps, and on the mountain slopes in the
southern Alleghany region. Though its range is greater than that of
either red or tupelo gum, it nowhere forms an important part of the
forest.

HACKBERRY

=41. Hackberry= (_Celtis occidentalis_) (Sugar Berry, Nettle Tree). The
wood is handsome, heavy, hard, strong, quite tough, of moderately fine
texture, and greenish or yellowish color, shrinks moderately, works
well and stands well, and takes a good polish. Used to some extent in
cooperage, and in the manufacture of cheap furniture. Medium- to
large-sized tree, locally quite common, largest in the lower
Mississippi Valley. Occurs in nearly all parts of the eastern United
States.

HICKORY

The hickories of commerce are exclusively North American and some of
them are large and beautiful trees of 60 to 70 feet or more in height.
They are closely allied to the walnut, and the wood is very like
walnut in grain and color, though of a somewhat darker brown. It is
one of the finest of American hardwoods in point of strength; in
toughness it is superior to ash, rather coarse in texture, smooth and
of straight grain, very heavy and strong as well as elastic and
tenacious, but decays rapidly, especially the sapwood when exposed to
damp and moisture, and is very liable to attack from worms and boring
insects. The cross-section of hickory is peculiar, the annual rings
appear like fine lines instead of like the usual pores, and the
medullary rays, which are also very fine but distinct, in crossing
these form a peculiar web-like pattern whi