"I can describe the nuts and the shell, and that's about all. I always know a hickory when I see one, by its leaves and the way it grows, but I can't tell why it is so," said Zan.
No one could tell so Miss Miller explained. "The hickory is found in plenty in North America. It has pinnate leaves, grows from seventy to ninety feet high and is slender in trunk. The timber is heavy, tenacious, and strong, but it decays rapidly when exposed to heat or moisture. The bark is rough and easily stripped. The blossoms are short catkins, sweetly perfumed, and the nuts are highly nutritious, forming inside of a cover of shell-bark that peels off in quarter-plates."
"I think I can describe one after that, and pick out a hickory from other trees," remarked Hilda.
"So c'n I—who couldn't?" retorted Jane.
"How many trees does that make?" asked Miss Miller.
"Maple, oak, chestnut and hickory," Zan counted off on her fingers.
"Four! We've got to find six more," cried Elena, pushing on to seek a new variety of tree.
"Here's one that you'll be glad to hear about," called Zan. They turned back and saw a low bush-like tree that would have been passed by without a look, if it hadn't been for the alert Zan.
"That's a bush!" sneered Nita.