Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/722

Rh 664 N U R N U T its patrician rulers; and the French Revolution reduced it to such a degree that in 1796 it ottered itself and its territories to the king of Prussia on condition that he would pay its debts (9,000,000 guldens). Prussia, however, refused the offer. In 1803 Nuremberg was allowed to maintain its nominal position as a free city, but in 1806 it was annexed to Bavaria. During this century its progress has been one of uninterrupted prosperity, and it is now the chief commercial town in South Germany. Authorities. Priem, Geachichte der Stadt Niirnberg (1874); Daniel, Handbiich der Gengraphie (new ed., 1881); Jahresbericht der Handels- uwi Gewerbekammer fiir Mittelfranken, 1882; Schrag, Neuester Wegweiser durch die Stadt Niirnberg (13th ed., 1883). Various illustrated works on the artists and art-treasures of Nuremberg have been published by Schrag of Nuremberg. (J. F. M.) NURSIA. See SABINES. NUT. The term nut is applied to that class of fruit which consists generally of a single kernel enclosed in a hard shell. Botanically speaking, nuts are one-celled fruits with hardened pericarps, more or less enveloped in a cupule or cup, formed by the aggregation of the bracts. In com merce, however, the term has a wider application and em braces many fruits having hard woody indehiscent shells or coverings without reference to their enclosed seeds or kernels, besides leguminous pods, and even tuberous roots. A great number of nuts enter into commerce for various purposes, principally as articles of food or sources of oil, and for several ornamental and useful purposes. For the most part the edible nuts are very rich in oil, with only a small percentage of the other carbohydrates, starch, sugar, ike., and they also contain a large proportion of nitrogenous constituents. Thus possessing rich nutrient principles in a highly -concentrated form, nuts are by themselves rather difficult of digestion, and the liability of many of them to become rancid is also a source of danger and a hindrance to their free use. Oleaginous nuts used for food are like wise employed more or less as sources of oil, but on the other hand there are many oil-nuts of commercial import ance not embraced in the list of edible nuts. The follow ing is an alphabetical enumeration of the more important nuts, and of products passing under that name, used either as articles of food or as sources of oil : Name. Source. Locality. Remarks. Almond Amtjgdalus communis, S. Europe .... Food, oil. See vol. var. B., dulcis i. p. 595. Almond (bitter) Amygdalus communis, Oil. See vol. i. p. var. A., amara 595. Ar nut Tubers of Buniumjlexyo- Great Britain Food. sum and other species Bambarra Vvandzeia sidtterranea. . W. Africa Food. ground nut Ben nut Moringa pterygosperma E. Indies .... Oil. See OILS. Bitter nut .... Carya amara (swamp N. America . . See HICKORV, vol. hickory) xi. p. 790. Brazil nut .... Bertholletia excelsa S. America .. Food, oil. See vol. iv. p. 241. Bread nut .... Brosimnm Alicastrum. . W. Indies. . . Food. Butter or Souari Caryocar nuciferum .... Guiana Food. nut Cahoun nut. . Attalea Cohune Honduras. . . Oil. Candle nut .... Aleurites triloba S. Sea Islands Oil. See OILS. Cashew nut .... Anacardium occidental?. W. Indies .... Food, oil. See vol. v. p. 175. Chestnut Castanea vesca S. Europe .... Food. See vol. v. p. 608. Cob, filbert, or Corylus Avellana England, See HAZEL, vol. xi. hazel Spain p. 548. Cob nut of Ja Omphalea diandra W. Indies Food. maica Cocoa nut Cocos nucifera E. Indies .... Food, oil. See vol. vi. p. 103. Cola nut Cola acuminata W. Africa Food. Dika nut Irvingia Barteri W. Africa Food, oil. Gingko nut .... Salisburia adiiiiitifolin. . Japan Food, oil. Ground nut .... Aracliis hypogiea Tropics See GROUND NUT, vol. xi. p. 221. Hickory nut. . Carya alba N. America. . See HICKOKV, vol. xi. p. 790. Hog nut Carya porcina N. America .. Eaten by aniinals. Mocker nut .... Carya tomentosa N. America. . See HICKORV, vol. xi. p. 790. Moreton Bay Castanospermvm aitstrale Australia .... Food. chestnut Nutmeg Nutmeg (wild) Myristica moschata .... Myristica fatua, M. tom E. Indies Tropics Spice. See NUTMEG. Spice. See NUTMEG. entosa, &c. Olive nut Elseocarpus Ganitrus, Ac. E. Indies Food. Palm nut Elais guintensis W. Africa. . Oil. See PAI.M. Pecan nut Carya oliveeformis N. America. . Food, oil. See HICK ORY, vol. xi. p. 790. Pekea nut Caryocar butyrosiim .... Guiana Food. Name. Source. Locality. Remarks. Physic nut Curcas purgans Tropical America Oil. See OILS. Pine nut Pimis Pinea, &c Italy Food. Pistachio nut. . I istwhia rera Italy Food. yuandang nut. . Fusanus acuminatus. . . Australia .... Food. Ravensara nut Agathophyllum aromati Madagascar. . Spice. cum Rush nut Cyperus esculentus S. Europe Food. Sapueava nut. . Lecythis Ollaria Brazil Food. Tahiti chestnut Inocarpvs edulis S. Sea Islands Food. Walnut Jiiglans regia Asia, Europe Food, oil. Water chestnut Various species of Trupa Kashmir, &amp;lt;fcc. Food. There remain to be enumerated a number of nuts of commercial value for turnery and ornamental purposes, for medicinal use, and for several miscellaneous applications in the arts. These include : - Name. Source. Locality. Remarks. Betel nut Arfffi Catechu. . E. Indies .... See vol. iii. p. 016. Bladder nut. . Staphylea pinnata Cent. Europe Necklaces. Boomah nut. . Pycnocotna mftcroplt yUa Africa Tanning. Bonduc nut. . . . Guilaiulina Bonduc .... India Medicine, beads. Clearing nut .. Strychnos potatomm. . .. India Clearing water. Coquilla nut. . 1 Attalea funifera Brazil Turnery. Corozo nut or Phnt.t .I.p. nhn.s mft.r.rorfi.rnfi. Brazil See vol. xiii. p. 524. vegetable ivory Cumara nut fiivterix ndorata. . . Brazil Perfume. Grugru nut. . . . ] Acrocomia sclerocarpa. . Horse chestnut j sEsculus Hippocastanum S. America. . Europe Beads. Starch. See vol. v. p. 608. Marking nut. . Semecarpus Anacardium E. Indies .... Marking ink and varnish. Nut galls Quercus infectoria Levant Dyeing and ink making. See GALLS, vol. x. p. 45. Poison nut .... Strychnos Nux-Vomica .. E. Indies Medicine. See Nux VOMICA. Sassafras nut. . Nectandra Puchury .... S. America. . Aromatic. Snake nut .... Ophiocaryon paradoxum S. America. . Curiosity. Soap nut Sapindus Saponaria .... W. Indies Washing; orna mental. The application of the term nut to many of these pro ducts is purely arbitrary, and it is obvious that numerous other bodies not known commercially as nuts might with equal propriety be included in the list. Most of the nuts of real commercial importance are or will be separately noticed, and here further allusion is only made to a few which form current articles of commerce, not otherwise treated of. The Bread nut of Jamaica is the fruit of a lofty tree, Bronmvm Alicastrum. It is about an inch in diameter, and encloses a single seed, which, roasted or boiled, is a pleasant and nutritious article of food. The Souari or Surahwa nut, called also the &quot; Butter nut of Demerara,&quot; and by fruiterers the &quot; Suwarrow nut,&quot; is the fruit of Caryocar nuciferum (Rhizoholacesz), a native of the forests of Guiana, growing 80 feet in height. This is perhaps the finest of all the fruits called nuts. The kernel is large, soft, and even sweeter than the almond, which it somewhat resembles in taste. The few that are imported come from Demerara, and are about the size of an egg, somewhat kidney-shaped, of a rich reddish-brown colour, and covered with large rounded tubercles. The Pekea nut, similar in appearance and properties, is the produce of Caryocar butyrosum, growing in the same regions of tropical America. The Jamaica Cob nut is the produce of a euphorbiaceous tree, Omphalea diandra, the seeds of which resemble in taste the ordinary cob or hazel nut. The seed, however, contains a deleterious embryo, which must not be eaten. Cola, Kola, or Goora nuts are the produce of Cola acuminata (Sterculiacese a tree native of tropical Africa, now introduced into the West Indies and South America. The nuts form an important article of commerce through out Central Africa, being used over a wide area as a kind of stimulant condiment. The nuts, of which there are numerous varieties, are found to contain a notable propor tion of theine, as much as 2 13 per cent., besides theobro- mine and other important food -constituents, to which