Thanks for the references. I suspect all of the references in the
present literature were never really conducted as per a "full fledged
scientific analysis" and that the numbers achieved in all books on
wood to date are mostly
numbers got from less than a scientific laboratory would get.

Then see:
USDA Handbook #72
"Wood Handbook Wood as an Engineering Material".
Your tax dollars at work.
The true hickories are by far the "stronger" materials no matter which
mechanical property one is considering.