HARDWOOD RECORD 



15 



BLACK WALNUT BARK. 



of the English, Persian or royal walnut are 

 considered of a finer quality than those of 



responding sides are hewn and "flatted" to 

 provide for compact and economical stowage 

 in mi's and on ship, and ordinarily the ends 

 are covered with a heavy coating of paint, to 

 prevent any possibility of cheeking. The ex- 

 port logs vary in size from eighteen to forty 

 inches square, by six to eighteen feet long. 

 A considerable quantity of the wood is also 

 exported in the form of flitches, planks and 

 boards. 



In forest growth the general diameter of 

 trees varies from twelve tn thirty inches-. 

 although quite frequently specimens are en- 

 countered that have a diameter of four to 

 six feet at breast height, with symmetrical 

 trunks that rise clear without a limb for 

 sixty feet. 



While cabinet making has consumed a 

 great portion of the black walnut of this con- 

 tinent, vast quantities of it have been em- 

 ployed in making gun stocks, both in Europe 

 and in America. So great was the demand 

 for that purpose until the general peace fol- 

 lowing the battle of Waterloo, that the 



However, there is a very handsome burl ob- 

 tained from black walnut stumps in this 

 country, and quantities of it, notably during 

 1 i" last few years, have bei a cut into veneers, 

 pieced together at the crotches, and form tho 

 exterior panel work in many handsome piano 

 and organ cases. 



The related white walnut nr butternut, 



Jiiglans cin&rea, affords a 1, 3-prized and 

 lighter-tinted \\ [. Some authorities esti- 

 mate that 100 years growth furnishes the 

 best type of the black walnut wood. How- 

 ever, specimens of an age of from L50 to 250 

 years are of an infinitely better physical qual- 

 ity, richer color, and of a higher value. The 

 wood grows comparatively quickly, but the 

 heart wood, for which the tree 1- \ rized, be- 

 gins to form only when it is of a considerable 

 age. 



Walnut trees may be known by their nuts, 

 the husks or pods of which adhere unbroken, 

 instead of loosening, and are completely di- 

 vided into four sections. The ancients con- 

 sidered the shade of the walnut as harmful 



MILL AM' WALNUT LOG YARD OF THE 

 COMPANY, CINCINNATI. 



the American species, but American wood is 

 regarded as superior. 



In physical character the recorded dry 

 weight of black walnut varies from foit\ to 

 fifty pounds per cubic foot. In hardness it 

 compares with chestnut and beech. It has 

 no odor, but the taste is faintly astringent. 

 The grain is open, varying with the cut. The 

 surface is rather dull. The color of the heart- 

 wood is dark brown to nearly black, with 

 frequently a tinge of purple in the vertical 

 section. The wood dries well if handled 

 with reasonable care. It is easily worked and 

 is susceptible of a beautiful pobsh and is 

 extremely durable in contact with the soil. 

 It is not affected by borers, is strong, tough 

 and not liable to spbt. When properly fin- 

 ished, it holds the finish with a remarkable 

 tenacity and grows richer and more beautiful 

 with age. 



The export logs of the wood have their 

 bark carefully removed, and the four and eor- 



K. 

 0. 



& T. LUMBER 



ALLEY IN WALNUT YARD OF THE K. & 1'. LUMBER COM- 

 PANY, CINCINNATI. O. 



greater part of the product was devoted to 

 that purpose, while prices rose in England 

 until £600 sterling is reported to have been 

 paid for a single log. In spite of the in- 

 numerable woods that have since been in- 

 troduced for this purpose, walnut is still re- 

 garded as the best for gun stocks. In 1806 

 France is said to have employed 1.2,000 trees 

 for this purpose. In this eountry during the 

 Civil War, several considerable fortunes were 

 made by contractors who supplied the govern- 

 ment with material for walnut gun stocks. 

 The firm, hard. Chocolate-colored wood of wal- 

 nut seems to have been particularly adapted 

 for this purpose on account of its density of 

 grain, combined with comparative lightness, 

 its color, not easily soiled or disfigured, and 

 its ability to withstand rough usage. 



Large excrescences or burls are common on 

 foreign walnut trees, particularly on those 

 growing near the Black Sea and in Italy, but 

 they are very uncommon on American walnut. 



FOLIAGE AND FRUIT OF BLACK WALNUT. 



