40 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



January 25, 1921 



J. J. NARTZIK 



INCORPORATED 

 V,,, , o GENERAL OFFICES 



GRAND RTpms! M.NN. '966 MAUD AVENUE ^^D warehouse 



DBS ARK, ARKANSAS CHICAGO <="'<^G0, ILL. 



Rotary Cut Veneers 



and 



Panels 



CARLOAD LOTS OR L. C. L. SHIPMENTS 



iCoiitiiiin d from iiarji: 3l'r) 



those phases of transition wherein cost conditions are 

 being given little consideration in the formulating of mer- 

 chandising policies due to a recognition of the popular 

 demand for reduction in price, coupled with the desire to 

 secure orders and permit of factory operation. Due to 

 the fact that there are many new concerns which have 

 recently entered the field of furniture manufacture there 

 is wide variation in the prices asked for items of similar 

 character. There is no question but that many furniture 

 factories will take on business at figures which are less 

 than cost of production. It is therefore safe to predict 

 that many concerns who made a splendid showing of 

 earnings (which earnings are not in the cash drawer or 

 bank) the past year and a half will be greatly embarrassed 

 as this season advances. The well established manufac- 

 turers will have to take a loss during the early part of 

 this year, but they are in position to gain ultimately — 

 largely due to the fact that there will be a considerable 

 number of units in the furniture manufacturing field which 

 will cease to exist as such, hence this is a feature that 

 should be carefully considered by anyone soliciting busi- 

 ness this year from furniture manufacturers. 



While no concerted action has been taken relative to 

 signed orders, still the time is most propitious for the 

 furniture industry to define its position relative to cancel- 

 lations and to protect its interests against a condition 

 experienced the latter half of 1920 by instituting a signed 

 order which obligates both parties and removes an oppor- 

 tunity for overbuying and cancellation later. 



Plans are well advanced for the establishment by the 

 Furniture Industry of a Publicity Campaign which will 

 inform the public of the essentialness of furniture. This 

 work will be conducted by the Furniture Publicity Bureau 

 and will, when in operation, be a means of dovetailing the 

 interest of publicity energies of the lumber and allied 

 sources of supplies upon which the furniture industry is 

 dependent and must recognize as its background. 



The Walnuts of Mexico 



From time to time stories are told of the Walnuts of 

 Mexico and the possibility of securing a large amount of 

 Walnut lumber or logs from that source should conditions 

 ever become stable enough to warrant operations. 



The National Herbarium at Washington recently has 

 published a monograph of the trees and shrubs of Mexico 

 which contains authentic information in regard to the 

 Walnut of Mexico. 



From this book we learn that "Juglans regia," the tree 

 that grows the "English" walnuts of commerce, is also 

 cultivated in Mexico. The same species is planted in Cali- 

 fornia and Florida for its nuts. We find the same species 

 growing in England, France and Italy, the wood of which 

 is known as English, French, or Italian Walnut. When 

 you see Walnut wood in this country called English, French 

 or Italian, it is invariably our well-known native Walnut, 

 known in the tree as Black Walnut and in the lumber as 

 American Walnut, given the finish used in the above 

 countries. 



Strange to say, the "English" Walnut mentioned as 

 cultivated in Mexico is the same species that produces the 

 "Circassian" Walnut, quite popular in this country a few 

 years ago as a veneer wood. It grows scattering as a 

 small stunted tree in the Balkans and in Asia Minor. In 

 Mexico the English Walnut is known as "Nogal" ("Nuez,, 

 griinde") "Nuez de Costilla." 



In addition to the cultivated "English" Walnut Mexico 

 has four well defined native species of Walnut. One of 

 these, however, is a shrub known locally as "Nogal," 

 which never attains sufficient size to be commercially im- 

 portant. It grows in Coahuila and Chihuahua and the 

 wood is reported to be weak in comparison with American 

 Walnut. 



Another species is found in Chihuahua and Durango. 

 It attains a height of fifty feet and a diameter of four feet 

 although the trunk is usually so short as not to be of com- 

 mercial value. This tree is called "Nogal silvestre." Its 

 wood is rather coarse grained and weak. 



The third species. of Walnut in Mexico, about which 

 very little is known, is one found in Vera Cruz. It is very 

 similar if not the same as the next species we shall men- 

 tion. A botanical explorer records of this tree that "the 

 leaves are throw^n in water to stupefy fish." 



The fourth species of Mexican Walnut is found in 

 Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi. It is a small or medium 

 sized tree with a maximum height of fifty to sixty feet and 

 a maximum diameter of three feet. This is the species 

 usually referred to when Mexican Walnut is mentioned. 

 It is known locally as "Nogal" and "Nuez Mecca." The 

 wood of this tree approaches that of our native American 

 Walnut in quality and is used locally as lumber in a small 

 way and is also used for bowls, tubs and other articles. 

 The natives also use the husks of the nuts for dyes and the 

 leaves are heated and applied as a relief for rheumatism. 

 There seems to be little possibility that Walnut can be 

 imported from Mexico, at least for many years to come. 

 The quantity of merchantable Walnut available is of 

 course unknown at this time but it is very doubtful that 

 desirable Walnut timber will be found in any quantity. 

 Even though it were to be found its availability would be- 

 greatly restricted by the fact that it does not grow near the 

 coast as does mahogany. The cost of rail transportation 

 to the coast or by rail to the United States via Texas 

 would make its cost prohibitive. 



We have no definite figures on the quality of the wood 

 of the Mexican Walnuts but such information as we do 

 have indicates that the wood is inferior to American in 

 strength, is defective, and is lacking in the rich grain and 

 figure found in American Walnut. 



It seems, therefore, that the cabinet maker must con- 

 tinue to look to the United States as a source of Walnut 

 supply, the exact qualities of which no other wood seems 

 to possess. 



