$ REPORT ON THE TIMBERS OF GRAYSON, 
correct any error that might be made in choosing a piece of 
ground which did not fully represent the timber of the imme- 
diate locality. 1 then walked off the road on each side, mak- 
ing my observations extend over.a belt about five miles wide, 
so as to still farther insure a correct representation of the 
timber. 
The chief timbers of value in that part of Western Ken- 
tucky studied by me are: black walnut (/uglanus nigra), white 
walnut (/. cezerea), white hickory (Carya microcarpa), shagbark 
hickory (C. alta), white oak (Quercus alba), swamp white oak 
(Q. bicolor), post oak (Q. obtusiloba), chestnut oak (Q. casta- 
nea), mountain chestnut oak (Q. monxtica), swamp chestnut oak 
(Q. prinus), tulip tree (Liviodendron tulipfera), hop hornbeam 
(ironwood [ Ostrya virginica] ), white ash (Fraxinus americana), 
blue ash (/°. guadrangulata), black ash (7. sambuczfolia), black 
cherry ( Cerasus serotina), sugar maple (Acer saccharinum), black 
sugar maple (Acer nigrum), black birch (Betula lenta), beech 
(both B. sylvatica and B. ferruginea), and chestnut (Castanea 
vesca). Of these the black walnut is of course the most valuable. 
It is found scattered all through Western Kentucky, in open 
places and about fields, where other timbers have been cut 
away or deadened. It is nearly all second growth, however, 
the old forest growth having been ruthlessly destroyed. The 
largest amount of primal walnut timber I found was on Beech 
Fork of Clover Creek, up near the head waters. Occasion- 
ally a forest tree of it is left standing in other localities, but it 
is very rare. Even the second growth, which would be very 
valuable in time, is meeting with the same fate as the first; 
and reckless hands are cutting it away for such rude purposes 
as rail-making as fast as it springs up. From the study I 
made of the walnut, I find the second growth comes up only 
in open spots of ground, where it is not overshadowed and 
choked out by other more rapidly growing and less valuable 
timbers. That causes it to spring up mostly about dwelling- 
houses and cleared pieces of ground—the very localities where 
it soonest meets with destruction. If farmers could only con- 
sider that a single tree of good walnut timber is worth more 
66 
