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BLACK WALNUT 



[Junglans nigra L.) 



THIS valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottom- 

 lands and moist fertile hillsides, chieflly in tlie 

 northern and middle parts of the State. In the 

 forest, where it grows singly, it frequently attains 

 a height of 100 feet with a straight stem, clear of 

 branches for half its height. In open-grown trees 

 the stem is short and the crown broad and spreading. 



BLACK WALiNUT 



Leaf, one-fifth natural size. 



Twig, three-quarters natural size. 



The leaves are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet 

 long, consisting of from 15 to 23 leaflets of a yel- 

 lowish green color. The leaflets are about 3 inches 

 long, extremely tapering at the end, and toothed 

 along the margin. The bark is thick, dark brown 

 in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into 

 rounded ridges. 



The fruit is a nut, borne singly or in pairs, and 

 enclosed in a solid green husk which does not split 

 open, even after the nut is ripe. The nut itself is 

 black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell, 

 enclosing a rich, oily kernel edible and highly nu- 

 tritious. 



The heartwood is of superior quality and value. 

 It is heavy, hard and strong, and its rich chocolate- 

 brown color, freedom from warping and checking, 

 susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make 

 it highly prized for a great variety of uses, including 

 furniture and cabinet work, gun-stocks, and air- 

 plane propellers. Small trees are mostly sapwood, 

 which is light colored and not durable. Walnut 

 is easily propagated from the nuts and grows 

 rapidly on good soil, where it should be planted 

 and grown for timber and nuts. 



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