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I 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



VOL. XXIV 



OCTOBER, 1918 



NO. 298 



WALNUT IN THE WAR 



THE government needs now and will continue to need 

 as long as the war lasts all the walnut it can secure ; 

 and yet the government will not buy any of this 

 lumber. This sounds paradoxical. It does not mean 

 that Uncle Sam has turned beggar and that he is asking 

 the people of the country to give him their walnut trees. 

 No, it merely means that those patriotic owuers of such 

 trees who desire to see 

 them converted into air- 

 plane propellers and gun 

 stocks must deal in mak- 

 ing their sales with one or 

 more of the saw mills 

 which have government 

 contracts for this material. 

 The government cannot buy 

 either the logs or the trees, 

 as part of the lumber pro- 

 duced by the log is not 

 suitable either for airplane 

 or gun stock making. 



"Fight with your wal- 

 nut !" This is the message 

 which is being conveyed 

 through various channels 

 to everybody in the United 

 States possessing any of 

 this valuable wood which 

 can be utilized for the pur- 

 poses desired. Boy Scouts, 

 at the request of President 

 Wilson, and the American 

 Red Cross have been among 

 the agencies which are as- 

 sisting in locating and in 

 persuading the owners to 

 part with their walnut trees. 

 American walnut is the 

 finest wood that has been 

 discovered both for airplane 

 propellers and for gun 

 stocks. That is the reason 

 why the United States gov- 

 ernment is anxious to se- 



GETTING READY TO FLY 



Thousands of feet above the fair plains of France and probably over the 

 Rhine in the propeller of an American airplane this walnut log and its 

 fellows will see service in helping to vanquish the German hordes. A lot 

 of gun stocks also will come out of this pile. 



cure as much of it as can be obtained. The supply is 

 not as plentiful as that of many other woods. While 

 there is still a considerable amount of walnut standing 

 in this country, it is not as abundant as might be wished 

 at this particular period in the world's history. Even if 



thtre were more than the United States could use in its 

 war preparations, the Allies are calling for more and 

 would quickly use up any surplus supply of this valuable 

 timber. 



Turn your trees loose and put them into the air or 

 the front line trenches to help the American fliers and 

 the American soldiers in their advance for democracy ! 



In making this appeal the 

 Bureau of Aircraft Pro- 

 duction points out that a 

 half dozen walnut trees will 

 provide lumber to build a 

 propeller blade and put a 

 gun stock into the hands of 

 each man in a platoon ; and 

 then adds : 



"Picture your own son 

 or the son of your neighbor 

 holding on and fighting 

 against desperate odds un- 

 til the company or regi- 

 ment your trees have 

 armed can come to his re- 

 lief. Make this relief pos- 

 sible ! Turn your trees 

 loose ! Wake up and get 

 into the fight ! In this way 

 you will be fighting for and 

 with him as truly as if you 

 stood beside him in battle." 

 It is interesting to note 

 that the old plea, "Wood- 

 man, Spare that tree !" has 

 been of value in this con- 

 nection. It has preserved 

 many a fine specimen of 

 walnut which now will be 

 able to serve the nation in 

 its time of vital need. "In 

 youth it sheltered me," the 

 appeal to the woodman 

 added : and that same tree 

 now transformed into the 

 swift-revolving propeller of 

 a speeding air-fighter or into the smooth-polished stock 

 of a gun, will continue to shelter and protect the homes 

 and the lives of democracy the world over. 



Sentiment was often the motive which saved some of 

 these finest trees from the blows of the axeman. But 



S79 



