172 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



age. The husks are used for dying and the leaves are sup 

 posed to possess medical properties. It was formerly believed 

 that this tree could be grown at a profit for its valuable timber 

 but it has been found that the wood does not take on its dark 

 rich, even color until very old but remains for many years a 

 mixture of yellow and brown, hence, its cultivation for timber 

 has not proved so profitable as was expected. It will, how- 

 ever, make board timber in about twenty-five years. 



Juglans cinerea. Butternut. 



Leaves 15 to 30 inches long; leaflets 11 to 19, oblong, 

 lanceolate, pubescent, especially underneath: petioles and 

 branchlets clammy pubescent. Fruit 2 to 3 inches long, very 

 clammy pubescent, of a rather pleasant odor when fresh, ob- 

 long, pointed, 2-celled at the base; nut shell deeply and ir- 

 regularly furrowed with rough, ragged ridges; embryo, very 

 rich in oil and of a delicious flavor. A tree occasionally 100 

 feet high and 3 feet in diameter in forests, but generally much 

 smaller. Where it grows in the open, it forms an immense 

 spreading top. 



Distribution. From the valley of the St. Lawrence river 

 to eastern Dakota, southward to northern Georgia and north- 

 eastern Arkansas. Not common south of the Ohio River. In 

 Minnesota common in the southern part except far southwest, 

 extends north to Aitkin county where trees have been found 

 two feet or more in diameter. 



Propagation. Same as for Black Walnut. 



Properties of wood. Light, soft, not strong, rather coarse 

 grained, easily worked, with a satiny surface capable of re- 

 ceiving a beautiful polish, light brown turning darker with 

 exposure; sapwood thin and light colored. Specific gravity 

 0.4086; weight of a cubic foot 25.46 pound.3. 



Uses. The Buttnut is occasionally used for ornamental 

 planting in the parks of this country, but is seldom a safe 

 tree to depend on in Minnesota when growing in the open. In 

 protected locations in Minnesota it may be used as a shade 

 tree, but is more valuable in timber plantings. It is found 

 farther north than the Black Walnut and is somewhathardier. 

 The wood is not so valuable as that of the Black Walnut but 

 is nevertheless very desirable for interior finishing, cabinet 



