THE BLACK WALNUT AND BUTTERNUT. 



THE black walnut {Jiiglans nigra) 

 is found in the rich, deep soils, 

 from western Massachusetts, 

 west to southern Minnesota 

 and southward to central Texas and 

 northern Florida. It is not found 

 along the gulf or Atlantic coasts to 

 any extent, but abounds west of the 

 Allegheny mountains, especially in the 

 Mississippi Valley. The tree grows 

 rapidly and to a great size, one speci- 

 men on Long Island having attained a 

 circumference of twenty five feet. 



The wood is dark-colored, becoming 

 almost black when properly seasoned, 

 and was formerly extensively used for 

 cabinet work, inside finish, gun stocks, 

 and many ornamental purposes; it is not 

 in so much demand at present, as other 

 cheaper woods maybe had which seem 

 to answer the purposes quite as well, 

 but it is still numbered among our val- 

 uable forest productions. 



The nut has a thick, hard shell, 

 which is deeply and unevenly corru- 

 gated with rough, sharp points and 

 ridges, and is almost too well known to 

 admit of description. The kernel is 

 large and sweet, but has usually a 

 rather strong, rank taste, less oily than 

 the butternut. An oil is expressed 

 from its kernel which is known as nut- 

 oil, and is much used by painters as a 



drying oil. A kind of dye is also man- 

 ufactured from the husk,* or outside 

 cover, of the nut. 



The butternut, as its name Juglans 

 cinerea implies, is somewhat related to 

 the black walnut, in fact, rare instances 

 are recorded in which the two species 

 have become mixed, forming a tree 

 which resembled both species. It is 

 found in about the same regions fre- 

 quented by the black walnut, but ex- 

 tends further east and north into New 

 Brunswick, Maine, Quebec, and Onta- 

 rio, and does not extend quite so far 

 west. It is most abundant in the 

 Ohio River Valley. It is not so 

 plentiful in the forest as the black 

 walnut, and where it is so found does 

 not fruit well. Its favorite resort is 

 an open grove or along a fence 

 row. Attempts to cultivate it gener- 

 ally yield only disappointment, but un- 

 der right conditions the trees are very 

 fruitful, one tree having been known to 

 produce forty bushels in a single sea- 

 son, and trees bearing twenty bushels 

 are frequently reported. 



The fruit is longer than that of the 

 black walnut and tapers to a point at 

 both ends, with the ridges somewhat 

 more pronounced, but aside from the 

 difference in shape they present a sim- 

 ilar appearance. 



THE EDIBLE PINE. 



THE edible pine, or pinon {Pinus 

 edulis), is only one of many va- 

 rieties of pin enuts which grows 

 on the Pacific Slope of the 

 United States and in Colorado, New 

 Mexico, Arizona and Mexico. 



The pine nut has a rich, marrowy ker- 

 nel in a shell that varies in thickness 

 from that- of a chestnut to that of a 

 hazel-nut. The form and size of the 

 nuts also vary greatly according to the 

 species. They are but little known to 

 the people of the eastern states, but 

 in some of the cities of California they 

 are marketed in large quantities. The 

 larger ones are valued for dessert and 

 confectionery purposes and will doubt- 

 less become popular in the East. 



They are well known to the Indians 

 and have formed a staple article of 

 their diet for centuries. Their method 

 of harvesting them is very simple. 

 They collect the cones after they have 

 fallen from the trees, then heat them un- 

 til they open, then rattle them out upon 

 their blankets. 



Of the twenty-four species of pine 

 which grow along the .Pacific Slope 

 one-half furnish seeds that are es- 

 teemed by the Indians as food. When 

 a Mexican Indian starts out on a long 

 trip across the country and does not 

 wish to burden himself with food he 

 fills a small pouch with pinion nuts and 

 can subsist on a small number of them 

 for a remarkably long time. 



96 



