

BLACK WALNUT! ITS GROWTH AND MANAGEMENT. 21 



Sprout reproduction occurs irregularly from stumps of small and 

 moderate-sized trees cut, apparently, at any season of the year. The 

 sprouts are usually numerous and come from the side of the stump 

 somewhat above the root collar. During the first few years the 

 sprouts usually grow tall, weak, and crooked, resembling those of 

 cottonwood, especially if they are not in full light. The first season's 

 growth probably continues until frost, which kills back the tops of 

 the sprouts for as much as a foot. Unless there is plently of light, 

 all the sprouts usually die in a few years. In the open, one or two or 

 even three sprouts may persist and grow into fair-size trees. The 

 original stump rots away, however, weakening the base of the sprout 

 and infecting it with red butt rot. Sprout reproduction rarely pro- 

 duces a good tree of saw-log size. Certainly it is not to be con- 

 sidered seriously as a means of regenerating a stand. 



DISEASES AND INJURIES. 



FUNGI. 



Black walnut is moderately free from tree diseases and is as resist- 

 ant to injury as any of its associates. Red butt rot is found in a 

 small percentage of trees, mostly old trees of northern growth, al- 

 though it is very bad in parts of central Kentucky. As a rule the rot 

 extends only a short distance up the tree, and " butting off " the 

 lower 3 or 4 feet of a hollow tree will usually remove most of this 

 defect. The " doty " zone that surrounds the advanced decomposi- 

 tion at the center is generally narrow; it is frequently possible, in 

 fact, to saw boards within an inch of an open hollow before any dis- 

 coloration appears. 



A white top rot is found, limited almost entirely to southern logs, 

 particularly from Oklahoma and Texas. Its presence is indicated by 

 punky knots and occasionally by conks on the upper trunk. This rot 

 extends a greater distance up and down the trunk than the red butt 

 rot and is a much greater detriment to the logs, especially if they are 

 to be used for sawing into lumber. A large log with a defective center 

 might be made to furnish a large amount of first-class veneer, but 

 could not to advantage be sawed into lumber. 



INSECTS. 



A tent caterpillar disfigures the foliage of many roadside trees and 

 reduces the rate of their growth. It is reported, however, to be rare 

 in forest-grown trees and groves, walnut being worst affected when it 

 grows near cherry or apple trees. In ornamental trees the nests 

 should be promptly burned. Except for this caterpillar, walnut is 

 very free from insect pests. 



