12 BULLETIN 909, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



probably in the mountainous areas of eastern Kentucky and Ten- 

 nessee and western North Carolina, where it grows to large size in 

 moist coves and in the rich soil of creek bottoms and valleys. Along 

 the streams, however, the largest timber has been taken, and the 

 small coves are now, as a rule, the best sources. On the slopes of the 

 ridges, where the soil is deep, moist, and loamy, particularly on the 

 north slopes, are supplies of walnut, but the trees seldom grow to 

 large size there. At the higher altitudes and on the ridges, where 

 the soil is poor and lacking in moisture, the trees are small and 

 defective. Over a large part of the mountainous region the walnut 

 has been removed in the process of lumbering for such species as 

 yellow poplar, with which it is generally associated in this region. 

 In former years, because of the large size to which the trees in 

 thrifty stands in this section generally attain, it was the practice to 

 take only the very large timber. As a consequence many trees of 

 good size have been found in recent years. Throughout the large 

 timbered areas of the mountains the walnut is so scattered that it is, 

 as a rule, impracticable to log the walnut alone. Estimates made by 

 the United States Forest Service of mountain timber in this area 

 show an approximate stand of 28 board feet of walnut to the acre 

 in virgin timber and 4 feet to the acre on cut-over lands. As a rule, 

 therefore, the walnut timber of the mountain region will become 

 available only as it is released by general timbering operations. 

 There are many comparatively small agricultural areas scattered 

 throughout this mountain section in which walnut occurs as a shade 

 or field tree or mixed with other hardwood timber. In such locali- 

 ties, however, the most valuable trees have usually been culled out. 



Outside of the western portion of North Carolina, walnut is not 

 of frequent occurrence in this State. Immediately to the east of the 

 more mountainous section there was formerly much walnut timber 

 on good soils, but this has been very largely removed as the country 

 became populated, and merchantable trees are now infrequent. 



There are considerable amounts of walnut in Kentucky and Ten- 

 nessee north and west of the mountainous regions. Throughout cen- 

 tral Tennessee there is a great deal of walnut scattered over the 

 agricultural lands. Many of the trees are, however, small and de- 

 fective, for the most desirable ones have been cut out. It is esti- 

 mated that only about 16 per cent of the stand in the entire State of 

 Kentucky is located in the western half, and this is nearly all in the 

 west central part. There is little in the western third of the 

 State. In central Kentucky there is a very large area in which wal- 

 nut grows in quantity, principally in fertile sections of the blue- 

 grass region in the east central part of the State. Much walnut 

 has been obtained from this section in past years on account of its 



