UTILIZATION OF BLACK WALNUT. 37 



Prices paid for walnut generally averaged a little higher than this, 

 especially toward the close of the war, except for the more inaccessi- 

 ble and scattered timber. The average stumpage price was around 

 $50 a thousand board feet, the price usually paid for logs 16 inches 

 in diameter. 



The cost of getting stumpage to the mill yard varies greatly, de- 

 pending on the distance to mill and the extent to which trees are 

 scattered, as well as on some other conditions. During the war the 

 range in costs was about as given in Table 10 : 



Table 10. 



Buying per 1,000 board feet, log scale__ $5-$10 



Felling do 5- 10 



Hauling and loading on cars do 15_ 30 



Freight do 15- 20 



Total 40- 70 



The high cost of buying and felling is due to the widely scattered 

 growth. If good stands of walnut are available these two items of 

 cost should be only about half those given. If the average stumpage 

 price of $50 is added to the sum of these costs the total cost becomes 

 $90 to $120 a thousand at the mill yard. 



For several months following the close of the war, prices paid 

 for walnut timber ranged about the same as during the war; but a 

 better quality of logs was purchased, and logs 14 inches and under in 

 diameter were not taken unless they were of very good quality. Re- 

 ports from walnut operators on prices paid for logs during this 

 period show an average cost at the mill of $75 a thousand board feet, 

 log scale, for logs 16 inches in diameter, as against a cost of $90 to 

 $120 a thousand board feet for logs of the same size purchased dur- 

 ing the war. The average cost for logs of all sizes was $90 a 

 thousand board feet. This shows that the average size of logs pur- 

 chased was greater than that of those purchased during the war. 

 More recently prices paid for walnut logs have increased greatly, 

 following much higher prices for walnut lumber and other hard- 

 woods. These greatly increased prices are due in large part to 

 higher logging costs. 



The prices given above for large logs can not be considered as 

 lumber-log prices, since the larger sizes, particularly if the logs are 

 clear, are used for veneer. As lumber and veneer logs are generally 

 purchased together, the above average for all logs does not repre- 

 sent average prices paid for lumber logs. It is not practicable, how- 

 ever, to attempt to give prices for lumber logs alone. 



Table 11 shows the average value of walnut lumber at the mills, 

 by States, for the years for which these data are available. These 

 figures show a marked rise in price since 1911. 



