66 BULLETIN 909, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



work. Some factories finish their best pieces with walnut on the 

 edges and backs of doors and on the inside of drawers. 



The quarter-sawed plain heartwood of red gum is considered most 

 desirable as a substitute for walnut, because it is not so liable to warp 

 as the plain sawed, and the heartwood is nearer the natural color 

 of walnut. The sapwood is objectionable because of the lighter color, 

 and the figured wood is not so suitable because it does not match 

 so well the appearance of the walnut. Wood with dark streaks is 

 objectionable for this reason. 



As a matter of fact, walnut is a suitable wood for the solid pieces 

 in furniture, and there is no advantage other than that of lower cost 

 to be gained by the use of another wood, and the substitution is 

 liable to make the piece less attractive. 



Black walnut is sometimes used in the form of veneer to imitate 

 Circassian walnut. Only pieces with unusually dark, distinct streaks 

 running through them are suitable, such wood being sometimes found 

 in the extreme southwestern portion of its range. Some very pleas- 

 ing effects are obtained from this kind of wood, but the usual plain 

 or figured walnut is unsuitable. 



Plastic material colored to resemble walnut is quite often used to 

 imitate the carved walnut wood. These imitation carvings are 

 pressed to shape in a mold that is usually made from the genuine 

 wood carving and so successfully simulates the pores of the wood 

 that a resemblance to walnut wood is produced. Such imitation 

 carvings, on account of their uniform coloring, are apt to have a dull, 

 lifeless appearance and do not match well the genuine wood. These 

 composition carvings are often overdone in detail and are generally 

 distinguishable from the wood carvings, which are considered more 

 attractive and in better taste. 



MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



Walnut is well suited for the manufacture of cases for musical 

 instruments because of those characteristics that make it so valuable 

 as a cabinet wood, namely, its good seasoning and working qualities, 

 its adaptability to panelwork, and its fine appearance when finished. 



In this industry its greatest use at the present time is for phono- 

 graph cabinets. The solid pieces used for legs, corner posts, and cross- 

 pieces are of plain walnut ; panels are usually of figured veneer, the 

 striped wood being popular. The cabinets are usually finished in a 

 light shade, but they may also be given a dull, dark wax finish in 

 antique style to match old walnut furniture. Lumber about 1£ 

 inches thick of the Nos. 1 and 2 common grades is used to a large 

 extent for these cabinets. The lumber manufacturer sometimes finds 

 it advantageous to make these cabinets in conjunction with the saw- 



