UTILIZATION OF BLACK WALNUT. 71 



banks, for counters, and for bars. On account of its dark color, 

 black walnut is popular for the interior woodwork of churches and 

 lodge rooms, and for altars, pews, and Bible stands. 



CASKETS AND COFFINS. 



Less than 2 per cent of the total amount of black walnut used 

 annually was reported as being employed in the casket and coffin 

 industry. Its value for this use consists in its rich and somber ap- 

 pearance, and in its relative freedom from decay and the effects of 

 moisture. It is utilized principally for high-priced caskets, the 

 natural wood being highly polished and attractively finished, and the 

 most expensive cases being richly carved. Oak and mahogany are 

 much more used, however, than walnut. By far the greater number 

 of caskets and coffins are made of some cheap wood like low-grade 

 chestnut and covered with cloth. Coffins are not so much employed 

 as they were formerly. Black walnut for many years was the prin- 

 cipal coffin wood and is still used for the better grades. Black- 

 walnut coffins are often made by hand by cabinetmakers who supply 

 the local trade in small towns where the wood is available. The use 

 of black walnut at the present time for caskets and coffins is largely 

 a matter of custom or sentiment. It is restricted for the most part 

 to regions where there is a good supply of high-grade walnut and is 

 dependent on a personal preference for the wood. 



In 1912 Pennsylvania reported the use for burial cases of over 

 200.000 board feet of walnut annually, and Kentucky reported one- 

 half this amount. Other States reported small quantities. A high 

 grade of black walnut was used for manufacture into these products. 



ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPARATUS. 



Black walnut constitutes a large proportion of the wooden parts 

 of telephone outfits and of other electrical apparatus. It is much 

 used for base blocks for electrical appliances and for boxes to hold 

 such equipment. Its dark color and excellent working qualities 

 adapt it for these uses. It is used also to a small extent for sub- 

 scribers' telephone sets, mostly of the wall kind, where it is wanted 

 to match the woodwork of the room. The piece that goes against 

 the wall and the bell box are the wooden parts. Black walnut is not 

 essential for this use, however, for other woods could be substituted 

 with the same effect. American walnut is in demand for public tele- 

 phone booths in Europe, particularly where the inside of the room is 

 finished in walnut. 



VEHICLES AND VEHICLE PARTS. 



The use of walnut in this industry is confined almost entirely to au- 

 tomobiles. It is employed for the rims of steering wheels, for which 



