78 BULLETIN 909, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



logs, and a small percentage of propeller stock was sawed from the 

 better grade of gunstock logs. 



If a fairly smooth log 15 inches in diameter is regarded as typical 

 of gunstock logs as a class, the manufacturer could obtain stock in 

 about the proportions and amounts and at the values given under 

 Type 1 in Table 25. Naturally, the smaller the proportion of pro- 

 peller lumber sawed, the larger the proportion of flitch and the better 

 its quality. The better the quality of the flitch, the smaller will be 

 the number of board feet required to produce a gunstock blank, 

 because of the smaller amount of waste. If a smooth log 18 inches 

 in diameter is taken as representative of the propeller-log class, 

 proportions and values would be those given under Type 2 in Table 

 20. It was, therefore, more profitable to cut a high percentage of 

 gunstock flitch from the gunstock logs than to saw the maximum 

 amount of high-priced propeller stock from them with the large 

 amount of low-grade lumber that would also be produced. From 

 propeller logs the greatest profit could be obtained by sawing the 

 maximum amount of propeller stock, notwithstanding the greater 

 proportion of low-grade material produced. A yield of as much as 

 75 per cent of propeller stock could ordinarily be obtained only by 

 sawing on four sides of such logs. 



Many small mills sawed only inch lumber from walnut logs. 

 This lumber was generally purchased by other firms and the pro- 

 peller grade sorted out. This practice resulted in much waste of 

 war material. Mills were later required to saw gunstock flitch along 

 with the propeller stock in order to effect better utilization. 



Two types of United States Army rifle stocks were made during 

 the war — the Enfield, which was made in by far the largest quan- 

 tities, and is a modification of a new model British Army rifle; 

 and the Springfield, which is slightly shorter and smaller than the 

 Enfield, and is the older United States Army model. Large amounts 

 of British Army stocks were made of American black walnut. For- 

 tunately, the model commonly used by the British Army is a two- 

 piece stock made up of a " butt " and a " fore end." These parts 

 were manufactured from the pieces of flitch left after cutting out 

 the one-piece United States Army rifle blank. Smaller pieces called 

 " hand guards," which go over the barrel of the rifle and protect 

 the hand from the heat of the barrel, were also made from the waste 

 walnut. 



Statistics compiled by the War Industries Board show that the 

 following amounts of black-walnut timber were used by the United 

 States and the Allies during the late war : For airplanes, 9.609 mil- 

 lion board feet; for gunstocks, 94.832 million board feet; total, 

 104.441 million board feet. In explanation, it may be well to state 



