UTILIZATION OF BLACK WALNUT. 81 



manufacturers prefer to buy their walnut logs through dealers only, 

 rather than to purchase in small lots from owners. This is par- 

 ticularly true of firms that make a specialty of figured walnut veneer. 

 Other manufacturers prefer to buy from the owners of the standing 

 timber through their salaried log buyers. A few firms buy walnut 

 logs subject to inspection at the mill. 



Walnut trees are usually converted into logs for the manufacture 

 of either lumber or veneer, because of the comparatively high value 

 of walnut in these forms. (PI. XII, fig. 1.) Conversion into ties, 

 fence posts, and fuel wood, except in regions far removed from the 

 railroad, is confined to that part of the tree which is too small or 

 defective for lumber or veneer. Large and figured logs may be 

 hauled and shipped long distances at a profit. (PI. XII, fig. 2.) 



Formerly choice walnut timber for export was purchased from 

 remote mountainous sections of the eastern United States, where a 

 good supply was found, and hauled 25 or 30 miles over rough moun- 

 tain roads to the railroad for shipment to the coast. During the war 

 walnut timber was hauled as far as 20 miles to the railroad in sec- 

 tions west of the Mississippi, where there were comparatively large 

 stands. 



Walnut butts or stumps are very valuable if they are highly 

 figured. (PI. XIII, fig. 1.) If they are plain they do not have 

 special value. The figured portion should be at least 28 or 30 inches 

 in length. Burls are very rare and bring high prices at veneer plants. 

 These burls have the appearance of a knot, and typical specimens are 

 covered with little conical spines. They are more often found near 

 the outer western limits of the area of distribution, where the trees 

 are apt to be stunted and not thrifty. As a general thing, only those 

 burls at the stump or root of the tree, called root burls, and mostly 

 beneath the surface of the ground, are of value; those higher up on 

 the trunk or on large limbs are generally full of cavities. A good 

 burl should have sound, solid wood like the normal growth. The 

 best burls are usually turnip shaped. 



It is impossible to give current prices for walnut logs, both because 

 there has been a great fluctuation in price on account of the war's 

 demand, and because walnut mills do not generally put out a price 

 list, the amount paid being determined by the quality of the indi- 

 vidual logs, particularly in regard to their suitability for veneer. 

 During the war, prices ranging from $20 to $120 a thousand board 

 feet, log scale, were paid for standing timber, depending on size and 

 location. This averaged about $50 a thousand. The prices for logs 

 on board cars at the railroad ranged from $45 to $150 a thousand for 

 diameters 12 inches and over, making in most cases a cost for all sizes 

 of $100 to $110 a thousand at the mill. The average-sized log 

 7434°— 20 6 



