XIX.] AMERICAN WALNUT. i8i 



AMERICAN WALNUT {Juglans nigra). 



The wood of the American Black Walnut tree is 

 whitish-brown in colour, moderately hard, straight and 

 plain in the grain, splits freely, and is easy to work ; the 

 heart is much darker, however, whence the name, and is 

 very durable and handsome. It will not bear com- 

 parison with the quality of either the Italian or Black 

 Sea Walnut wood. The trees are large enough to yield 

 building scantlings, the logs as imported being usually 

 about 15 to 30 inches square, imperfectly hewn, by 10 

 to 20 feet in length. Owing to the liability of the logs 

 to split from the centre, the ends have generally a red 

 colouring matter put over them before shipment, to 

 protect them against atmospheric influences. 



This wood is sold at per foot cube. There is only 

 about Yi, inch of sap-wood on the Walnut trees above 

 mentioned. 



The uses of Walnut wood are chiefly for furniture 

 and pianoforte making. It is also much prized for 

 gun-stocks; but there are many other ways of employing 

 it profitably in place of mahogany and other furniture 

 woods. 



Other American species of Juglans are the Butter- 

 nut (/. cinerea), and the much less important /. Cali- 

 fomica and J. rupestris. 



The wood of the Shell-bark Hickory [Carya alba) 

 and the Mocker-nut [C. tomentosa) and several other 

 species of Carya are frequently used in carriage-making, 

 owing to the extreme elasticity of their strong, hard, and 

 close-grained timber. 



