64 
COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. 
bark of the roots, a substantial dark brown, with which they dye woolens. 
Cabinet-makers also make use of it, in staining other pieces of wood in 
imitation of Walnut. 
Among the American Walnuts which are found east of the Mississippi, 
the Black Walnut bears the greatest resemblance to the European Walnut, 
in its general appearance, in its flowers and fruit, and in the qualities of its 
wood : in foliage they are strikingly different. The wood of the European 
Walnut is inferior in strength and weight, and, I believe, far more liable 
to injury from worms. 
Twenty or thirty years ago, before Mahogany was imported in such 
abundance into Europe, Walnut wood was employed almost exclusively, 
in cabinet-making. In the country, it is still in general use, and the furni- 
ture made of it is far from being inelegant, especially pieces obtained from 
such old trees as bear small and thick shelled nuts. It is preferred for the 
stocks of muskets ; and in Paris and Brussels, no other wood is used for 
the pannels of carriages. The old trees furnish excellent screws for large 
presses. Great quantities of wooden shoes are manufactured of Walnut, 
which are more highly esteemed than others. 
The wood of the European Walnut is largely exported from the south 
of France to the North, and to Holland and Germany: formerly, it was 
carried to England. 
Like other fruit trees, whose perfection is among the “ noblest conquests 
of industrious man,” the Walnut has been greatly improved, by long and 
careful cultivation. There are seven or eight cultivated varieties, whose 
superiority is principally apparent in the augmented size of the fruit, and 
in the diminished thickness of the shell. Of these the most esteemed, 
after that which I have described, are the Si. Jean and the Jauge Walnuts. 
The St. John Walnut, is a variety obtained within a few years. It yields 
fruit as large and as abundant as the common Walnut, and for that part of 
Europe which lies beyond the 45th degree of latitude, it possesses an 
advantage, in opening its vegetation three weeks later, and in being thus 
secure from the injuries of frost. The Jauge Walnut is chiefly remarkable 
for the size of its fruit, which is twice as large as the variety represented 
in the plate. It is unproductive, and the kernel does not fill the shell. 
The Jauge nut is made into cases by jewellers, and furnished with trinkets 
for the amusement of children. 
The wood of the Black Walnut is already superior to that of the European 
Walnut, and it will acquire a still finer grain, when it is raised on lands 
that have been long under cultivation. It is solely for the excellency of its 
fruit, and the decided superiority of its oil in the preparation of colors, that 
the European Walnut should be warmly recommended to the attention of 
Americans. It would thrive better than elsewhere in places where the 
Black Walnut naturally abounds. 
