BLACK WALNUT. 
B7 
cylindrical aments, of which the peduncles are simple, unlike those of the 
Hickories, (PL 30, fig. 1.) The fruit is round, odoriferous, of rather an un- 
even surface, and always appears at the extremity of the branches : on young 
and vii^orous trees, it is sometimes 7 or 8 inches in circumference. The 
husk is thick, and is notas in the Hickories divided into sections ; but 
when ripe it softens and gradually decays. The nut is hard, somewhat 
compressed at the sides, and sulcated. The kernel, which is divided by 
firm ligneous partitions, is of a sweet and agreeable taste, though inferior 
to that of the European Walnut. These nuts are sold in the markets of 
New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and served upon the tables. The 
size of the fruit varies considerably, and depends upon the vigor of the 
tree, and upon the nature of the soil and of the climate. On the banks of 
the Ohio, and in Kentucky, the fruit with the husk is 7 or 8 inches in 
compass, with the nut proportionally large : in Genessee, on the contrary, 
where the cold is intense, and in fields exhausted by cultivation, where 
these trees have been preserved since the first clearing of the land, it is not 
of more than half this volume. Some variations are observed in the form 
of the fruit, and in the moulding of the shell ; but these I consider as 
merely accidental differences. Indeed, there is no genus of trees in Ame- 
rica, in which the fruit of a given species exhibits such various forms, as 
in the Walnut ; and doubtless this circumstance has misled observers, who, 
being acquainted only with the small number of trees existing in European 
gardens, have described them as distinct species. 
The bark of the Black Walnut is thick, blackish, and on old trees deeply 
furrowed. When the timber is freshly cut, the sap is white and the heart 
of a violet color, which after a short exposure to the air assumes an inten- 
ser shade, and becomes nearly black : hence probably is derived the name 
of Black Walnut. There are several qualities for which its wood is princi- 
pally esteemed ; it remains sound during a long time, even when exposed 
to the influences of heat and moisture : but this observation is applicable 
only to the heart, the sap speedily decays : it is very strong and very tena- 
cious : when thoroughly seasoned it is not liable to warp and split ; and its 
grain is sufficiently fine and compact to admit of a beautiful polish. It 
possesses in addition to these advantages, that of being secure from worms. 
On account of these excellencies, it is preferred and successfully employed 
in many kinds of work. East of the Alleghanies, its timber is not exten- 
sively used in building houses, but in some parts of Kentucky and Ohio, 
it is split into shingles 18 inches long and from 4 to 6 inches wide, which 
serve to cover them ; sometimes also this timber enters into the composition 
of the frame. But it is chiefly in cabinet making that the Black Walnut 
is employed wherever it abounds. By selecting pieces from the upper part 
of the trunk, immediately below the first ramification, furniture is some- 
times made, which from the accidental curlings of the grain is highly beau- 
