THIS valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottom lands and on moist
fertile hillsides throughout the State. The black walnut is found from
Massachusetts westward to Minnesota and southward to Florida and Texas.
In the forest, where it grows singly, it frequently attains a height of
100 feet with a straight stem, clear of branches for half its height. In
open-grown trees, the stem is short and the crown broad and spreading.
The _bark_ is thick, dark brown in color, and divided by rather deep
fissures into rounded ridges. The twigs have cream-colored chambered
pith and leaf-scars without downy pads above.
The _leaves_ are alternate, compound, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of
from 15 to 23 leaflets of yellowish-green color. The leaflets are about
3 inches long, extremely tapering at the end and toothed along the
margin.
The _fruit_ is a nut, borne singly or in pairs, and enclosed in a solid
green husk which does not split open, even after the nut is ripe. The
nut itself is black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell,
enclosing a rich, oily kernel edible and highly nutritious.
The _heartwood_ is of superior quality and value. It is heavy, hard and
strong, and its rich chocolate-brown color, freedom from warping and
checking, susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make it highly
prized for a great variety of uses, including furniture, cabinet work,
and gun-stocks. Walnut is easily propagated from the nuts and grows
rapidly on good soil, where it should be planted and grown for timber
and nuts. It is the most valuable tree found in the forests of Illinois
and originally grew extensively throughout the State.
+BUTTERNUT+ _Juglans cinerea_ L.
THE butternut, sometimes called the white walnut, is a smaller tree than
the black walnut, although it may reach a height of 70 feet and a
diameter of 3 feet. It is found all over the State, but the best is in
the ravines of southern Illinois. The butternut is found from Maine to
Michigan and southward to Kansas, Tennessee and northern Georgia. The
trunk is often forked or crooked and this makes it less desirable for
saw timber.
[Illustration: BUTTERNUT