No. 1.--Black walnut (Juglans nigra):--Black walnut is one of the most
valuable of the forest trees native to the United States. It is regarded
as the country's premier tree for high grade cabinet wood; it produces
valuable nut crops; and under certain conditions is highly effective as
an ornamental shade and pasture tree.
~Lumber~--As lumber, black walnut is used principally for furniture,
radio cabinets, caskets, interior finish, sewing machines, and gun
stocks. It is used either in the form of solid wood cut from lumber or
in the form of plywood made by gluing sheets of plain or figured veneer
to both sides of a core. Black walnut veneer is made by the slicing
method and to a limited extent by the rotary-cut method.
~Nuts~--In recent years the black walnut has gained an important
position in the kernel industry. There has never been a market surplus
of black walnut kernels. The demand, mostly from confectioners and ice
cream manufacturers, has steadily increased while the supply has been
limited largely by the labor of cracking and extracting the kernels. The
process of cracking the nuts and separating the kernels from the shells
has been mechanized by a farmer in Adams County, Ohio, to the extent
that he uses over 4,000 bushels of walnuts per year. He sends the
kernels to markets in New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and
Chicago. The facts all emphasize the economic importance of the black
walnut in a market that is still far from saturated.
~Ornamental Value~--There are few trees whose utility is as great as the
black walnut, that can rival it in beauty as a lawn tree. Its long
graceful leaves provide a light dappled shade and grass will grow
luxuriantly up to the very base of the tree. In its pleasing form and
majestic size the black walnut can be a great addition to any landscape.
Any tree yielding such fine timber and nuts, yet possessing beauty and
utility for yard and pasture, can be nothing but a sound investment.
~Soil Requirements~--Black walnut grows best in valleys and bottom lands
where there is a rich, moist soil but well drained. It does not
generally grow on the higher elevations nor on wet bottom lands. It
usually occurs as a scattered tree in hardwood stands and along
roadsides, fence rows, and fence corners.
~Distribution and Growth~--The botanical range of this tree covers most
of the eastern half of the United States. It is among the more rapid
growing hardwoods. On good sites trees 10 years old will be about 20
feet high and in 40 years will reach 60 feet in height and 12 inches in
diameter at breast height. According to Forest Survey figures, the
estimated merchantable stand of walnut in Ohio in 1941 was 112,275,000
board feet while the cut during the same year was slightly over 3
million board feet.
~Pests~--The most serious pest is the walnut datana whose larvae eat the
leaves. Other leaf-eating insects include the fall web worm and the
hickory-horned devil. Several leaf spot diseases have attacked the
leaves, also causing early defoliation. Leaf eating insects and leaf
spot disease can be controlled by the application of one spray in June.
This is composed of three pounds of arsenate of lead, ten pounds of
powered Bordeaux mixture, and a good sticker in one hundred gallons of
water.
~Selected Varieties~--Walnut trees vary greatly in the type of nut they
produce. The most popular strains have been selected for propagation.
The varieties which have been propagated by nurserymen are the Thomas,
Ohio, Stabler, Ten Eyck, and Elmer Myers. Since the cost of grafted nut
trees is rather high, many people are interested in planting the nuts of
the better varieties for large scale planting. Seedling trees may be
raised easily by anyone, whereas much skill and practice are required to
produce grafted and budded trees. The degree to which the desirable
characteristics of selected varieties are transmitted through seed is
now being studied by the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station.
A list of commercial nut nurseries may be obtained by writing to Miss
Mildred Jones, Secretary, Northern Nut Growers Association, Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
~References~--A few of the most outstanding publications on black walnut
are listed below.
1. Black walnut for timber and nuts. Farmers' Bulletin No. 1392, U. S.
Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
2. Nut Growing in New York. Bulletin 573, College of Agriculture,
Ithaca, New York.
3. Top-working and Bench Grafting of Walnut Trees. Special Circular 69,
Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio.
4. Growing walnut for profit. The American Walnut Manufacturers
Association, 616 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 5, Illinois.