Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-25
BLACK WALNUT FARMING.
Virginia Producing n Limited GUAM
titN of This Valuable Timber

Twelve carloads of black walnut logs
passed through Washington yesterday
over the Richmond and Danville road en-
route TO Philadelphia. These logs Were con-
signed by Mr.. James Nichols OF Wood
Grove, Loudoun county, Virginia, who is
in the business of picking up black walnut
trees here and there in the mountains OF
Virginia near his home and getting them
to market Mr.. Nichols accompanied his
logs to Philadelphia, and while in Wash
ington gave a Star reporter some idea OF
his interesting occupation.
BLACK walnut is worth twice as much
nowadays" said Mr.. Nichols, las it was
ten years ago. The supply is practically
exhausted. Ten years ago there was a big
quantity in sight in southern Indiana
great trees eighty feet high to the first
limb, and from three to five feet in dame
ter. But all that is gone and Missouri has
the only supply of any considerable amount.
and that is melting away fast These logs
of mine came from the woodlands on top
of the Katoctin range. They are none OF
them what would be called first-class. A
few years ago nobody would think of buy
ing them. That, indeed, is why they are
in my hands today. Thousands Of Just
such logs have been cut and used for fire.
wood by Virginia farmers. and every little
while L hear nowadays of some old back
woods mossback who has burned up a $50
log in his s. cook stove. That is a thing to
make you swear. but those old fellows
can't read or write, and see few outsiders.
so they do just as they did fifty years ago."
Southwestern West Virginia.
Il found, the other day a black walnut
plank four feet wide nailed up in a Vir-
ginia barn, where it had been for twenty
years waiting until its owner could get the
three or four dollars necessary to pay for
4
table. That plank, just as it stood, was
worth money enough TO buy the Old man
four good cherry tables. L tell you. it is
hard to find four-foot black walnut logs in
my neiShhorhOod now. SIX years ago j was
travelling IN the southwestern part of West
Virginia, where 1 saw some very fine timber
land l asked the people 1 met what land
was worth around there.
oh, they said if YOU so back Always il
can be had for fifty cents an acre
Il was through that way last summer.
and that same land, which / unluckily did
not buy, was stripped OF its heavy timber,
and they We're -rubbing out numerous
black walnut stumps. which they told me
were worth anywhere from so to $lo0 for
the splendid sound burl veneering TO be cut
from them.
These little logs that We ship from the
katoctins will seldom square over four
teen inches, but they are sound and make
good quality Of lumber l pay about
twelve cents square foot in the log. the
owner grubbing the tree out by the roots
according to my directions. If a tree will
cut into a log fourteen feet long, il does
well. The farmers are glad TO get rid of
them. for the black walnut is not a much
of shade tree. Nothing will grow under
it on account of the peculiar acid-like quail
~ of the tree, and there is hardly a tree
that grows that sends its limbs and roots
farther laterally. so that il despois a good
deal Of land. IL farmer can by expend-
ing s. worth OF labor take out a tree that
will bring him SD to SIS. and leave him
soil enough to bring in ST or s. hereafter in
crops. why. he is making a good thing Of
IL. | get on an average $50 per i 900 feet
for the black walnut / take to market
There is a good margin between buying and
selling, but the quantity to be had is SO
limited that ii is not a safe or very profit
able business to be engaged In. 1t would
not pay me, or any one, TO put my whole
time into il.
And let me tell you this: If YOU want to
leave your children and grandchildren a
fortune, buy some worthless mountain
land and plant black walnuts. You can
get thousands of acres for dollar an acre
in some parts of Virginia and West Nir-
ginia, and the walnuts are to had in almost
endless quantity every fall anywhere with
in forty or fifty miles of Washington. The
tree really grows rapidly, Notwithstanding
its strong acid character and peculiarly
dark, firm grain. If you chose TO cut a
tree fifteen years old, you could make
money planting them for that length of
time. 1t is good crop to try"