New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-14
HUNTING WALNUT.
WHERE WOOD MEANS A FORTUNE.

Ashland correspondence Cinclnnau tribune
The recent placing OF an extensive contract Tor
the supply of walnut logs and high-grade lumber
10 Hamburg Germany manufacturers by a iocaI
iutnres, in this famous wood that dozen years
ago was being searched for throusnout an the
mountains Of Eastern Kentucky and The adjoining
territory OF Virginia West Virginia and Tennessee
The supply in these States Is ny no means eM r.
Inc demand for several years has caused "A cessa-
ton of the old-time energetic actvity. $780,.
When, thirty years back, the walnut craze was
sweeping over the country the supply In the Ken
lucky mountains appeared unlimited but with the
reckless methods employed by the woodsmen and
induced by the general plentude OF the trees, there
was soon made apparent the fact that care must De
exercised i'm this work well as any other AT the
outset only the choicest trees were cut That this
was "a mistake shown later. as the prices sun
advanced until double the first quotations Then
the smallest trees cut. and RATS come out OF
the Big Sandy every season yet tlat VIII not aV-
erage more than twelve inches in diameter of each
Finally in the sections Of easiest access to the
river the timber was all cut off and then for the
FIRST time came the real difficult work of securing
the timber As the timber became scarcer the price
rose correspondence and many men picked up neat
fortunes In getting out the sumps Of the trees that
had been cut years before and selling them to the
vcneer mill companies OF the East. Some OF the
ANGST figured wood Of curly walnut found in
the Sc stumps and the high estimate of this peculiar
feature to a large extent came too late for the po-
neer dealers as their finest trees Of this sort had
been disposed of without respect to the unusual
been worked up by the manufacturers In the same
blissful ignorance $500
was especially sought by the Big Sandy rail split
,ers as The most satisfactory timber for rail making
~ Was Was practcay unequalied Hundreds of thou
sands of dollars worth OF nne walnut has been
wasted In the Big Sandy valley alone in rail fence
But there is no more of 1t worked up in this man
ner THE top limbs of many an old tree cut years
ago have recently been sought OUT IN me accuinu
lated waste heaps OF the mountain norows ana
smallest bits of the wood The stunps h 3,, AZ
been unrooed. and j. y. Valley Of Jersey City n.
j. alone has handled thousands OF them TO Eastern
veneer works the last fifteen years ana iouhd tno
business a paying one Dozens OF others nave gwen
attention 10 the work OH smaller scale but Win
| pleasing results.
Had such a condition been broached at the outset
OF the fad for walnut furniture the idea would have
| been hootcd utterly ridiculous. Then only the
choicest trees were deemed OF sufficient Taine 70
handle to over the ocean points mainly IN Eigand,
Germany and France The logs were hewn with
four square faces on the same principle as al pres.
ent. the idea being TO rid them OF the sap ana thus
escape the payment Of dead freight and cut into
Lengths ranging o% 70 %t to S fes very often
While the foreign demand Is still an important
feature In the timber business. especially In walnut
| there has been a decided decrease. while the price
has fallen also. The penchant for carved work In
tban any other feature as they have the solid
wood furniture 10 admit OF this, while IN America
ferior and in many instances very ordinary wood
with satisfactory results american made desks
while foreign-ma furniture is almost universally
Of the solid wood This accounts for TIE foreign 'r,
orders fan o5 s@T from one to four inches
Prices OF logs range according 10 the diameter OF
ing the price per foot. scribner's measure at N1
| per NJ logs averaging is inches. whe diameters OF
| These prices are not a circumstance TO what was
paid twenty years ago There are sun varieties OF
| The figured wood or curly walnut being valued ac-
cording to the beauty OF the isure ana us extent
venecrs are cut bring almost their weight In coin
Of the realm selling altogether by me pound instead
ne foot as Win o the mere be oIb baughf in be
Big Sandy Valley for few dollars and sold for tho