The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-10-23
A Few Fine Trees Are
Like a Gold Mine
to Owner.
THEIR GROWTH IS SLOW
Early Settlers Had No Con-
ception of the Value of
This Wood
RECENT issue Of 'Aborioulture"

read with interest by all land owners.
OF course. readers DO not need TO be told
what the black walnut Is. nor OF IFS
value as an ornamental wood Like
most other timbers or woods which are
used for ornamental woodwork In build
ing OF for furniture. 81 has its fashions.
Sometimes il is more sought after, 6s-
pecialIy in the form Of old furniture
than mahogany or rosewood, but 1t is
never entirely out OF fashion and de-
mands because It possesses at least three
desirable qualities. it Is exceedingly
durable. it bears fine finish, and its
odor renders it less liable TO become the
home OF insects. For these reasons. il
for no others, 10 win always be p0pu-
lar when IL can be obtained, and it's
growing scarcity VIII cause s. 10 con
ttnue 20 bear a good price.
A False Impression.
It is a great mistake TO suppose that
the black walnut IS confined TO certain
limits, and that it viii grow nowhere I
else, Tor this Is not true The false inn
preston evidently grew out of the fact
that hardly any tree is less disposed TO
spread from natural causes than this.
In most trees OF wild growth the seeds
are scattered By the wind as are the
pine seeds, or by birds. as is the case
with acorns and most berries, or by
squirrels, in the case OF hickory nuts.
and I'm various other ways nature pro-
Vides for the dissemination Of the trees
OF the forest
In the case OF the black walnut the
scattering Of the seeds is almost as slow
as takes place with the cOc0anur- The
walnut with its outer covering is a
heavy ball. which neither birds nor
squirrels wiz carry far. and when hu-
man beings carry them away from the
trees they are not apt 20 drop them
carelessly so that they may grow up
into trees. The Indians who gathered
and saved ali kinds OF nuts more care
fully than the whites do, sometimes
dropped a walnut. and it grew up. and
thus they were spread 10 some extent
but the extension Of their range was
small and of slow progress.
Walnut FOR Fence Rails,
The early settlers OF the country had
little conception OF the value OF wal
nut timber They knew that the wood
was hne and durable. and the country
Workmen made rude articles of furni-
ture OF IT, but the pioneers had no idea
Of she great future demand. or OF the
money that was in IL. They would savs
a few fine trees that stood In favorable
positions SO as 90 have a supply OF nuts
Tor home use. and that was about the
extent of their ideas OF preservation.
y
We have seen many Of the finest walnut
trees made into fencerafs and posts, or
split into logs 10 build log cabins. and
as much as could not be utilized I'm this
manner was burnt ia the field or ire
places 70 get rid of il, as they disposed
OF other timber.
Like a Cold Mine.
OF late years there has been great de-
mand Tor this wood and few hue trees
are ike q gold mine TO the owner. So
great has been the demand that In
many places the suumps OF trees long
since cut down are pulled up and cut
into blocks ana Teueers for the cabinet
maker and house and car nuisher. And
iL may be added that owing 20 the for
nation OF che grain iu taese stumps and
rocts they make the finest and most
beautiful Veueers that the cabinet max
er can nud-
The favorite home Of the walnut seems
10 have been in what we now call the
Middle West. for though The tree was
found scattered all through the south.
the largest and finest trees. and ia great
est numbers. were found iu Kansas. In
diana. Illinois. and other States OF that
region There, too. there was no thought
amOns the early pioneers Of the value
or the timber, and an article iu "Arborf-
culture states that even within few
years there could be seen iu Indiana "a
hundred miles OK worm fences. built OF
walnut rails These early settlers had
no idea that they were destroying veri-
table gold mines
Difficult 10 Transplant.
The fact that the black walnut was
not as plentiful and as widely distrfb-
uted throughout the country as some
other trees has Ted to the mistaken be-
but in the places where they Were orig
inaliy found. This is a decided error
IS experiments have shown. We might
say the same of apple. pear, or amy 9TH
er trees III We did not know from ezue-
rieuce and observation that such as not
the case The walnut like most nut
bearing trees. Isl difficult 20 remove and
transplant successfully. but the nuts can
be planted and VIII grow and thrive
wherever hickory OF oak VIII
Letting Future Care for Itself
we know that in this day OF push ana
struggle there s. disposition 20 look
out for the present and let the future
take care OF itself and that it is dim
cult 20 get people 10 see that they
should take some thought for the de-
Mands and needs or those who are 10
come after us. This is especially true
OF tree-pIauuus. but there is nothing
surer 20 our mind IMAM t1at the planting
OF black walnut trees in Alabama win
be the part OK wisdom. and prove "a
blessing in the days 10 come i'm hla
Heart OF Midlothian" Sir Walter Scott
makes an old Highland laird ou Lia
Geath-5ed say 90 his son. Jock. when
ye haze nothing else TO do ge may DE
aye sticking Do a trees lt VIII De sroW-
ing Jock when we're sleeping. and
the advice might wen be taken 10 heart
here and now Planting WaIluLs iG
iu q savings bank. and future genera
riaus VIII bless the plauter.-410lIE0m-