Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-11-26

DOCdu5S OIL al LHpI0CSu6ulou dn'
almost worldwide demand for gun
stock material, black walnut now com
mands undoubtedly the highest mar
ket prices ever held. No change
moreover, seems likely to occur in the
next six month or more. Owners Of
black walnut trees have a small gold
mine at their hands, provided they ex
ercise good judgment and care in mar
keting.
Although the farmer may not have
planted the trees, he is the virtual
producer and as such is rightly enti
tied to profit most in the present stu
alton. Unfortunately, however, the
average farmer willingly parts with
his valuable walnut to the first buyer
who makes him an offer. He is taken
of his guard by the high sounding Of
fers and thereby is giving outright to
the middlemen large profits which
should be diverted into his own peck
cts. A concrete case will illustrate
what is happening daily over the coun-
try.
A farmer living in Lawrence county,
Tennessee, sold a walnut tree for $50
on the stump. The buyer cut it low
in the ground to get the stump, max
ing in all 2 12-foot body logs, measur-
ing IS and 81 inches respectively. and
short top logs. The expense of cut
ting and hauling the tree to the rail
road, a distance of As miles over an
easy road, did not exceed SIS, includ-
ing the full time spent in the transac-
ton. In a day or two these logs,
which had cost the owner not over
$65, were sold to local buyer at the
rate of $500 per thousand feet for the
two large logs and about $40 for the
small logs. The amounts paid by log
scale were $72.1O and $54.70 for the
body logs, and $11.46 for the others,
or a total $1S8.26. This was a net
profit of not less than $73.26. Very
shortly afterward the logs were in
turn sold to large middleman living
In the same town at a price of $135
per thousand feet for the large logs,
which brought $97S4 and 1884, re-
spectively, and lump sum of about
SIS for the small logs. The amount
thus paid by the third buyer was
$16484, who then sold the small logs
for gun stock material and the large
logs for furniture veneer stock to the
Singer Sewing Machine Co. BY cut,
ting and marketing his product direct
ly to the last buyer, whose name is
very well known in the region, the
farmer would without doubt have re-
ceived very nearly the same price as
the last middleman, and consequently
have netted above all costs somewhere
between $40 and $3.50. His loss, there
fore, amounted to between $50 and
800.
The following points, if carefully
noted and followed, may prove of
value to the farmer:
/. 1t is improbable and mistake /
to cut small sized walnut trees, be.
cause of the low scale and small prices
paid for such material; unless I'm.
sound or for special reason. The mini
mum tree marketed should cut at least
a 12-inch log; one buyer stated that
he had bought $500 feet of small logs
In one bunch from which he sawed out
$500 feet of gun-stock flitches (un-
edged plank 21a inches thick.
2. Logs down to feet in length are
and nothing under IL inches
Is wanted, although some smaller is
accepted
8. Buyers of gun stock material pay
more money for the smaller sizes and
also No. 2 grade Of logs, while furni-
,ure dealers give relatively more for
he large sound clear logs, say from
Is inches and up, measured at the
small end.
4. Wide sap and crooks do not count
Is defects for gun stock; also, mod
rate number of knots are allowed.
6. In selling walnut on the stump be
ure first to obtain a good estimate
# the contents and stumpage value;
0 ascertain the latter, deduct the cost
4 cutting and hauling from the full
'alue t. 0. b. cars at the nearest rail.
DAD.
s. 1t is usually more profitable to
10 your own lumberman and sell your
walnut in the log delivered at the rail-
Dad.
z. While location has much to do
nth prices, the present value Of wal
tut logs, I. o. b. cars at loading points I
n Tennessee, averages in round flg-
res from $40 for 1S-inch logs to $500 ,
or 24-inch logs. rising at the rate OF
5 per each additional inch in diam
ter; clear, Sound logs 80 to SO inches
re worth as much as $3.50 t. $14O per ;
thousand board feet; logs Of all sizes,
nth notable defect such as many
.nots, decay, or bad check, are lower
q value, although less so than with
be lower priced klads Of wood.