Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-11-05
HUNT BLACK WALNUT
Demands of War Cause Short.
age in Supply.
10 the Best Wood for Gun Stocks and
Experts Are Trying to Find Suit
able Substitute-Two Dying
Trees Sell at Top Price.

Washington.-The European war has
caused a marked shortage in black
walnut for the manufacture OF gun
stocks, and agents of gun manufac-
turers are securing the forests.
Recently two partly decayed black
walnut trees in the Arkansas National
forest, Arkansas, were sold at $50 per
1000 feet on the stump. This is the
highest price ever paid for any unf1n-
ished hardwood so far as Is known,
and certainly for any sold from ma
tional forest.
The two Arkansas trees were In
splendid condition for manufacture in
the near future, being well cured
Black walnut has long been recognized
as the best material for gun stocks.
The American pioneers made rifle
stocks of maple. but in war times the
musket stocks were Of black walnut.
At q convention of gunsmiths held
in Atlanta, Ca, in August 1861. the
consensus of opinion was that black
walnut was easily the superior OF all
hard woods for gun manufacture. with
maple second and persimmon third. 1t
was held that gun stock material
should be air-dried for 20 years before
being used in construction.
During the Civil war walnut for
gun stocks was obtained both In the
North and South by purchasing miles
of fence rails, and by taking floors
and beams out of old barns and mills
where the wood had been seasoned
for o quarter to a half century. The
toughness and durability of black
walnut is well known.
The forest service has a record of a
roof of black walnut shingles in the
Shenandoah valley of Virginia that
has shed the rain successfully for Is
years. A black walnut beam used
in the construction of the famous
Alamo at San Antonio. Tex. was found
to be perfectly sound when the build
ing was restored IN 1912 after q
period of 125 years.
Apparently buyers have been about
as eager to find black walnut suitable
for immediate use in the manufacture
of gun stocks as they have been to
purchase horses and mules suitable
for military use in Europe. Owing to
the increasing scarcity Of black wal
nut gunmakers have for some time
been experimenting with possible
substitutes.
Il 10 understood that the forest
products laboratory at Madison. Wis.
is making tests Of gun lumber. which
} heretofore has been considered of
rather low grade. as q substitute fo1
walnut for gun stocks.
The laboratory also Is conductinl
experiments designed to develop
! substitute for teakwood as a backing
for armor plate on the sides OF on
great dreadnaughts and armore'
cruisers.
The general public Is not awar'
that a three-inch backing Of teakwoo'
lies behind every belt of armor. ACT
ing as a sort of cushion between tn
armor and the steel hull proper. Tn
reason for this Is that the back O
the armor and the steel hull are bot
rough and do not meet exactly. Tn
backing of teakwood serves to brin
the two more firmly together. tn
protruding rough places on the stee
sinking into the wood.
Up to date no suitable substitut
for teakwood has been found TIL
most promising Is Port Oxford cedal
a product of the Northern Pacifi
coast. Teakwood is popularity r.
garded as imperishable. The sciel
fists are not very hopeful Of fndin
suitable substitute for 1t. There
some talk of making tests with di
ferent varieties of hardwood from tn
Philippine islands. So far only wood
found in continental United State
have been used.
In addition to the laboratory test
conducted in Madison, tests of the r
sistant qualities of different WOOD
n when exposed to the action Of ga
Il water between plates Of armor an
Q steel are being carried on In the Gu
> of Mexico and of the Pacific coast