McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1915-11-05
BLACK WALNUT IN
GREAT DEMAND
Good Judgment in Marketing
viii Prove A Gold Mine
to Owners
DEMAND is NOW WORLD WIDE
Black Walnut Now Commands the
Highest Market Prices Ever Held
In Demand for Gun-Stock Material
One Tree Brings $50 on Stump.

(By w. r. Nation, Division of Exten-
sion, University of Tennessee)
Because of an unprecedented and
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 small gold
mine at their hands, provided they OK
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
off 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 walnut tree for $50
ON the stump. The buyer cut it low
in the ground to get the stump, max
ing in all 12-foot body logs, measur-
ing 35 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
| S65, were sold to local buyer at the
| rate of $100 per thousand feet for the
two large logs and about $40 for the
small logs. The amounts paid by log
scale we're $7210 and $54.70 for the
body logs, and $11.46 for the others
or total $13S26. This was 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 price of $13s
| per thousand feet for the large logs
| which brought 1874 and $7384, re-
spectively, and lump sum of about
/ SIS for the small logs. The amount
thus paid by the third buyer was
| s16484, who then sold the small logs
for gun stock material and the large
| logs for furniture veneer stock to this
Singer Sewing Machine Co. BY cut
ting and marketing his product direct
| ly to the last buyer, whose name Il
very we'll known In the region, tn.
farmer would without doubt have re
ceived very nearly the same price az
the last middleman, and consequent,
have netted above all costs somewher,
between $140 and $3.50. His loss, there
fore, amounted to between $50 ant
| 500.
The following points, If CAREFUL.
noted and followed, may prove o
value to the farmer:
1. 1t is improbable and mistake
to cut small sized walnut trees, be
cause of the low scale and small price
paid for such material; unless un
sound or for special reason. The min
mum tree marketed should cut at leas
Pinch log; one buyer stated tina
he had bought 4,500 feet of small log
, in one bunch from which he sawed GU
$500 feet of gun-stock fiitches (ur
edged plank ~ inches thick.
2. Logs down to feet in length ar
standard, and nothing under IL inche
/ is wanted, although some smaller !
. accepted.
, 3. Buyers of gun stock material pa
more money for the smaller sizes an
also No. 2 grade of logs, while furn
ture dealers give relatively more fo
the large sound clear logs, say frol
Is inches and UP, measured at tn
:. small end.
A. Wide sap and crooks do not cour
. as defects for gun stock; also, mot
| crate number of knots are allowed.
q 6. In selling walnut on the stump b
sure first to obtain good estimat
of the contents and stumpage value
: to ascertain the latter, deduct the COS
4 of cutting and hauling from the fu
value t. o. b. cars at the nearest raj
u road
6. 1t is usually more profitable
be your own lumberman and sell yor
walnut in the log delivered at the raj
road.
Z. While location has much to q
:, with prices, the present value of wa
. nut logs, (. o. b. cars at loading poin
y In Tennessee, averages in round Fl
IS ures from $40 for 12-inch logs to 81
IS for 24-inch logs, rising at the rate
SIS per each additional inch in diaI
" eter; clear, sound logs 80 to IS inch'
: arc worth as much as $3.50 to $40 p,
thousand board feet; logs of all size
a with notable defect, such as MAJ
= knots, decay, or bad check, are low
le In value, although less so than wi