Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-19
.SC0UR LAND FOR
BLACK WALNUT
IT is BEST WOOD KNOWN FOR
RIFLE STOCKS
Fence Rails Used During the Civil
War-No Substitute in Sight

Recently two partly decayed black
walnut trees in the Arkansas National
Forest. Ark were sold at 500 per
1000 feet on the stump. This is the
highest price ever paid for any unfin.
ished hardwood SO far as is known,
and certainly for any sold from a Ia.
tional forest.
The two Arkansas trees were In
splendid condition for manufacture In
the near future. being well cured
Black walnut has long been recogniz
ed 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 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 persirmon third.
1t was held that gun stock material
should be air dried for twenty years
before being used in cor struction.
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 a quarter to a half century. The
toughness and durability of black wal
nut is well known.
The forest service has record of
a roof of black walnut shingles in the
Shenandoah Valley Of Virginia THAI
has shed the rain successfully for sew.
enty-five years A black walnut beam
used in the construction of the ia.
nous Alamo at San Antonio, Texas,
was found to be perfectly sound when
the building was restored In 1912 af.
ter a period of 125 years.
1t is understood that the forest pro.
ducts Laboratory at Madison, Wis, is
making tests of gum lumber. which
heretofore has been considered of a
rather low grade, as a substitute for
walnut for gun stocks.
The laboratory also Is conducting
experiments designed to develop a
substitute for teakwood as a backing
for armor plate on the sides of our
great dreadnoughts and armored
cruisers.
The general public Is not aware
that a 3-inch backing Of teakwoOG
lies behind every belt of armour, act.
ing as a sort Of cushion between the
armour and the steel hull proper The
reason for this Is that the back OF
the armor and the steel hull are both
rough and do not meet exactly. The
backing of teakwood serves to bring
the two more firmly together, the pro
truding rough places on the steel
sinking into the wood
Up to date no suitable substitute
for teakwood has been found. The
most promising IS Port Oxford cedar
a product of the northern Pacific
coast. Teakwood is popularity regard
ed as imperishable. The scientist
are not very hopeful of finding suit
able substitute for it, There is some
talk Of making tests with different
varieties of hardwood from the Phil
ippine Islands So far only woods
found in continental United States
have been used.
In addition to the laboratory tests
conducted in Madison, tests Of the re-
sistant qualities Of different woods
when exposed to the action Of salt
water plates of armor and steel are
being carried on in the Gulf OF Mex
leo and off the Pacific coast.