too young to
be in a bearing condition. If it were not for the difficulty of getting
healthy chestnut stock, I believe Michigan would be a large producer of
these nuts.

A study has been made of the volume of the wood that could be obtained
from these chestnut plantations. Owing to the open nature of the
groves, the trees are mostly not suitable for lumber and the yield of
cordwood and posts is less than in a forest plantation where the trees
are closer together and force each other to grow straight and tall. It
was found, however, that a chestnut grove planted for nuts, would yield
on the average 13 standard cords of wood per acre at 20 years of age, 20
cords at 30 years, and 25 cords at 40 years of age. Placing the value of
this wood at present prices of $7 per cord, would give a value of $91
per acre at 20 years and $140 per acre at 30 years for the wood alone.

Probably most of the chestnut plantations have been planted for the nut
and the black walnuts for timber with the nuts as a side issue.

Black walnuts should be planted on fairly fertile, moist soil. We do not
recommend planting the nuts as squirrels are liable to dig them out. It
is better to use small trees.

The cost of establishing black walnut plantations is quite small. Native
trees can be bought for $15 per thousand one year old seedlings. We
prefer to plant these small trees as the black walnut develops a strong
tap root early in life, making it difficult to transplant large trees.

Only a comparatively small number of hickories have been planted in this
state. This is a tree that, while it grows slowly, is very valuable for
its wood and it is becoming very scarce. It should be planted more
extensively. It may well be planted in openings in the woodlot. Every
farmer knows the value of hickory and the trees can be utilized when
quite small.

It is needless to say anything about the value of black walnut wood.
High prices have been paid for standing trees and for saw logs. Many
individual trees have sold for $500 apiece and even more. Prices as high
as $120 per M board feet have been paid for standing timber.

At the present rate of cutting, it is only a question of a few years
before all of the merchantable black walnut will have been removed, and,
unless trees are planted, the black walnut will be a thing of the past.
It cannot be depended upon to reproduce itself in our forests as do the
maples, the ash, and many other trees with nonedible see