This walnut tree shows you how to mark trees for sale. One mark up here
so the buyer knows which tree is designated for cutting, and one down at
the bottom so you can assure yourself that that tree was to be sold. It
identifies one of the trees you intended to sell; a penalty is involved
for cutting any others.

I wanted to show you what a good walnut stump-cut looks like. These
trees should be 18 inches or larger in diameter at about two feet above
the ground to be worthwhile. The stump will be cut off when it gets to
the mill, and peeled for veneer.

This is one of the walnut plantations cut for gun stock material. I put
this in to show you how the buyers cut the trees down, and measure off
the logs to get the best grade of material. They aren't interested so
much in volume as in lumber. They want the best grade of wood, and they
want it in that butt log.

I put these in to show poor quality logs that weren't worth taking. This
is an open pasture grown tree. No care or attention given it, so the
limbs stayed on and grew quite large.

This shows how they load logs with a tractor and chain. This "cross
haul" is a trick of the logger's trade. This is the improper way. The
tractor was broken down so it took five or six men to load it because
they didn't have the tractor. There are some good logs and here are some
poor logs.

This is a group of logs, at a railroad siding. Some look small, but at
that time--with the market as it was--they could use the smaller logs.
You see some of nice length, good form and free of defects. I mentioned
metal. Here's a man with an Army mine detector. They tried them out to
locate metal. This company uses this mine detector to test all logs for
metal content.

Here's what happens. The metal discolors or stains the wood. This tree
probably grew in a fence line. The buyers are just a little reluctant to
buy them. If they do they cut them off this high so they are pretty sure
all fence wire is left in the stump portion.

In this grove of walnut a wire is nailed on every tree. Such a practice
ruins the tree.

This shows wasteful practice. This small mill in southern Illinois was
buying these short bolts cut from small trees. Be careful that you don't
sell trees that are too small and too young. It is like, I suppose,
harvesting your walnuts before the kernel develops.

This is the result of fire. That log, from outside appearance, didn't
have a blemish. Loggers left this part because