probably the strongest wood for its weight except spruce. I have used it
successfully to make propellers which operate electric generators for
deriving power from the wind. Because butternut is so light and,
properly varnished, resists weathering and decay to so great an extent,
I have found it the best material I have ever tried for such
construction. In building a small electric car for traveling around the
orchards, I used butternut rather than oak or metal, which saved at
least 100 pounds of weight, an important matter since the source of the
car's power is automobile storage batteries.

Butternut is very durable in contact with the ground and is used for
fence posts on farms where it is plentiful. Bird houses built of this
wood will last indefinitely, even a lifetime if they are protected with
paint or varnish. Butternut is like red cedar in this respect, although
much stronger. Stories have been told of black walnut logs which, after
lying unused for fifty years, have been sawed into lumber and found to
be still in excellent condition. It is quite likely that the same could
be said of butternut for these woods are very much alike in the degree
of their durability and resistance to weather.

An incidental value butternut trees have is their ability to bleed
freely in the spring if the outer bark is cut. Therefore, they can be
tapped like maple trees and their sap boiled down to make a sweet syrup.
It does not have the sugar content that the Stabler black walnut has,
however. Another possible use is suggested by the shells of butternuts
which, even when buried in the ground, show great resistance to decay. I
have found them to be still intact and possessing some strength after
being covered by earth for fifteen years. This indicates that they might
be used with a binder in a composition material. Their extreme hardness
also offers a good wearing surface.