AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 249 



between branch and peduncle. He Jiad found it necessary, in applying these views to her- 

 baceous plants, to distinguish between what he might be allowed to call the primary and 

 secondary angle, both of venation and ramification; meaning by the primary angle that made 

 by the main branches and the main lateral veins ; and by the secondary, that made by the 

 lesser branches or lesser veins pi-oceeding from the others. He had found, in many cases, 

 that the angle at which the peduncle or flower-stalk goes off corresponds not to the primary, 

 but secondary angle of this leaf. (Appended to the paper was a list of 200 species of plants 

 measured by him since 1852.) He remarked, in conclusion, as a proof of the angular struc- 

 ture of plants being a feature of importance, that he had found in corals that there is a 

 definite angle of ramification for every species, and that there is a primary and a secondary 

 angle. 



Varieties and Culture of the Basket Willow. 



The willow manufacture in the city of New York is already immense, and destined 

 constantly to increase. The amount of imported willow-ware is annually more than three 

 millions of dollars, while the quantity of unmanufactured willow imported amounts to a much 

 larger sum. And this amount of imported ware must also increase largely, unless the 

 manufacture of the ware and the cultivation of the willow should be prosecuted extensively 

 in the United States. The late John Reed, of Staten Island, amassed a little fortune by 

 cultivating less than three acres of apparently worthless swamp, in rearing the osier willow. 

 Others have failed in the attempt, through ignorance of the proper species for this region of 

 the earth, and the proper mode of cultivation. • Dr. C. W. Grant, of Newburgh, about five 

 years ago, came to the conclusion that, among his varied objects of enterprise, he would 

 include the cultivation of the willow; for which purpose he purchased a marsh on the Hudson, 

 not far below West Point, connected with an extensive upland farm, which marshy ground 

 he supposed would make a good osier-field. On trial, it was found that only a small portion 

 of the ground was adapted for that purpose. Partial failure served only to stimulate him to 

 fresh exertions, and the loss of some capital was followed by the resolve to recover it. He 

 therefore engaged in extensive investigation of the whole subject, and availed himself of all 

 attainable knowledge respecting the culture of the osier in England, Scotland, Continental 

 Europe, and America. Nearly one hundred kinds of willow were imported, and experiments 

 were carefully instituted on different soils, with very satisfactory results. Willow of his 

 production was tested last fall by different basket manufacturers, and found equal in quality 

 to the very best European osier, and far superior to the largest portion of that which is 

 imported. In the course of Dr. Grant's investigations, a new species was found in the county 

 of Suffolk, England, which proves to be a great acquisition not only in the arts, but as an 

 ornamental tree. 



To those who have undertaken, or are about to undertake, the cultivation of willow, it will 

 undoubtedly prove very largely remunerative, if conducted with the requisite care and know- 

 ledge. No crop will better pay for proper tillage and proper soil — even yielding a profitable 

 return the first year; but in the hands of unskilfulness and negle-t it will, of course, prove 

 an entire failure. In Rockland county, a small field of it was planted in the spring, and in 

 the autumn of the same year yielded shoots of the finest quality, averaging at least six feet 

 in length, and some of the tallest more than ten feet. The gross worth of the crop could not 

 be less than $150 per acre. Here nothing remarkable was done, but (with a slight excep- 

 tion) every thing was well done. The soil was pretty rich clayey alluvial, and deeply 

 worked, the subsoil plow running to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches, (two feet would 

 have been better.) A very little stable manure and a few bushels of ashes were used as a 

 top dressing. The manure should have been worked in with very light furrow, or with the 

 cultivator, but a heavy rain made it impracticable at the most advantageous season, and in 

 a great measure compensated for the neglect. A small portion of it retained standing water 

 until the middle of June. Some of the cuttings did not, in this wet place, strike at all, and 

 others made little growth. A blind drain was then made through it, when the plants began 

 immediately to thrive, and made a pretty good growth, but not equalling the others by about 

 one-half. The cuttings were of very vigorous one-year old wood, a few of them retaining 1 





