WILLOWS AND WILLOW CULTURE. 



variety of Willow of any note cultivated in Europe, and conducted a suite of experi- 

 ments with, them, in different localities and on various soils. Their economic charac- 

 ters for our climate have been ascertained, and the result is, that among many of con- 

 siderable value, three have been found of such general and particular excellence as to 

 rank them above all others — with one remarkable exception soon to be named. 



1st. Forbes' Willow* — Salix Forbyana. — Hardy and productive, its rods having 

 almost a leathery toughness ; but it does not whiten well, and in consequence its use- 

 fulness is greatly abridged. For work where unpeeled rods are used, it is most 

 excellent. 



2d. LoxG-LEAVED TRIAXDR0U3 WiLLOW — *S'. trlanclra. — This whitens beautifully, 

 is very tough and pliable, and grows vigorously with less drainage than any other of 

 good quality. If the soil is very deep, it will grow with almost equal vigor where the 

 ground is very dry ; and in addition it has the excellent habit of early ripening the 

 extremities of its shoots, on which account it is quite hardy in high northern latitudes. 

 With our German basket-makers it is a general favorite, particularly for split work. 

 As an ornamental tree it is also deserving of attention. 



3d. PcRPLE Willow — S. 'purpurea. — This is the representative of a large class, 

 and appears to be far more valuable for osiers in America than in England, where it 

 is represented as giving shoots of from three to five feet in length. I have standing 

 by me a bundle of its shoots, from cuttings planted last spring, that average more than 

 six feet ; and another bundle, from established plants, of nearly ten feet. They were 

 grown with good but not extraordinary culture, and any good field may easily do as 

 well. It is much more fastidious in its habitat than either of the preceding — delights 

 in richness, depth, and moisture, but does not tolerate excess of wetness. When well 

 established, it has but one superior in productiveness, and may easily be made to yield 

 four tons per acre of the most excellent rods, particularly for fine whole work, for 

 which it has no superior. For live fences it is very valuable, and in England is 

 " extensively used for fences for the exclusion of hares and rabbits, as well as cattle, 

 the bark and leaves being so intensely bitter that they will touch neither, while the 

 shoots, being long, tough, and flexible, may be formed into any shape ; and a fence of 

 this kind is reckoned little if at all inferior to that made of wire, which, when made 

 close enough to exclude small animals and strong enough to form a barrier against 

 large ones, is very expensive."* 



The subject of Willow for fences is so extensive and important, that I shall leave 

 that for an entire article, remarking, by the way, that on the great western prairies it 

 will soon be found to be invaluable, not only for fences, but for shelter from the sweep- 

 ing winds. A screen of twenty-five feet in height may be grown from Willow cuttings 

 in five years, and at a slightly retarded rate of annual increase until a height of sixty 

 feet is gained ; thus almost immediately aftbrding " that shelter which is so indispens- 

 able at all seasons of the year, that there is no safety without it."f 



* English Flora. 



very valuable arliele on '■ Shelter" in ITofticulturM, 1?5:1, p. 3-15, worth a year's subscription to any man 

 engaged in cultivation. 



