425, 
becoming so scarce and expensive. In England growers of osiers have 
adopted the bitter willow, in preference to thorn or osage-orange, for 
hedges. Itis of very rapid growth, and because of its bitterness cattle 
will not injure it, and vermin will not destroy it. It forms a most per- 
fect protection, and at the same time produces an annual crop quite as | 
remunerative as that grown upon any other portion of the ground. 
The labor and expense of cutting down and keeping in shape the osage- . 
orange, locust, or thorn-hedge is made an objection to its more general 
use, whilst the product of the willow will not only meet this objection, 
but make an additional profit. The writer gives the following instruc- 
tion how to make a willow-hedge: : 
To form a good efficient willow-hedge the ground must be dug to a depth of 15 
to 18 inches, and effectually cleared of weeds, and, if poor, manured; in fact, it 
is necessary it should undergo a similar preparation to what would be required if it 
were intended to plant a thorn-hedge. Should the ground be very low, and charged 
with stagnant water, it will be necessary to throw out a ridge to plant upon, for no 
willow will flourish in a swamp. 
If it be desirable to form a hedge at once, willow stakes, 4 or 5 feet long, may be 
used, the ends of which must be sharpened and pushed 12 inches into the prepared 
ground, 6 inches apart, in a standing direction thus //////, and be temporarily wai- 
tled at the top, to hold them in position, until such time as they shall have fastened 
themselves by the spray which will grow up perpendicularly, thus www. Or, if it be 
preferred, they may be pushed in straight, and as the shoots put out at the sides they 
can be wattled together, and thus form a fence equally effective as the above. 
Another method is to plant a double row, crossing them in the manner following 
xxx. These should be secured temporarily by a bast-tie, until by growth they be- 
come fastened in position. The above methods are the most expensive on account of 
the extra length of the cuttings required, and would, of course, only be adopted where 
it was required'to have a hedge in the shortest possible time. The most economical 
mode is to plant cuttings taken from two or three year old shoots, and not more than 
12 inches long; these should be pushed into the ground at the same distance apart, 
viz, 6 inches, or closer, if the hedge is intended to be game-proof, and at the end of the 
first year, if the shoots have not grown sufficiently strong, they should be cut to the 
ground, when the subsequent growth will be found strong enough to train into a per- 
manent fence in any form that might please the fancy of the grower. 
As regards the monetary value of a hedge of this description, my own experience 
leads me to estimate its annual produce, based upon alow calculation, at 53. per chain. 
‘The weight of cuttings obtained from a hedge at Toton, 200 yards in length, and of 
two years’ growth, which was cut February 21, 1871, amounted to 1 ton 15 ewt. 1 qr., 
and which, at the moderate estimate of 50s. per ton, comes to £4 &s. 1}d. In this case 
the fence was allowed to grow two years before cutting, as it was desirable to leave it 
as a sereen for more tender plants; whereas, had it been cut each year, which would 
oe been the case under ordinary circumstances, the crop would have been more val- 
uable. 
It should not be overlooked that, owing to the rapidity of its growth, a willow- 
fence forms an excellent shelter for plants and cattle in an almost incredible short 
space of time; whilst as a protection against game it possesses this advantage over 
every other description of fence, that, by attention, and getting it sufficiently close— 
which may readily be accomplished by interweaving the shoots—it can be rendered 
perfectly game-proof, for whereas rabbits would burrow under netting, the roots of 
the willow would present an insurmountable barrier to their ravages. 
Ishould recommend a temporary protection of posts and rails, similar to that used 
for the defence of a thorn-hedge, but which would not be required so substantial, in 
consequence of the shorter time it would be necessary for it to remain, as, without 
some such safe-guard, it would, of course, be liable to be trodden down by cattle. A 
hedge so planted must be kept clear of weeds, and the soil maintained in a friable 
state, to admit of freedom of growth, until such time as it becomes perfectly formed, 
when no further attention or protection will be requisite. I should not advise the 
line of hedge-row to be encumbered with timber-trees, as they must, necessarily, stunt 
the growth of the hedge. 
The description of willow I recommend for the above purpose is the Salix kerksii. 
The substitution of willow for thorn in the formation of hedges is not, by any means, 
a novel idea, its peculiar properties, in this respect, having been noticed by eminent 
authorities for years past. The properties of the bitter willow are thus described by 
Miller, the well-known author of the Gardner’s Dictionary. ‘The extteme bitterness 
of the leaves and twigs renders it valuable for many purposes; when used as a band 
or withe it is never eaten by vermin, nor, when formed into a hedge, is it browsed on 
