224 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



should be taken to bring the surface soil under and the subsoil on top. By this 

 means the roots will be benefited by the vegetable mold of the surface soil and the 

 subsoil at the surface will prevent a rapid running to weeds. For spring planting 

 the soil must be prepared in fall or early winter, so that it may be pulverized by the 

 frosts. 



Choice of varieties. — Out of upwards of 250 species of willow, and their endless 

 numl)er of varieties and bastards, only a limited number have been found of eco- 

 nomic value, especially for osier purposes. While for European climates the best 

 varieties have, by careful experiment and long experience, been established, we 

 cannot yet speak authoritatively for this country, especially about the capabilities 

 of our native willows. 



Such an authority as Dr. C. L. Anderson, of Santa Cruz, Cal., states in a letter to 

 the Department, "Our native California willows, especially those growing here at 

 Santa Cruz and vicinity, answer very well for all purposes. Baskets, hoops. &c., 

 are made from all varieties that have the habit of growing along oiu- streams. There 

 is a difference, however. 



" Snlix Iccvigata, Bebb., (no common name), Salix lasiandra, Benth. (no common 

 name) and its varieties, and Salix lasiolepis, var. Bigelovii, Bebb. (no common name), 

 seem to be preferable. On wet prairies from Illinois and Wisconsin northwest- 

 ward is found plentifully a variety (gracilis) of this species, the twigs of which are 

 collected near Chicago by Germans and sold to dealers in that city. 



''Salix cordata (var. vestifa, Anderson — Diamond willow) common clear across the 

 continent, twigs stout, suitable for the heaviest kinds of basket work; bronze or 

 yellowish green, often bright red when exposed to much sunUght; not so tough and 

 pliant as those of S. sericea and petiolaris. 



These all grow rapidly, are hardy, and the texture is sufficiently tough. There is a 

 variety of Salix lasiandra that has not been sufficiently described. The branches 

 are long, slender, and drooping, and have the appearance of the weeping willow. 

 This variety is exceedingly well adapted to economic uses." 



Prof. M. S. Bebb, of Rockford, 111., the American authority on willows, in a 

 lengthy letter on the subject of economically useful varieties, after reciting his fail- 

 ures with European species and varieties, says: "My strong conviction is that success 

 in osier growing throughout the corn belt east of tlie Rocky Mountains will only 

 be attained by }naking good use of plants adapted to the climatic conditions, and 

 even then that the product will fall below the beet European in quality. * * * 

 Salix purjmrea, in some of its forms most highly esteemed abroad for osiers, is 

 checked also by the midsummer conditions, but not to so great an extent as the sorts 

 above mentioned, and one form which you particularize, viz, Salix purjmreajjyra- 

 midalis, I should regard as a hopeful subject. * * * Of willows indigenous east 

 of the Mississippi River, I would nam© the following as perliaps the most promising 

 kinds for futui-e trial: 



" Salix sericea- (comvdOTi eastward), a bushy shrub 6 to 10 feet high; branches red- 

 dish green or greenish, at length olive; twigs long, slender, and very tough, yet ex- 

 tremely brittle for an inch or two at base. 



' 'Salix petiolaris (common westward), near akin to the former^, habit quite similar; 

 twigs usually yellow or tinged -with crimson; not so brittle at base." 



From correspondence so far had with practical osier-gi-owers in the East, the species 

 most successfully grown in the Northeastern States, and seemingly, too, in Georgia, 

 is the Salix purpurea, commonly called the red osier; but which of the several va- 

 rieties this is has not yet been estabhshed — probably pyramidalis. Tlie red osiers 

 are of German origin, and are considered the most useful, making numerous pliant, 

 thin, slender, evenly -grown rods, without branches; especially adapted for binding 

 and wattling purposes; gi'owing well on a moist, but also drier, sand soil, less so on 

 compact soils, but again excellently on mucky soils. They are least affected by 

 heat and cold, wet and dry. But compared with other kinds grown in Europe their 

 yields are somewhat inferior, giving a full crop only after the third or fourth year. 



Altogether vigorous growers are to be most recommended, yet even on the best 

 soils, with quick-growing kinds, the growth diminishes after a few years. 



In the selection of species it is not to be forgotten that while they must be adapted 

 to climate and soil and be good and persistent producers, t4ie kind of material fur- 

 nished by them is to be kept in view, as different species and varieties differ in this 

 respect. 



Planting of cuttings. — The best time for planting is the late fall, generally the end 

 of October. For such planting the soil should be prepared in spring or early summer 

 and left fallow. If tlie spading has been done in the fall or winter, the planting should 

 be delayed till early spring. The growth of the cuttings is the more assured the less 

 advanced the spring gi-owth. To retard early growth, take the cuttmgs before the 1st 

 of March and lay them in Avater. Take cuttings only from main shoots, and only 



