194 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



about 15 inches apart. Much depends upon the kind of willow, 

 and the quality of soil. The cuttings may be inserted about 9 

 inches into the ground, leaving about 3 inches exposed for the 

 future stool. Cutting may begin after the second or third year, 

 and should take place when the crop is dormant, or not later 

 than the middle of February. The following short rules might 

 be observed in willow culture for basket-making : — • 



1. Willows will not succeed well in peaty, sandy, or water- 

 logged soil ; rich, well-drained loam that can be flooded at will 

 being most suitable. 



2. Prepare the ground by trenching or ploughing, and 

 thoroughly cleanse it from weeds. 



3. Plant only the best kinds, avoiding a mixed crop. 



4. Insert the cuttings from November to March, avoiding 

 such as are bark-chafed, and make the soil firm. 



5. Keep the beds clean and free from weeds. 



6. Cut the crop close to the ground with a sharp knife, as 

 pollard willows soon decay, and harbour injurious insects. 



7. The cost of forming osier beds varies from ^iS to ^20 

 per acre. The crop matures in about four years, and yields on 

 an average ^^15 per acre. 



The Journal of the Board of Agriculture also discusses the 

 subject in the following article : — 



Osier Cultivation.^ 



The most suitable soil for the growth of osiers is a deep, 

 rich, moist, alluvial soil, but an example of how well osiers 

 will grow on other soils and under comparatively unfavourable 

 conditions is shown by their successful cultivation on the 

 Atlantic seaboard of the island of Harris. - 



An interesting account of osier growing is given in the 

 Quarterly fournal of Forestry (April 1907), where the results 

 obtained from an osier bed, situated on an island in the bed 

 of the river Thames opposite Isleworth, are described by Mr 

 B. V. Ramaiengar. 



The area of the osier bed is about 6i acres, and being in the 



^ Printed by permission of the Controller of II. M. Stationery Office. 

 '■' For an account of willow-growing in the island of Harris, see vol. xxi., 

 1908, p. 50. 



