11.68 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 



dean off: were a part of these small shoots allowed to remain, they might 



i)rocluce a crop ot twigs fit for wickcrwork, lint by no means adapted for 

 loops. It is better to have a few good growtlis for that pnrpose, than a 

 profusion of inferior ones. At no period should any one stool be allowed 

 to bear many shoots, otherwise they will be small and worthless. Every 

 manager of willows has it in his power to increase or diminish the number of 

 shoots on the plants under his care ; for, if he take oft' the shoots dean by the 

 stem of the plant, in spring, the number of shoots will be proi)ortionally 

 diminished in the following season." (I'/fnif. A'n/., p. 533.) Rods for hoops 

 may be cut at the end of the second or third year's growth, according to the 

 size of the hoo[)s wanted. In poor soil, or in [)lantations nearly worn out, 

 the rods will require three years' growth to enable them to attain their |)roper 

 size. " The proper season lor cutting willow rods intended for hoops is 

 any time during the month of November, innnediately after the leaves have 

 dropped. The cut should be made to within two or three buds of the place 

 whence the shoot issuetl ; aTul it should be in a sloping direction, at the back 

 of the nppermost bud left on the bottom of the shoot on the stool. In cut- 

 ting hoop willows from the stools, the swell at the bottom of the shoot only 

 should be left. This part is amply furnisheil with proper bnds, to serve as 

 outlets for the rising sap ; so that it is unnecessary to leave so mnch at the 

 bottom of those as is necessary in the case of basket willows, especially as fewer 

 shoots are required in the present case." (/i^«/.,p.o3+.) We agree with Sang in 

 being " decidedly hostile to the barbarous" manner in which coopers fi'eqnently 

 cut iioops from the stools. Under the idea of preventing the hoops from being 

 split, they hack the rods off' by cutting downwards with a hand-bill ; " and 

 thus the under part left upon the stool is s|)lit into many pieces, to the 

 manifest injury of the plant." {Ihid.) The duration of willow plantations 

 grown for the hoops is consielerably longer than when" they are grown for 

 basket-making; because, in consequence of the stronger shoots, and of their 

 remaining on the stools two or three years, greater strength is thrown into 

 the root. 



The Cvlliirc of Willows for Baslct-Iiods. Almost all the species of willows 

 may be grown for tliis purpose; but some are greatly preferable to others. 

 The most vigorous-growing basket willow is, un(|uestionably, .S'. viminalis ; 

 and it is also the sort most generally cultivated for that purpose. It has 

 no disadvantage that we are aware of, except that in cold wet seasons, and 

 in a moist soil, it does not always ripen the pomts of its shoots. S. riibra, 

 S. ForbyffHff, S. decipiens, and S. stipnlaris are excellent species, of less 

 vigorous growth than S. viminalis, which ripen the points of their shoots 

 perfectly in most seasons. The best of these is, jierhaps, .S'. Forbynwa. S. 

 triandra is nearly as vigorous as .S'. viminalis. S. 7/dix, S. vitellina, 

 and S. purpurea are very desirable species, where small lough rods are re- 

 quired. V^arious other sorts might be mentioned ; but these we consider as by 

 far the most valuable. The soil for basket willows ought to be deep, well 

 drained, and thoroughly prepared ; and the situation ougiit to be low, level, 

 and naturally moist; and, if there is a command of water for irrigation, so 

 much the better. " There are few soils," Sang observes, " that will not bear 

 willows ; yet some situations arc very unfit for them. Dry anil exposed 

 grounds, peat moss, and land covered with staniling water, or a c]uagmire, are 

 not at all suitable. Hollows, the soil of whicli is composed of rich, soft, 

 earthy particles, and which can belaid dry, are the most eligible for converting 

 into osieries ; and, if such can be occasionally soaked with water during the 

 dry months in summer, the situation may be considered perfect. Completely 

 draining the site of a i)asket willow plantation is the first step towards its 

 formation, and the foundation of its prosperity, and, consequently, of the 

 profit to be derived from it. Drains, in any soil which is to be occupied 

 with a permanent crop of trees, should be constructed upon principles of 

 durability. If the drains be what are called rubble drains, the interstices will 

 soon be filled up with the fibres of the willow roots, which \,'\\ creep down 



