12 OSIERS AND WILLOWS 



are cut from the butts of a badly grown two-year-old 

 crop, as they often are in the case of inexperienced or 

 careless growers. The practice recommended, how- 

 ever, is to leave the best-grown and healthiest one-yeaur- 

 old rods for two years' growth. 



From such rods six or seven sets can be cut, and it 

 is obvious that healthy plants will give a better crop 

 than cuttings from dwarfed or badly grown rods. 

 When, however, only two or three sets are taken from 

 the rod and this is a very common practice the 

 argument for the younger or one-year-old rod holds 

 good. 



The third and higher sets cut from a two-year-old 

 plant throw out more shoots than the sets cut close to 

 the butt end, where the wood is harder and the eyes 

 are consequently less active, but, on the other hand, 

 there is always a great risk in using one-year-old sets, 

 owing to their being thinner and less hardy. With 

 dry winds and an absence of showers in the months of 

 April and May one-year-old sets will very often die 

 or sicken, whilst two-year-old sets, being much stouter 

 and their bark far thicker, will withstand the dry time 

 more successfully. 



Twelve inches is the best length to cut the sets. 

 They must be cut on the slant for inserting in the 

 ground; but the end which is to remain out of the 

 ground should be cut nearly straight and just above 

 an eye. With this extra care very few sets will show 

 any dead wood, and a nicely-shaped head will be the 

 result. The cutting of the sets must be performed 

 with a sharp knife, in order not to bruise the bark or 

 wood. They must be buried so that about I in. is 

 left exposed above the surface, and the eyes must 

 always point upwards. The land, being freshly 



