CHAPTER II 

 EXPENSES AND RETURNS 

 COST OF CULTIVATION AND YIELD 



THE cost of preparing the land and establishing a 

 basket-willow holt varies much more than in the case 

 of the ordinary farm crop; consequently there is also 

 a wide variation in the returns per acre. The initial 

 outlay is very heavy, and in some cases 12 per acre 

 is expended on double digging alone, but ploughing 

 is cheaper and is probably quite satisfactory. It is 

 important to bear in mind that a willow ground poorly 

 managed will not pa} 7 , but well managed will return 

 good profit. Willow growing certainly requires an 

 exact knowledge of the nature of the land, the require- 

 ments of the willow plants, the treatment of the rods, 

 and the marketing of the same. 



The rent of the land too varies considerably. In the 

 Somerset area the rent of willow-growing land is 

 generally between 4 and 5 per acre, and little can 

 be obtained at a lower price. In the Soar Valley and 

 Trent Basin the rent ranges from i IDS. to 2 los. 

 per acre when the ground consists of several acres. 

 Higher rentals are paid where the ground is less than 

 an acre. In the Isle of Ely the rent is nearer i to 

 i i os. per acre. In Berkshire much of the willow land 

 is of little value for any other purpose, but in the best 

 willow-growing districts in that country the rent 

 ranges from i IDS. to 3. 



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