VARIETIES OF WILLOWS 45 



they produce. When one-year-old the rods are used 

 as brown in the making of the coarsest kinds of basket 

 ware. As two- and three-year-olds the rods, called 

 sticks, are used as the main supporting parts of the 

 heavier classes of hampers and basket furniture. 



SALIX PURPUREA 



Salix purpurea, or the bitter willow, embraces many 

 varieties, the best of which are the most slender for 

 their length of all willows, and it also includes the two 

 extremes in size. The smallest, known as " Dicks " or 

 " Red Buds," is one of the toughest willows known, 

 whilst others grow to 9 ft. ; they are easily recognis- 

 able, since all are yellow on the inside of the bark, are 

 very bitter to the taste, and show red eyes at the 

 spring growth. Rabbits and cattle will seldom touch 

 them unless under great stress of hunger. 



The purpurea are unsuitable for white. Some of 

 the varieties make excellent buff, to which reference 

 will be made under their respective headings. 



" Kecks," or " Welch," is a long, slender, and very 

 tough rod, and one seldom attacked by ground game, 

 owing to the extremely bitter character of the bark. 

 This variety invariably grows quite smoothly, thrives 

 equally well under dry 01 wet conditions, and has never 

 been known to be blighted. Shoots, 3 ft. to 7 ft. 

 Plant 1 8 in. by 1 8 in. Makes a good light-colour buff. 

 It is used for binding purposes by nurserymen and 

 market gardeners, but the latter now prefer one or 

 other of the alba class for that purpose because of the 

 more pleasing colour of the bark. 



" Welch." This was a variety supplied to me 



