CHAPTER IV 



PREPARATION AND MARKETING 



PREPARATION OF THE RODS 



IN cases where the grower has no facilities for prepar- 

 ing the willows they are marketed direct from the field 

 as " green." The rods in this condition are heavy, 

 and the freight charges for transit are therefore high. 

 Furthermore, the buyer has to sort out, grade, and 

 prepare the willows in many ways before they can 

 be used by the average basket -maker. Some of the 

 poorer grown and those of inferior quality are at times 

 used green for making the very cheapest-grade baskets 

 used by seedsmen, yeast merchants, etc., and as such 

 baskets are usually non-returnable, the price of green 

 for this class of basket work is very low. To secure 

 the best prices it is advisable to plant only the best 

 varieties, and to prepare for buff or white. 



White Rods 



White rods are prepared in the spring after the flow 

 of sap has become active. Cell activity commences in 

 the region of the apices of the shoots and travels 

 downwards. Consequently the upper portions of a 

 rod may be " peelable," while the butt end has the 

 skin still firmly attached to the wood. A backward 



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