PREPARATION AND MARKETING - 53 



spring suddenly followed by a few warm days causes 

 rapid sap-flow, which is closely followed by develop- 

 ment of new wood. Under such conditions satis- 

 factory peeling may not be possible for longer than 

 three or four days for the early varieties. Under 

 opposite conditions the peeling period may last fourteen 

 days w r hen the crop consists of early and late varieties. 

 The period during which the process of whitening 

 rods is possible, can be prolonged by growing several 

 varieties which attain in succession the best peeling 

 condition, as, for instance, Champion Rod, Black Maul, 

 New Kind and French. 



Preparation for Whitening 



The several methods of pfeparation for whitening 

 are known as cutting from the head, couching, pieing, 

 and pitting. All are necessary in the case of growers 

 on a large scale, whose object it is to start peeling at 

 the earliest possible moment and prolong it as late as 

 they can. 



Cutting from the Head. After the greater part of 

 the crop has been cut for buff, or put into the pit or 

 the pie for whitening, the first process is known as 

 cutting from the head. The first willows to peel will 

 be those cut from the heads when bursting into leaf. 

 The time between cutting the early and late varieties 

 is frequently as much as from seven to ten days. 

 The greatest care must be exercised in cutting in 

 order not to allow willows to stand on the head until a 

 new growth begins to form, as this produces a second 

 skin, which shows itself when peeled in fine strips or 

 shreds on the top of the old wood and presents a very 



