EUCALYPTUS TREES, 397 
triandra, L., isa prominent representative of the hard- 
wooded basket - willows, and comprises some of the 
finest varieties in use by the manufacturers. <A crop 
in the third year after planting, from an acre, weighs 
about 12 tons, worth £3 for the ton. S. fragilis, L., 
and §. alba, L., are more important as timber-willows, 
and for growing hoop-shoots. Their rapidity of growth 
recommends them also for shelter - plantations, to 
which adyantage may be added their inflammability 
and their easy propagation; the latter quality they 
share with most willows. . Mr. Scaling’s renewed ad- 
vocacy of the formation of willow-plantations comes 
with so much force that his advice is here given, 
though condensed in a few words. Osier-plantations 
come into full bearing already in the third year ; they 
bear for ten years and then slowly decline. The raw 
produce from an acre in a year averages 6 tons to 74 
tons, ranging in price from £2 10s. to £3 10s. for the 
ton (unpeeled). Although 7,000 acres are devoted in 
Britain to the culture of basket-willows (exclusive of 
spinneys and plantations for the farmers’ own use), 
yet, in 1866, there had to be imported from the Con- 
tinent 4,400 tons of willow - branches, at a value of 
£44,000, while, besides, the value of the made baskets 
imported in that year was equal to the above sum. 
Land comparatively valueless for root or grain-crops 
can be used very remuneratively for osier-plantations. 
The soft- wooded willows like to grow in damper 
ground than the hard- wooded species. The best 
peeled willow-branches fetch as much as £25 for the 
ton. Peeling is best effected by steam, by which 
means the material is alsq increased in durability. 
No basket- willow will thriye in stagnant water. 
