JUNE 15, 1913 



413 



in early spring' nearly always growing', 

 especially if the soil is of a moist nature. 

 Along- tlie banks of streams it delights to 

 grow; and it is wonderful to see the buffet- 

 ing it will stand from ice, floods, etc. Once 

 getting a foothold it grows rapidly, and de- 

 fies almost an}- thing that would easily kill 

 any other tree. Within a few yards of our 

 home a sti'eam runs through a strip of bot- 

 tom land about a quarter of a mile wide, 

 and for a number of years these " flats " 

 near us were pastured closely. Every thing 

 had been cleared off in the shape of timber, 

 and naturally the cattle kept all Avillows 

 that miglit get a start after the spring floods 

 trimmed oft' at sight. During the past four 

 or five years this land has been devoted to 

 growing hay. and the willows that have 

 started along the sides of the stream are 

 forging ahead, and are in many cases out 

 of all danger of the cattle. The farmers do 

 not object to them, as they act as a soil- 

 binder and prevent the banks washing away 

 each spring. Great floods rush through this 

 flat land every spring, and floes of ice strip 

 off much of the bark of tlie young trees, but 

 still they grow. 



Fig. 1 shows some of the willows referred 

 to, and will give an idea of the harsh usage 

 liiey have to endure each spring in their 

 struggle for existence. The " flats '' had been 

 covered with a raging torrent the day before 

 the picture was taken, and the following 

 night a sharp frost came and the stream 

 lowered, leaving an ice jam about a quarter 



of a mile long. The willows can be seen at 

 the left of the picture, with the ice piled 

 around them. In the distance, and to the 

 left, can be seen our house, while to tike 

 light, still fui'ther away, will be noticed the 

 church that our family attends. 



The other picture shows the stream just 

 a few yai'ds west of the house, and a neigh- 

 bor's bridge for crossing to the road. The 

 large willows shown there were planted to 

 lielp hold the abutments of the bridge from 

 washing away in the spring freshets ; and 

 it is not so very many years since we stuck 

 in mere branches, and now they are great 

 trees that serve the purpose originally in- 

 tended when they were first planted, and 

 are, besides, a source of delight each year 

 to the beekeeper and his family who live 

 so near them. If any one has waste land 

 it certainly pays to plant the larger varieties 

 of willows for bee forage, as they grow so 

 very quickly and yield nectar every year 

 provided the weather is suitable for the bees 

 to visit the trees at the blooming period. 

 One man I know, who is not a beekeeper, 

 jilanfs willows along a narrow stream that 

 runs through his property, to avoid the land 

 washing away, and in addition to filling 

 that purpose admirably he systematically 

 uses this ground for producing fuel for his 

 use in summer months, cutting down the 

 trees as they assume large proportions, but 

 all the time putting in fresh slips to keej) 

 up the supplv. 



Mt. Joy, (int.. Can. 



Fig. '2. — 'Willows planted foi" the purpose of preventing bridge abutments from being washed away. 



