THE BROAD-LEAVED TREES 163 



willow. It is not so good for basket-making, and only makes 

 inferior cricket-bats. 



The Osier (Salix viminalis). 



The osier is not a tree-willow, and is solely planted for 

 coppicing in osier beds to provide material for basket- 

 making. It requires a fertile soil, and succeeds best along 

 river beds in low-lying land which is occasionally flooded. 

 It is light-demanding and a rapid grower. It is fairly hardy, 

 but sometimes suffers from frost. The coppice is usually cut 

 annually, and the stools last for twelve or fifteen years. 



Willows, generally, are attacked by a large number of 

 insects, but the damage done is not usually serious, nor do 

 fungi do much harm. 



L 2 



