Workers in Wood. 63 



In the meadows of the vale the waters of the 

 same stream irrigate numerous scattered withy-beds, 

 pollard willow-trees, and tall willow-poles growing 

 thickly in the hedges by the brook. The most suit- 

 able of these poles are purchased from the farmers 

 by the willow handicraftsmen of the village up here, 

 to be split into thin flexible strips and plaited or 

 woven into various articles. These strips are made 

 into ladies' work-baskets and endless knick-knacks. 

 The flexibility of the willow is surprising when re- 

 duced to these narrow pieces, scarcely thicker than 

 stout paper. This industry used to keep many hands 

 employed. There were willow-looms in the village, 

 and to show their dexterity the weavers sometimes 

 made a shirt of willow of course only as a curiosity. 

 The development of straw weaving greatly interfered 

 with this business ; and now it is followed by a few 

 only, who are chiefly engaged in preparing the raw 

 material to go elsewhere. 



From the ash woods on the slopes, and the copses, 

 of the fields, large ash-poles are brought, which one 

 or two old men in the place spend their time splitting 

 up for ' flakes ' a ' flake ' being a frame of light 

 wood, used after the manner of a hurdle to stop a 

 gap, or pitched in a row to part a field into two. 

 Hurdle-making is another industry ; but of late years 

 hurdles have been made on a large scale by master 

 carpenters in the market-towns, who employ several 

 men, and undersell the village maker. 



The wheelwright is perhaps the busiest man in 

 the place ; he not only makes and mends wagon 

 and cart wheels, and the body of those vehicles, 

 but does almost every other kind of carpentering. 



