SAL 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



SAL 



511 



herbaceous, natives of temperate or very cold climates, and 

 generally of a wet soil ; that the leaves are deciduous, stalked, 

 simple, and undivided, almost always alternate; the stipulas 

 in pairs at the base of the footstalks, various according to 

 the age of the tree, or luxuriance of the branch ; and that 

 the flowers and fruits are in separate, axillary, or terminating 

 aments, or catkins, which, when young, are covered with a 



single scale like a veil. The species are, 



* Leaves smooth, serrate. 



1. Salix Hermaphroditica; Hermaphrodite Willow. Leaves 

 serrate, smooth ; flowers hermaphrodite, two-stamined. This 

 is distinguished from the Bay-leaved Willow, in having the 

 upper surface of the leaves wilh scored, not with raised veins. 

 Native of Sweden, found in the neighbourhood of Upsal. 

 Propagation and Culture. This, like all the Willows, may 

 be easily propagated by cuttings or sets, either in the spring 

 or autumn, but the spring should be preferred. They are of 

 a quick growth : those which grow to be large trees, and are 

 cultivated for their timber, are generally planted from sets, 

 which are about seven, eight, or nine feet long; these are 

 sharpened at their larger end, and thrust into the ground 

 two feet and a half deep by the sides of ditches and banks, 

 where the ground is moist, in which places they make a con- 

 siderable progress, and are a great improvement to such 

 estates, because their tops will be fit to lop every six or 

 seventh year. This is the usual method now practised in 

 most parts of England, where the trees are cultivated, as they 

 816 generally intended for present profit; but if they are de- 

 signed for large trees, or are cultivated for their wood, they 

 should be planted in a different manner ; for those which are 

 planted from ^ets of seven or eight feet long, always send 

 out a number of branches towards the top, which spread and 

 form large heads fit for lopping, but their principal stem never 

 advances in height ; therefore where regard is paid to that, 

 they should be propagated by short young branches, which 

 should be put almost their whole length in the ground, leaving 

 but two, or at most three, buds uncovered ; which, when they 

 have made one year's shoot, should be all three cut off, except 

 one of the strongest and best situated, which must be trained 

 up to a stem, and treated in the same way as timber-trees. 

 If these are planted with such design, the rows should be 

 eight feet asunder, and the sets four feet distance in the rows; 

 by planting them so close, they will naturally draw each 

 other upward, and, when they are grown so large as to cover 

 the ground and meet, they should be gradually thinned, so 

 as at last to leave the rows twelve feet asunder, and the 

 plants in the rows eight. When thus managed, the trees will 

 grow to a large size, and often exceed the height of forty 

 feet. When these cuttings are planted, it is usual to sharpen 

 those ends to a point which are put into the ground, for the 

 better thrusting of them in ; but the best way is to cut them 

 horizontally, just below the bud or eye, and to make the hole 

 in the ground with an iron instrument. When the cuttings 

 are put into the ground, it should be pressed close about 

 them with the heel to settle it, and prevent the air from pene- 

 trating deeply. The after care must be to keep them clear 

 from weeds the two first seasons, by which time they will 

 have acquired so much strength, as to overpower and keep 

 J own the weeds ; they will also require some trimming in 



inter, to take off any lateral shoots, which if suffered to 

 grow, would retard their upright progress. The larger wood, 

 if sound, is commonly sold for wooden heels for shoes, as 

 also for turners for many kinds of light ware. 



2. Salix Triandra ; 'Long-leaved Three-stammed Willow. 

 Three-stamined : leaves linear-oblong, serrate, smooth ; ger- 

 mina pedicelled. The bark of the stem and branches, in 

 OL. ii. 108. 



this species, peels off spontaneously, almost like that of the 

 Plane-tree. The branches are upright, long, slender, pliable, 

 and tough, though somewhat brittle at their insertion, and 

 their bark is brownish and smooth. The colour of the twigs 

 is yellow. It is not usual for Willows to flower both in spring 

 and autumn ; which is often done by this species. It is natu- 

 rally a tree thirty feet or more in height; but being one of 

 the best Osiers for the use of the basket-makers, is generally 

 cut and kept low. It may be admitted into ornamental plan- 

 tations, the male catkins being very numerous, of a bright 

 yellow colour, and of an agreeable scent. For this purpose 

 the male tree should be preferred, because the females quickly 

 shed their catkins, and make a litter. It flowers in April or 

 May. Native of many parts of Europe, as Britain, Germany, 

 Switzerland, France, Flaiiders.Carniola, Piedmont, and Siberia. 

 See the forty-fifth species. Withering prescribes the bark for 

 the ague, in doses of one or two drachms ; and Woodville is 

 of opinion, that the bark of this species is more effectual than 

 that of any other of this genus. Willows, says Scopoli, 

 support the banks of rivers, supply bands or withs, feed a 

 great variety of insects, rejoice the bees, yield abundance of 

 fire-wood, drain marshy soils, and feed cattle with their 

 leaves, which afford a succedaneum to Jesuit's bark. The 

 uses of the Willow, including the Sallow and Osier, are thus 

 minutely detailed by the venerable Evelyn; they are, says 

 he, suitable for all kinds of basket work ; the wood is used 

 for pill-boxes, cart saddle-trees, gun-stocks, and half pikes, 

 harrows, shoemakers' lasts, heels, clogs for pattens, forks, 

 rakes, especially the teeth, perches, rafters for hovels, lad- 

 ders, poles for hop-vines and kidney-beans; to make hurdles, 

 sieves, lattices ; for the turners in making great platters, 

 small casks, and vessels to hold verjuice ; for pales, fruit- 

 baskets, cans, hives, trenchers, trays, boards for whetting 

 table-knives, particularly for painters' scriblets, bavin, and 

 excellent sweet firing w.ithout smoke. The wood, if peeled, 

 and steeped in water for some months, will last a good while 

 fur poles. The ancient Britons made boats of wicker, covered 

 with skins, with which they passed rivers and arms of the 

 sea ; and these boats were light enough to be carried by one 

 man. Modern Britons wield Willow bats in their favourite 

 and manly amusement of cricket. The ancient Britons were 

 noted for their ingenuity in weaving baskets, which they 

 exported in large quantities : they were of elegant workman- 

 ship, and bore a high price, and are mentioned by Juvenal 

 among the extravagantly expensive furniture of the Roman 

 tables in his time : 



" Adde et bascaudas, et mille escaria. 



" Add baskets, and a thousand other dishes." 

 That these baskets were manufactured in Britain, we learn 

 from the following Epigram of Martial : 



Barbara depictis veni Itascanda. Britannis, 



Sed me jam mamdt dicere Roma suam. 



"A basket I, by painted Britons wrought, 



" And now to Rome's imperial city brought." 

 3. Salix Pentandra ; Bay-leaved Willow. Five-stamined : 

 leaves elliptic-lanceolate, crenulate, smo.oth; germina smooth, 

 subsessile. This species frequently grows to a tree ten or 

 twelve feet high, with a trunk as large as a man's thigh; the 

 twigs are of a reddish colour tinged with yellow. It is well 

 known by its broad and odoriferous leaves, the serratures of 

 which exude a copious yellow resin, and its numerous sta- 

 mina, commonly about five to each flower. The catkins are 

 very sweet-scented. It is much used in Yorkshire, for making 

 the larger sort of baskets. The leaves afford a yellow dye ; 

 and the wood makes a crackling fire. The down of the 

 seeds, mixed with a third part of cotton, has proved to be a 

 very good substitute for cotton itself, and has been used for 

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