486 Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 



for shelter-plantations, on account of their rapidity of growth, 

 uninflammability and easy propagation ; the latter quality they 

 share with most willows. A variety or hybrid of this species is 

 the Bedford-Willow, also called Leicester-Willow, Salix Russelliana 

 (Smith), which yields a light, elastic, tough timber, more tannin 

 in its bark than oak, and more salicin (a substitute for quinine and 

 most valuable as an anti-rheumatic remedy) than most of its con- 

 geners. According to Sir H. Davy the inner layers of the bark 

 contain fully 16 per cent, tannin, the whole bark only about 7 per 

 cent. 



Salix Humboldtiana, Willdenow. 



Through a great part of South- America, southward as far as 

 Patagonia, there furnishing building timber for inside-structures. 

 This Willow is of pyramidal habit, attains a height of 50 feet and 

 more, and is in moist ground of quick and ready growth. The 

 wood is locally much in use for yokes and other implements. 

 Many kinds of willows can be grown for consolidating shifting 

 sand-ridges. 



Salix Japonica, Thunberg. 



Japan. Here mentioned, to draw attention to its distinctness 

 from S. Babylonica, to which Prof. Andersson referred it as a 

 variety. 



Salix longifolia, Muehlenberg. 



North-America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Acquires 

 finally a height of about 20 feet ; likes to creep on sand and gravel 

 along river-banks. It is one of the species forming long flexible 

 wytlies. S. petiolaris (Smith) and S. tristis (Aiton) are among 

 the North-American species best fitted for binding sand. 



Salix lucida, Muehlenberg. 



One of the Osiers of North- America, reaching Canada. Likes 

 river-banks for its habitation. 



Salix nigra, Marshall. (S. Purshiana, Sprengel.) 



The Black Willow of North-America. It attains a height of 30 

 feet. One of the willows used for basket-work, although it is sur- 

 passed in excellence by some other species, and is more important as 

 a timber-willow. Mr. W. Scaling of Basford includes it among the 

 sorts, which he recommends in his valuable publication, " The Wil- 

 low," London, 1871. Krahe's "Lehrbuch der Korbweiden-Kultur " 

 (Aachen 1 886) should also be consulted ; it has gone through 

 several editions. Mr. M. A. Bebb of Illinois has latterly devoted 

 great attention to the study of the American willows. 



