THE WILLOWS 



ALONG THE BANKS OP THE POTOMAC 



These weeping willows on the Mall at the nation's capital add greatly to the beauty of the Potomac River shore line and to the driveway which is just beyond 



them. There are hundreds of these trees, many of them quite eld. 



of long silky hairs attached at one end to a tiny seed 

 like the down of dandelions and thistles. 



Procrastination is never a failing of the willow tribe. 

 Wherever an opportunity occurs for the willows to gain a 

 foothold in soils favorable for their growth, they are 

 quick to colonize. The seeds ripen early in the growing 

 season and, although they retain their vitality but a short 

 time, they have the advantage of getting a good start 



long before many other trees have begun to bloom. The 

 seeds, equipped with thin silken parachutes, float through 

 the air as easily as bits of down. Because the parent trees 

 usually grow near the water, much of the seed is borne 

 away on spring freshets to be cast on a distant sandbar 

 or mud flat exposed by the receding water. The streams 

 carry away willow twigs and branches or entire trees 

 growing along their banks, and these root and grow when 



WILLOW USED AS A WIND-BREAK 



The effect of the prevailing winds is shown by the form of these white willows on a farm in Iowa. They are planted to shield the adjoining fields from the wind, 



and they have besides this very evident practical purpose a decidedly ornamental value. 



