2 92 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



long, of which about 10 inches should be set in the 

 ground. Till the middle of June careful hoeing 

 and forking is necessary, and this costs from i to 

 2 an acre for each of the first two years till the 

 crop comes into bearing during the third year, 

 after which cleaning costs less as the dense and 

 rapid growth of the osiers prevents or chokes the 

 growth of weeds. In general, however, newly- 

 planted holts do not come into full bearing till 

 their fourth or fifth year. The annual growth 

 of the * rods ' or withies is completed in Septem- 

 ber, and varies from six to nine feet in length, or 

 even more in the case of vigorous stools. The 

 harvesting begins in January if the holts are 

 not under water or too marshy, and should be 

 completed before the sap rises, else the stools 

 ' bleed ' and the next crop is weak. Their 

 market value is increased by soaking the cut ends 

 in water and peeling the bark off when the water 

 has risen in the rods. The yield of rods is about 

 150 bunches, which may vary in total weight by 

 so much as from 5 to 10 tons; but they are re- 

 duced to about half their bulk when peeled. An 

 average crop consisting of 1 50 bunches of green 

 rods per acre has a market value of about 



