118 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



which should be cut squai'e across at 

 the lower ends, so that the roots may 

 come out evenly all round. The cut- 

 tings should be made from one-year 

 old wood from nine to twelve inches 

 long ; these should be set firmly in 

 the soil a good thi'ee-quarters of their 

 length, in rows four feet apart, the cut- 

 tings one foot apart in the row. The 

 plants should be allowed to gi'ow two 

 years without being cut, after which 

 they may be cut close to the stump 

 every autumn after the leaves hare 

 fallen. The cuttings are tied in bun- 

 dles, and stood in water during winter, 

 and are peeled when the sap rises in the 

 spring. They are sometimes steamed 

 and peeled in winter ; but steaming 

 spoils their color and injures their mar- 

 ket value. Sap-peeled willows are al- 

 ways in first demand. By cutting the 

 willows in the fall, the spring growth 

 does not appear to be injured as it 

 would if the shoots were removed dur- 

 ing that season. These willow shoots 

 are principally used for making bas- 

 kets and chairs ; for the frame work of 

 the latter a coarser wild willow is used. 

 Under favorable circumstances from 

 three to four tons are grown to the 

 acre. Three tons of green will pro- 

 duce one ton of the peeled cured ar- 

 ticle. The price varies with the de- 

 mand ; but in New York buyers only 

 offer 5^ cents per pound, delivered at 

 the cost of the shipper, who would also 

 have to pay 10 per cent. duty. They 

 are on occasions, however, as high as 

 7 to 11 cents. At 6 cents per pound, 

 $120 per acre would be realized. This 

 would give a clear profit per acre of 

 $80 or $90, after paying freight, duty, 

 and other expenses for labor ; but if 

 manufactured in the country and sold 

 as baskets, a much larger profit could 

 be made. I am indebted to Mr. Thos. 

 Truss, of the Brantford Asylum for the 

 Blind, who has kindly furnished some 

 of the foregoing information respecting 



the basket willow. He calls his wil- 

 low the Welsh variety ; whether it is 

 S. vimiiialis or not I have not been 

 able to ascei^tain ; it is certainly a very 

 fine variety for baskets and all sorts of 

 wicker ware. Cuttings may be had 

 from Mr. Truss at the rate of $2 per 

 thousand. Basket matting is nice light 

 employment for either boys or women, 

 and could be carried on during the 

 stoi'my days of winter. There are 

 large tracts of land which are over- 

 flowed every spring along the Ottawa, 

 and in many places in Canada, that 

 would Vje suitable for willow culture ; 

 and I see no reason why the basket 

 industry should not be more lai'gely 

 added to the other manufactures of this 

 country. Of course the necessary ma- 

 chines for peeling and splitting would 

 be i-equired, especially if the business 

 were gone into on a large scale. The 

 splitting knives and other articles are 

 by no. means expensive. 



AMARYLLIS. 



There is perhaps no plant cultivated 

 by the amateur florist that is more 

 easily grown when properly treated 

 than the Amaryllis, and doubtless very 

 few, if any, that more amply repay 

 him for the time and labor spent upon 

 them. 



In cultivating any plant or shrub 

 successfully we should know the condi- 

 tions under whicli it flourished at its 

 original place of growth. 



Tliese bulbs are natives of the Cape 

 of Good Hope and South Africa. 

 There they are subjected to a period of 

 continual wet followed by a correspond- 

 ing period of dryness. The heat of 

 the climate is most intense during their 

 period of dryness, consequently when 

 growing they demand an abundant sup- 

 ply of nourishment and moisture, but 

 during the season of rest a greater sup- 

 ply of heat and a lesser supply of 



