PLANTATIONS OF OSIERS. [_App. I. 



tioii, and as the foundation of its prosperity, and con- 

 sequently of the profit to be derived from it. Drains in 

 any ground to be occupied with a permanent crop of 

 trees, should be constructed upon principles of durabi- 

 lity. If the drains be what are called rubble drains, the 

 interstices will suddenly be filled up with the fibres of 

 the willow roots, which will creep down to drink the 

 oosing water. They ought therefore either to be open 

 drains, or drains built on the sides, and covered over with 

 flags, to prevent their being choked up with the roots. 

 A variety of cases may however occur, where it will be 

 impossible to form covered drains, or where, perhaps, 

 the expense might operate as a prohibition to doing so 

 with the view of planting willows. In such cases, the 

 ground may be formed into beds of a less or greater 

 size, according to circumstances, by cuts or drains of a 

 wideness and depth sufficient to by the soil dry. These 

 drains will require to be cleaned out every autumn 

 and spring. The scrapings may be thrown abroad up- 

 on the general surface of the beds. In several instan- 

 ces, where we have been employed in forming Osier 

 plantations, we have been compelled to make the bed* 

 only six feet wide, from the softness of the land ; yet 

 such plantations succeeded well. 



But, whatever be the width of the beds or ridges be- 

 tween the drains, the surface of grass ought to be well 

 reduced by crops of grain and green crops, wherever 

 the soil will at all produce such crops. 



In preparing ground for an Osier plantation ; if the 

 soil be poor, it should be well dressed with dung, as if 

 it were intended for a crop of wheat or barley. The 

 dung most proper for willows is stable dung. We have 

 found the twigs much facd, or spotted with a sort of 

 canker, so that they broke over thereat in attempting 



to 



