ft 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Jah 



Warder had exposed, and the other he would 

 Toneh for, as all etock will brouse it. It wiU 

 grow well in highly cultiyated land, and also in 

 standing water, as he has thus seen it the past 

 season. 



Mr. Bryant — It appeared to him that we had 

 the willow fever a little two high ; that we had 

 better move with caution and be admonished of 

 niorua muUievalia mania of the past. The idea 

 that by setting out a few thousand cuttings in 

 the prairie, and leave them to chance, and have 

 them turn up a forest in a few years, was too 

 much for him. As for a live fence he had little 

 faith in it, at least we had only nine years' expe- 

 rience, and it might be that it would not prove 

 sufficiently durable for that purpose — the trial 

 has been too short — we should wait, be more 

 cautious. Thirty-five years ago the ^Honey Lo- 

 cust was recommended for a fence, but it has 

 not succeeded, and he did not believe that it 

 would do so. For the benefit of Mr. B. and 

 others we will state that less Jhan that time the 

 Cherokee Rose was recommended by one of the 

 prominent editors of the N. T. Tribune, then a 

 Western farmer, but no trial has been made 

 of it. 



Mr. Emery did not belive that any'person who 

 could see the fences in Lee county would any 

 longer have doubts on the subject. 



Mr. Phenix has seen trees of it set in a fence 

 row, thirteen years old two feet in diameter near 

 the base, and this on very dry land. The trees 

 had branched and made a good fence. He thinks 

 it will make a good fence on all good soils. The 

 trees mentioned were 30 feet high and would n ake 

 a cord of wood each. lie thinks also that it will 

 prove long lived, as it is tenacious of life, under 

 almost all conditions. It will make rails, hewing 

 timber, and is adapted to many other purposes. 

 Would set it about one foot apart in the row, for 

 a fence, and use but the one row for even screens, 

 and if it is possible that this is too close. 



Mr. Minier would recommend that in planting 

 that the line of intended fence be mulched with 

 hay, straw, or corn stalks at once, and in the 

 spring set the plants by using a eharp spade to 

 cut through it, to put in the cuttings ; in this 

 case no further culture would be required. The 

 same treatment will answer for the osage or oth- 

 er trees used for the purpose of timber belts. 



Dr. Schroder would not recommend it for or- 

 chard fencing, as it will prove a great harbor 

 for insects, more especially the melolontkus Had 

 ■we the sparrows, as in Germany, we would get 

 rid of many of our insects, but until we get the 



sparrows he would not plant the willow. Tbiaki 



it will not make a first rate fence. 

 Mr. Sherman says it will stand cutting, haviiig 



seen it cut back in the fence to four feet, and 



making good fence — will grow well on dry 



ground — can be cut back at any age. 

 E. S. Pike has seen trees that have been cut 



ofi", for the past forty years, once in three years. 



Each time cut a little higher. These were two 



or three feet apart, and none of them had failed. 



They all grew of a uniform hight. In a fence 



they diverge from a vertical position, yet the 



boll^ are straight. 



Mr. Smith of Willow Creek, cut two crops of 



grass close under this fence, being a better yield 

 than a few rods from it. Has a letter Mr. Da- 

 pont saying that he has posts standing thirty 

 years and yet sound. 



Mr. Gill had seen the fence of this willow in 

 Lee county, and could testify that it made a good 

 fence, and he had no doubt that tb's willow will 

 make a first rate fence, in all respects as good 

 as the Osage, of which he has a large amount, 

 and In some respects better than^that plant, w 

 it will afford shelter and fuel. Intends to plant 

 largely for fences for his sheep farm. Cattle 

 and sheep will browse on it. 



Mr. Huggins had no doubt that it would mak* 

 a good fence, but as to a hedge, he had some 

 doubts. 



Mr. Galusha would state that though the 

 sward grows it cannot be grown close up to the 

 trees, yet a good crop of grass can be procured, 

 80 that there is no loss of space in cons^ 

 quence. 



lUPOSITIOK. 



Mr. Bryant said that many of our native wil* 

 lows 80 closely resemble this in color of the 

 bark, that it would not be detected in the oat- 

 tings, and would advise caution in the purchase* 

 We are told here by reliable person that parties 

 are now cutting large quantities of our native 

 willow to be palmed off for this white willow. 



C. D. Bragdon would advise caution. He 

 had no doubt that where a fence, shelter ami J 

 timber are required, that it would prove valoft- 

 ble. 



Mr. Edwards says that it is used, near Cin- 

 cinnati, for the ribs or frame work of basket*, 

 but not for the filling, and that he purchased it 

 as a basket willow. 



The question of its vilue for a live fence wee 

 new put and carried, we believe, withoat e difl* 

 sent. 3 



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