WILLOWS : THEIB GROWTH, USE, AND IMPORTANCE. 47 



be thoroughly plowed. If this can not be done and the cuttings must 

 be planted among bowlders, among other trees, or in brush, clear 

 spaces should be selected wherever possible or the brush should be 

 lopped back in order to give the cuttings a chance to start. Once 

 started, the willows soon outstrip the brush and eventually kill it 

 by shading. 



All planting should be done in early spring. How deep cuttings 

 should be planted depends somewhat on then size. In planting for 

 low coppice crops, a 12-inch cutting should be buried almost its 

 entire length, leaving but 1 or 2 inches exposed. This portion should 

 possess one or two buds. When longer cuttings are used, the depth 

 should be 12 to 15 inches. Pollard sets should be planted about 18 

 mches deep. For making the holes to plant small cuttings a sharp- 

 ened iron bar may be used, but for the larger cuttings a spade is 

 necessary. In every case the soil should be packed firmly around 

 the cutting. 



The spacing of the cuttings is dependent upon the kind of land to 

 be used and the crop desired. If the land is clear, a regular interval 

 can be employed, but on steep slopes and among brushy or rocky 

 obstructions it is better to plant wherever a favorable spot can be 

 found or made. If a regular interval is employed and lumber is 

 desired, the cuttings are planted 6 by 6 feet or 1,210 plants per acre. 

 Thinnings are made at the end of 8 or 9 years, reducing trees to half 

 the original number, and at the end of 16 or 20 years, reducing the 

 number of trees to about 300 per acre. The material taken out can 

 be used for charcoal wood or for fuel. At the end of 30 or 40 years 

 the land should be stocked with at least 150 trees, most of them of 

 suitable size and shape for willow lumber. However, the majority 

 of willow plantations in this country will be intended for fuel, paper 

 pulp, or posts, and for these purposes it is better to plant about 

 5 by 5 for a 6 to 10 year rotation and 6 by 6 or 8 by 8 for a 12 to 20 

 year rotation. 



COST OF PLANTING. 



Under most conditions willow plantations can be established more 

 cheaply than plantations of any other species. Cuttings are used in 

 all cases. It is well to prepare the land before planting by a thorough 

 plowing, disking, and harrowing. This costs from $1.50 to $3 per 

 acre. If the land is pasture land or an abandoned field, some work 

 in brush or tree removal is often necessary. This costs up to $3 per 

 acre. If a greater expense than this is necessary it is advisablo to 

 clear the land for plowing. In such cases it is best to destroy the 

 brush cheaply, by burning, for instance, and then planting in spots 

 wherever possible. J>y this procedure the cost of plowing is elimi- 

 nated but the cost of planting is correspondingly increased* Cut- 

 tings for planting can be made for 50 cents per thousand and can bo 



