148 FOREST PLANTING. 



they lose their flexibility, and becoming stiff and 

 immovable, the intruding waters create behind them 

 whirlpools which undermine the soft soil, and form pools 

 with stagnant water, by which not only the further 

 plant-growth but also the consistency of the bank is 

 endangered. What kinds of willows of the many indig- 

 enous species we should employ for the purposes statfed, 

 will be best learned from experience made in the different 

 localities of our State in regard to the growth and 

 behavior of the same. That our indigenous species are 

 not of great economic value especially for osier purposes 

 is pretty certain, as their twigs and rods are mostly 

 wanting the flexibility which renders them so useful in 

 basket-making. To furnish the required material for 

 this growing industry we therefore have had for years 

 to look — and are still looking upon importations of 

 rods from Germany. Lately, however, the cultivation 

 of some of the foreign species having met with success 

 here, we are now able to advantageously employ a culture 

 by which many areas of lands may be made profitable 

 which otherwise would be entirely useless. 



The willows mostly used in Germany for industrial 

 purposes are : salix purpurea and viminalis. The latter 

 grows tree-like, while the former develops into shrubs. 

 Salix viminalis produces a much larger quantity of twigs, 

 and strong ones at that, which farmers use for building 

 fences. Salix imrpurea is by far not so coarse as vimi- 

 nalis and, therefore especially in demand for the manu- 

 facture of the finer grades of willow-ware. In our 

 State the salix purpurea is called the red osier, and 

 although imported from Germany, succeeds very 

 well. It produces numerous pliant, evenly grown 

 rods which are especially adapted for wattling pur- 

 poses. This willow, the bark of which furnishes also 

 the material for extracting salicylic acid, is not so fasti- 



