The Willows. 279 



The ashes of the willow are rich in potash, and the leaves in some 

 countries are gathered for feeding sheep in winter. 



1125. Among the willows of large growth, the "White Willow 

 {S. alia) is by far the most important. It is sometimes called the 

 gray or Huntingdon willow, and is already widely introduced in the 

 prairie region of the northwest, where it is valued above all others 

 as a wind-break. 



1126. The white willow is found to thrive exceedingly well in 

 Northern Iowa and in Minnesota, as a hedge and screen. It grows 

 with great rapidity, and its wood is useful as a fuel, and, when 

 peeled and seasoned, as poles for all kinds of farm uses. When 

 split and nailed to posts, it makes a very good fence. 



1127. This willow is readily propagated from cuttings, as already 

 described, and they should be set rather deep in soil liable to drouth, 

 and so thick that they will shade the ground early, but care should 

 be taken to thin them out as soon as they become crowded. 



1128. The Round-leaved or Goat- Willow (S. capred). This 

 is one of the kinds of willow that grow to a large size, with a tough 

 elastic wood, of about the same market value as the birch. The 

 bark is used for tanning leather. This willow, in England, is much 

 prized for coppice-growth, where there is a demand for hoops, poles, 

 rods for crates, sheep-fences, or similar uses, and no tree cut once in 

 three or four years will yield in a short period a greater bulk of 

 faggot wood. On congenial soil, the growth of one season is from 

 eight to twelve feet long, and an inch in diameter at a yard from 

 the ground. It grows forty or fifty feet high, and from one and a 

 half to two feet in diameter. It stands exposure to the sea winds 

 better than most trees. 



1129. The Bedford Willow (S. RusseUiana') is of rapid growth, 

 and the wood equal to that of the white willow, if not superior. 

 The Red-Wood Willow (S. fragilis). This has a light, tough, and 

 durable wood, but when old it is very liable to die at the top. The 

 specific name is given from the facility with which the twigs used 

 for basket-work, break from the tree, although the twigs themselves 

 are tough and pliable. 



1130. Willow, when sawn into boards, is extremely light, but 

 tough, and is not apt to splinter or receive damage from the fall or 

 friction of hard materials. It is for this reason much prized as a 

 lining for cart-bodies and barrows. In England it is highly prized 



