CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
THE WILLOWS. 
The White Willow.—Its Ornamental Value and Elevated Growth.— 
Manner of Growth and Usefulness.—Its Supposed Worthlessness 
the Result of Fraud.—Description of its Wood.—The Brittle Wil- 
_ low.—Its Height, Growth, Rarity, and Uses.—Weeping Willow.— 
Its Ornamental Advantages.—Places Favorable to its Growth.— 
Largest Specimens, Where Produced.—Grafting of the Kilmarnock 
and American Willow.—Shining Willow —Its Exceeding Orna- 
ment.—Its Growth on Careful Culture.—Its Favorite Places of 
Growth.—How Recognized.—Peculiar Feature of its Leaves. 
THE WHITE WILLOW. 
Tuis is a very ornamental tree, and rises to the height 
of eighty or ninety feet, with a diameter of from four to 
six feet. It is rapid of growth, and makes a good wind- 
break. Some sharpers, quite recently, praised the white 
willow up to be such an excellent hedge-plant, and cir- 
culated such extravagant stories of its beauties in that 
respect, that enormous quantities of shoots and cuttings 
were sold, and this fraud was carried to such an extent 
as to injure the reputation of the tree as a wind-break 
and for fuel. I, for one, however, can testify that in 
a short time, if grown thickly together, it forms an al- 
most impenetrable wind-break. The trees are not worth 
much for lumber on account of not being able to with- 
stand the changes of weather. The wood is white, soft, 
and light. It produces long, straight, lithe poles, which 
are sometimes used for fence-rails. Its most extensive 
use is in the production of charcoal for gunpowder; it is 
also used for tanning purposes. 
