462 



Cricket Bat Willow. 



[NOV., 



timber in other respects, it is of very inferior merit for the 

 making of cricket bats. It is, in fact, used only for the manu- 

 facture of cheap bats for children. 



The Best " Close-Bark " Willow (Salix alba, L. var. caerulea, 

 Syme [S. caerulea, Smith].) — The willow selected by Mr. Shaw 

 as the very best one for bat-making is a tree of markedly 

 pyramidal habit ; it is female or seed-bearing ; and it belongs 

 to the bluish-leaved variety of the white willow. It is, therefore, 

 a pyramidal form of Salix alba, var. caerulea $ . The bark is 

 less rough than in S. fragilis, and the corrugations are less 

 prominent, straighter, and more continuous up and down the 

 trunk of the tree. The wood is white, and when it is being split 

 does not part so easily as the " open-bark " does, but splinters 

 a good deal. This splintering, or tearing, down the cleft is 

 regarded as an evidence of good quality. 



According to Mr. Shaw trees of this type are only to be found 

 at the present time in the counties of Essex, Hertford, and 

 Suffolk. A few trees were at one time growing in Kent and 

 Surrey, but it is his belief that the true " bat willow " is no 

 longer to be obtained there. Neither Cambridgeshire nor 

 Lincolnshire has it, nor does it exist (except for recent plantings) 

 north of the Trent. This all goes to show that this willow is 

 a local form, and that only those " sets " can be relied on 

 which have been obtained from the right district. Salix alba, 

 var. caerulea 2 is grown at Kew, where there are two fine speci- 

 mens on the banks of the lake. But although in character of 

 leaf and fruit they are identical with the typical trees selected 

 by Mr. Shaw on the Copped Hall estate, in habit they are quite 

 different. The trunks have forked low, and the habit is more 

 spreading. Although some of the Copped Hall trees are 

 growing in hedgerows and have ample room for lateral develop- 

 ment, their tapering pyramidal form is a most noticeable 

 characteristic. This is associated with, and may in some 

 measure be due to, a great vigour of growth. 



In regard to quality of timber for cricket bats, the typical 

 S. alba appears to be intermediate between 5. alba var. caerulea 

 and 5. viridis (see below). Botanically there is no well-marked 

 dividing line between 5. alba and 5. alba var. caerulea, the two 

 being united by intermediate forms. It is possible that the 

 quality of timber improves as the tree approaches the latter. 



