2io Planting, Cleaning, and Cutting Willows, [june, 



they will very often die or sicken, whilst two-year-old sets, 

 being much stouter and their bark far thicker, will withstand 

 the dry time more successfully. 



Twelve inches is the best length to cut the sets. They 

 must be cut on the slant for inserting in the ground ; but the 

 end which is to remain out of the ground should be cut nearly 

 straight and just above an eye. With this extra care very 

 few sets will show any dead wood, and a nicely-shaped head 

 will be the result. The cutting of the sets must be performed 

 with a sharp knife, so as not to bruise the bark or wood. 

 They must be buried so that about one inch is left exposed 

 above the surface, and the eyes must always point upwards. 

 The land, being freshly broken up, will subside a little during 

 the summer, leaving the head something like two inches out 

 of the ground. If the sets are cut longer the extra length 

 is wasted, because the roots seldom strike more than ten 

 inches below the surface, whilst if the sets are left higher out 

 of the ground the crop — after the close of the growing season 

 — will be needlessly exposed to the winter winds, which have 

 great force, and sway the heads to such an extent that they 

 are often loosened, and consequently die through the admis- 

 sion of frost and water. Particularly is this the case with 

 the first, or maiden, crop, on account of the small root 

 growth. The closer the head or stool is to the ground the 

 greater resistance it can offer to the action of storms. Many 

 French growers have been used to plant sets at an angle 

 of 45 degrees on the supposition that they thus root more 

 freely. This we believe to be an error, and indeed it is now 

 being discarded in favour of vertical planting. 



Growers should always plant more than one sort, because 

 seasons vary greatly, and whilst one may do well generally, 

 it often happens that another will do far better. It is indis- 

 pensable that every species or variety be planted true to its 

 kind. We cannot be too emphatic on this point, because 

 when sold green for buffing different kinds produce marked 

 contrasts in colour, even when the treatment is identical, 

 and when this is the case the market for high-class manu- 

 factured goods is either lost or a much lower price realised. 

 Nothing from the standpoint of the skilled worker is worse 

 than to see several shades of material in his product. The 



