The Willow. 



574. Roots will come, or rather go, out of every part of 

 the pole into the ground, and shoots will come upwards 

 from those parts of the poles which are not covered. The 

 whole pole becomes a main root or set of roots, and the 

 little parts left uncovered become so many stems or stools, 

 which will produce a crop, and a pretty large one too, 

 several years sooner than you can get the first trifling crop 

 from the truncheons. This work should be done in 

 February or early in March, and a,s soon as convenient 

 after the poles are cut. 



575. If you proceed by truncheons, that is to say, by 

 Willow cuttings an inch through or thereabouts, or per- 

 haps more, these should be about two feet long, and put 

 into the ground at the distances above-mentioned. Both 

 ends should be cut off smoothly with a sloping cut, and the 

 butt end, of course, put into the ground ^ but not by thrust- 

 ing dovs^n by main force, but by making a hole with some- 

 thing else to the proper depth, and putting the truncheon 

 down into it, and then treading round it and fixmg it well in 

 the ground, as you would a young tree, leaving about three 

 or four inches above the ground, 



576. This work is also to be done in Febmary or March. 

 Several shoots will come out of each plant the first summer, 

 but the whole of them except one should be taken off during 

 the next winter, in order to give stoutness to the stem or 

 trunk. During the next winter the stems are to be cut 

 down to the ground, and then be sutfered to go on to 

 become ^ coppice. This is a poor way of doing the thing 

 compared to the other way, and here are two years lost into 

 the bargain ; but the great obstacle is the first cost : the 

 truncheons are worth little or nothing ; but the poles, espe- 

 cially in hop countries, are worth forty or fifty shillings the 



