WILLOWS : THEIR GROWTH, USE, AND IMPORTANCE. 47 
be thoroughly plowed. If this can not be done and the cuttings must 
be planted among bowlders, among other trees, or in brush, clear 
spaces should be selected wherever possible or the brush should be 
lopped back in order to give the cuttings a chance to start. Once 
started, the willows soon outstrip the brush and eventually kill it 
by shading. 
All planting should be done in early spring. How deep cuttings 
should be planted depends somewhat on their size. In planting for 
low coppice crops, a 12-inch cutting should be buried almost its 
entire length, leaving but 1 or 2 inches exposed. This portion should 
possess one or two buds. When longer cuttings are used, the depth 
should be 12 to 15 inches. Pollard sets should be planted about 18 
inches deep. For making the holes to plant small cuttings a sharp- 
ened iron bar may be used, but for the larger cuttings a spade is 
necessary. In every case the soil should be packed firmly around 
the cutting. 
The spacing of the cuttings is dependent upon the kind of land to 
be used and the crop desired. If the land is clear, a regular interval 
can be employed, but on steep slopes and among brushy or rocky 
obstructions it is better to plant wherever a favorable spot can be 
found or made. If a regular interval is employed and lumber is 
desired, the cuttings are planted 6 by 6 feet or 1,210 plants per acre. 
Thinnings are made at the end of 8 or 9 years, reducing trees to half 
the original number, and at the end of 16 or 20 years, reducing the 
number of trees to about 300 per acre. The material taken out can 
be used for charcoal wood or for fuel. At the end of 30 or 40 years 
the land should be stocked with at least 150 trees, most of them of 
suitable size and shape for willow lumber. However, the majority 
of willow plantations in this country will be intended for fuel, paper 
pulp, or posts, and for these purposes it is better to plant about 
5 by 5 for a 6 to 10 year rotation and 6 by 6 or 8 by 8 for a 12 to 20 
year rotation. 
COST OF PLANTING. 
Under most conditions willow plantations can be established more 
cheaply than plantations of any other species. Cuttings are used in 
all cases. It is well to prepare the land before planting by a thorough 
plowing, disking, and harrowing. This costs from $1.50 to $3 per 
acre. If the land is pasture land or an abandoned field, some work 
in brush or tree removal is often necessary. This costs up to $3 per 
acre. If a greater expense than this is necessary it is advisable to 
clear the land for plowing. In such cases it is best to destroy the 
brush cheaply, by burning, for instance, and then planting in spots 
wherever possible. By this procedure the cost of plowing is elimi- 
nated but the cost of planting is correspondingly increased. Cut- 
tings for planting can be made for 50 cents per thousand and can be 
