248 
Willows and their Cultivation. 
shelter and moisture. I could point out young trees only three years 
planted standing from twelve to fifteen feet in height ; and I believe that 
were it introduced extensively into all hollow parts of forest ground the 
planter would have a return from his crop which is but seldom realised bv 
the planting of our common hardwood and fir trees in such situations. 
He further states the wood of all the tree willows is much 
sought after and preferred in all cases to that of the poplar. It 
is reckoned more tough and durable than the latter, and is used 
for a great variety of country purposes. It makes excellent 
charcoal for powder manufacturers, and is much sought after on 
this account. 
He proceeds : — 
In making harrows for agricultural purposes, the wood of the saugh or 
willow is much used, and as a paling rail it will last much better than the 
young wood of the Scots pine or spruce fir. Its branches make excellent 
posts for palings, but they are very apt to grow and set out young shoots. 
To prevent this tendency of the wood the posts should be made and laid 
aside to dry for a few weeks before they are used. 
In order to have the wood of the willow clean and tall for useful 
purposes, the trees should be planted in a mass and drawn up consider- 
ably either among themselves, or planted at 12 feet distance with a few 
larch or spruce firs among them as nurses for a time. This is particularly 
necessary with the Huntingdon willow, which is extremely liable to set 
oil into large branches if left to itself in any open part without confine- 
ment, but where planted close together, or mixed with a proportion of 
firs it rises to a great height before branching off, and when timeously 
thinned excellent timber is produced. As’ its wood is soft and open in 
the grain the willow, and indeed the poplar too, should never be pruned 
except in the young state. If any branch of considerable size be taken 
from a full-grown tree, the wound never heals up ; the weather takes effect 
upon the cut part at once, and soon produces rot, rendering the timber near 
it useless. Therefore, in pruning, let them be put into proper shape while 
young, and in order to do away entirely with pruning, grow them for a 
few years closely together, which will prevent the side branches spreading 
to any undue proportion. 
This is corroborated by facts before me. We had in the 
Chester Nurseries some large specimen trees of Salix alba, 
which had been standing for some 30 or 35 years, effective and 
beautiful from a decorative point of view. They had, eventu- 
ally, to be taken down some four or five years ago. They were 
over 60 feet high and proportionate in girth. They com- 
manded ready sale at good prices, and the timber merchant 
who bought them wrote us more than once to ask if we could 
spare more. 
Willow-Culture on Sewage Farms. 
A modern feature of osier-farming, which deserves at least a 
brief notice, is the growing of willows under a system of irriga- 
tion pp sewage farpis. The pot unnatural dislike to sewage 
