AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
289 
THE OSIER, OR BASKET 
WILLOW. 
As stated in a former volume, there is some 
doubt whether the growth of willows on a large 
scale can be made profitable in this country, as the 
lower price of labor, particularly, and longer ex¬ 
perience, &e., enable Europeans to furnish them 
to us cheaper than we can produce them. Two 
or three individuals, having an ax to grind, but 
„ recently took pains to get up an excitement on 
this topic, and they succeeded in leading astray a 
large portion of the agricultural press. The amount 
of willows imported into the country was stated 
more than ten times too high, as we took occasion 
to show from the Government Custom House 
records. But there is no reason why willow cul¬ 
ture should not in a few years become profitable 
here, and it is well to carry on some preliminary 
experiments. We therefore present a few hints 
on this topic. 
The books tell us that willows have been raised 
for domestic use, from a remote antiquity. “ The 
willow,” says Tliny, “ furnishes long props for sup¬ 
porting vines ; and the bark may be employed for 
tying up the shoots ; and the young shoots are 
much used for basket-making, and for fodder for 
horses, cows, oxen and sheep.” In his day, they 
were used also for making shields. Cato ranked 
the willow-field next in value to the vineyard and 
the garden. The Germans, French and English 
have long grown them for making baskets, hoops, 
ropes, chairs, hurdles, children’s carriages, cradles 
and toys, hampers, ladies’ work-baskets, and 
crates. They have also been used as fodder for 
cattle, the young shoots being cut while green, 
then dried and stacked like hay. The French in¬ 
sist that horses fed on this food, will travel long¬ 
er and better than with any other kind of nourish¬ 
ment. In Northern countries, such as Sweden, 
Norway and Lapland, the inner bark is cured and 
ground to mix with oatmeal, in time of scarcity. 
The outer bark and leaves of some varieties have 
astringent properties, and may be used in tanning, 
also in dyeing black. From one variety, (Salix 
helix,) a medicinal substance has been extracted, 
which, for many purposes, is as useful as Peru¬ 
vian bark. One writer sees in this “ a wise pro¬ 
vision of Providence in placing remedies for agues 
exactly in those moist, marshy situations where 
ihese diseases are most prevalent.” 
We are surprised to learn that the variety of 
willows is so great. In the year 1650, only ten 
species were known in England. In 1737, nine¬ 
teen sorts are mentioned. In 1819, we read of 
141. Several years later, the botanists had en¬ 
rolled 254! About 30 species are indigenous in 
England: in this country, we know not how 
many. 
In England, they are generally grown for mark¬ 
et on low, alluvial “finny” lands. Often, the 
small islands in their rivers are devoted to this use, 
and are called “ osier holts.” The traveller will 
notice several large plantations, in sailing up the 
Thames. In some establishments, a hundred 
men are employed in their culture, and a large 
number beside in manufacturing them into bask¬ 
ets and other useful articles. 
Unfortunately, the best varieties grown in Eng¬ 
land and on the continent do not succeed well in 
our dry climate; and this may account for the 
comparatively little attention that has hitherto 
been given to willow-culture in. this country. Re¬ 
cently, however, several skillful and energetic hor¬ 
ticulturists, (in particular Mr. Charles Downing 
and Dr. Grant, of Newburg,) have been experi¬ 
menting with other varieties, and have found 
three or four sorts which promise all that could 
be desired. These are, the Forbes' Willow, the 
Long-leaved, triandrous Willow, the Pwylc Wil¬ 
low, and the Beveridge. Of the old varieties, the 
Salix viminalis, is the best, anti aueceede partially 
here. 
As a general rule, the best soil for osiers is one 
that is deep, rich and moist, but not subject to- 
standing water. If planted near slow running 
streams, look out for musk-rats, or your beautiful 
rods will be cut for you before the time. Fertile 
bottom lands that are overflown once or twice a 
year, are excellent. Even uplands, if heavy and 
retentive of moisture, will answer a good pur¬ 
pose, if they are worked deep. Large portions of 
the low prairie lauds of the West would make 
good osier-fields, provided they were first sur¬ 
rounded by a belt of willow trees to shelter them 
from the winds. Land which is not annually over¬ 
flown should be manured before the plantation is 
made, and then again in the course of four or five 
years. For the first year, especially, it should be 
tilled as neatly as a corn-field : it will then thrive 
well and make profitable returns. 
Plants are obtained from cuttings, and of these, 
from 10,000, to 15,000, are required for an acre, 
according to the end to be accomplished. On this 
point, we can not do better than to give Mr. 
Downing’s directions : “ For large plantations, 
the best number is probabjy 12 to 15,000, and not 
much crop looked for until the end of the third 
season, when one of great value may be had. In 
such cases, 12,000, would be the proper number. 
A crop of considerable value may be had the sec¬ 
ond season ; and for this purpose, perhaps 15,000 
would be chosen. These should be set in rows 
about three feet apart, and about ten inches dis¬ 
tant in the rows.” Cuttings may vary from eight 
to twelve inches long; they should be cut in the 
Fall or the first part of Winter, and set out early 
in the Spring. If set in the Fall, they are apt to 
he thrown out by the frost and killed. The ground, 
however, should be prepared for their reception 
the Autumn before, as the soil suitable for them 
would he too wet to work early in Spring. The 
cuttings should be inserted in the ground so as to 
leave the top bud just level with the surface. 
There is a right and a wrong way to gather the 
rods for market. The wrong way is to hack them 
off indiscriminately, at any distance from the sur¬ 
face of the ground, leaving stumps like fig. 1. The 
right way is to cut them off neatly, even with the 
surface, as in fig. 2. According to this lattej 
method, the shoots are more uniform in size and 
more vigorous, the whole plant grows more erect, 
and the roots are healthier. This mode of cutting 
must be steadfastly adhered to from year to year 
AVENUES OF SHADE TREES. 
After what we have so often written on the 
subject of shade trees, no one will question our 
regard for them, or our desire to see them planted 
widely in every part of our fair land. But there 
is a limit to everything; even a good thing may 
be overdone. For example : We lately traveled 
along a road where rows of shade trees were 
planted on each side for a distance of three or 
four miles. When we first entered the avenue, 
we were struck with admiration. What taste, 
what public spirit are here ! But, after the first 
mile, shall we confess it! the scene began to 
pall. We hardly knew how to account for it, but 
at. length we explained it in this way : The trees 
are all of sugar maple, uniform in size and shape, 
set at precisely the same distance apart, and 
quite near together and branching quite low. The 
dense shade kept the roads muddy and the air 
chilly, The thick branches shut out the view of 
the neighboring fields and hills ; arid the uniform 
size, form and color of the trees, made the scene 
so monotonous that we were right glad when we 
reached the end of the avenue and looked again 
upon the bright, open landscape. 
From this experience we drew the lesson that 
shade-trees should not be planted in very long 
rows, or, if so planted, they should not be set too 
near each other, nor be of the same kind of tree, 
and that they should be trimmed up so as to give 
the traveler a view beneath the lower branches 
of the surrounding scenery. This would give the 
artificial plantation something of the freedom and 
variety of nature, which never tires. 
EARLY SUGAR-CANE —BIO W- 
ELL’S CORN. 
Jer. G. Heater, of Clarion County, Penn., 
writes : I find the Chinese Sugar-Cane the most 
valuable crop I ever raised, and shall plant at 
least two acres next Spring. As an experiment, 
I tried 200 stalks at one time, and though at least 
one-third was left in the stalks and wasted, I ob¬ 
tained four gallons of good molasses.... One 
stalk of my plot ripened nearly four weeks earlier 
than the rest. Was there any difference in the 
seed 1 If so, this early kind is too valuable to be 
estimated in money....I planted 25 kernels of 
the Sweet Corn received from you, and gathered 
75 large ears... .Your Agriculturist has paid me 
ten-fold its cost, and my brother says what little 
he has read has been worth thirty dollars ... 
Remarks. —We know of but one kind of Chi¬ 
nese Sugar-Cane. The African Imphee is said 
to ripen earlier than the Chinese, though 
it has not done so with us. The African has a 
light brown seed instead of a dark black one like 
the Chinese variety. Mr. FI. can examine his 
early stalk to find whether the seed indicates a 
different variety. The probability is that this one 
stalk was hastened forward by some chance ad¬ 
vantage of location, or manure, or both. This 
often happens with a corn crop. We advise to 
save the seed of this early stalk carefully, and 
plant it by itself. Any crop may be improved by 
continually selecting and propagating the earliest 
ripened seed. 
NEW ROCHELLE BLACKBERRY 
IN WINTER. 
We are informed that some persons who have 
planted this excellent berry north of Albany, are 
beginning to fear that it will not prove sufficiently 
hardy for their climate ; it Winter-kills, they say, 
down to the snow line. To such persons we 
suggest that they go through their rows of plants 
this month, bend down the branches of each hill 
gently to the ground, and lay a stick of wood on 
them ; or pin them down with stakes. 'This will 
keep them under the snow and save them from 
harm, as we happen to know from the testimony 
of some of our Northern friends. This noble fruit 
is worthy of a little trouble to carry it safely 
through our almost Arctic Winters. 
Society, like silk, must be viewed in all its sit 
uations, or its colors will deceive ns. 
