1858 . 
23 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
as they had to the first attempt, he had imported all ( 
the species he could hear of from Europe, amounting 
to nearly a hundred kinds, and tested them, of which 
he had found the SalLv purpursa, S- triandria , and 
S. Foi'bianci , especially adapted to the hot sun and dry 
summers of our climate, and more recently had dis¬ 
covered another sort that promised to excel them all in 
some respects. 
I obtained of him cuttings of the Purpurea and 
Triandria, and of the last mentioned species, which, 
as it came to me without a name, I propose, illo vo- 
lente, to call Salix Grantiana , as Dr. Grant appears 
to have the credit of introducing it. In consequence 
of a flood, they were transferred from the express to 
the canals, and arrived the last of May, nearly four 
weeks later than was anticipated. My ground was 
upland, clayey loam, that had been cleared forty years, 
but never plowed till the year before, and now trenched 
the depth of the spade blade. The cuttings were in¬ 
serted in the recently trenched soil, perpendicularly, 
leaving about two inches aboveground, and in conside¬ 
ration of the late planting, and the unprecedented 
drought that followed, I considered myself fortunate 
that one-third even, barely survived the first season. 
The next year, 1855, a frost in June froze the tops of 
the shoots, then 8 inches long, of all but the purpurea , 
proving this variety more hardy than the other two. I 
had not cut the small growth of the year previous, 
which caused a bushy and scraggy appearance to this 
year’s increase. They answered however, for sets, and 
in 1856 I extended my original plantation very con¬ 
siderably, and although that was another exceedingly 
dry summer, not one in a hundred of those I planted 
failed. The present "year has been very propitious, and 
my “ willow holt” has assumed an exceedingly attrac¬ 
tive aspect, exhibiting a dense growth from eight to 
ten feet in height. The Purpurea makes beautiful, 
lithe, slender rods, purplish, and of nearly a uniform 
thickness their whole length; as many as forty in a 
stool, eight to ten feet in height, without a single side 
branch. For every purpose this is undoubtedly the 
most desirable variety. The main shoots of the Trian¬ 
dria are eight or nine feet high, and throw out many 
side branches, and taper more than the former one. It 
has a great number of smaller shoots of great tough¬ 
ness. Its rods are yellow, and extremely flexible, an¬ 
swering well for baskets and small work. It would 
yield a large amount of Osier where the soil is suffi¬ 
ciently wet, as it is more thirsty for moisture than the 
other two. Its abundance of side branches seem to 
be an objection on account of peeling and splitting. 
The third variety, which I choose to designate as 
Grantiana, is different in its foliage, resembling that 
of the apple, from all the willows I have seen. This 
is unquestionably a very desirable willow. Its growth 
is extremely rapid, affording in a short time a mass 
of straight, upright, smooth, deep-green rods, from 
seven to ten feet high, so dense as to hide a grenadier, 
withdrawn but two yards within them. A field of it but 
one year and a half planted, exhibits a highly beauti¬ 
ful and attractive view, with its uniform and even sur¬ 
face, and luxurious growth. As an osier it will answer 
well for split work, and would probably yield more and 
succeed on a greater diversity of soils, than any other. 
It is being tested as a hedge plant for the prairies, and 
I doubt not may succeed. Cultivated as a tree, it is a 
great acquisition. To the lover of this most beautiful 
, of all natural objects—a tree—its rapidity of growth, 
its upright and polished stem, its rounded and leafy 
head, its large, early and long remaining catkins, glit¬ 
tering in the sun in the spring, with all the colors of 
the rainbow, its erect and cleanly habit, render it an 
ornament not to be dispensed with, in group, or avenue, 
or lawn. 
Prom what experience I have attained, I am con¬ 
vinced that with either of the above sorts of willow, 
can easily be produced two tons to the acre, and there 
would no longer seem to be any excuse for importing 
this article, unless it were to enrich the importer. 
There is little extant published on the culture of the 
willow. What I have been able to find was in a print¬ 
ed letter of Charles Downing, Esq., a circular by Mr. 
Colby, Vt., an article by Dr. Grant in a Michigan 
periodical, and one in each the Country Gentleman and 
Horticulturist. 0. D. P. Zelienbple , Pa. 
Improving Leaky Cellars. 
Messrs Luther Tucker & Son —As many persons 
have doubtless cellars into which water finds its way, 
in inconvenient quantities, frequently causing much 
damage, trouble, and loss with vegetables intended for 
family use in the spring, I will here present a plan 
which, though it will not cure entirely, will, if carried 
out, so much modify such difficulties that no further 
trouble will attend them than carrying the water out 
of the cellar as it soaks into the place prepared for it. 
I have adopted this plan in my own cellar, and the re¬ 
sult is a continually dry bottom therein. The plan con¬ 
sists of simply putting a drain around the sides of the 
cellar, nine inches or a foot below the surface, with 
leading drains with a slight fall to some point where it 
will be most convenient to carry the water out from— 
at which latter, sink a hole the size and depth of a bar¬ 
rel, and stone it—or put in an old flour barrel with a 
few small holes bored in through the bottom and sides 
—but stoning is best. The drains are made by putting 
two rows of small staves, of two to four inches thick 
and wide, along the sides of each, (staves of varying 
thickness should be correspondingly let down so as to 
leave a level top to each row,) leaving a water course 
the width of your hand between the rows—and cover¬ 
ing with old inch or half inch boards—oak if you have 
them, about nine or ten inches wide. Then put a lit¬ 
tle hay slightly twisted along each side, put on the mold 
and tread, and the drain is complete. A large cellar 
may be drained in this way in half a day —and the 
water coming in, in spring, all brought into the small 
or barrel well, through the drains, and carried out as 
often as there is a pailful accumulated, thus securing 
a dry bottom all over the cellar, by preventing the 
water raising withing nine inches or a foot of the sur¬ 
face thereof. Four or five barrowsfull of small stone 
properly put in, will drain a large cellar cheaply and 
effectively. Woodcock Clark. 
-- 
Remedy for Fleas. 
Messrs. Editors —J. E. W., in your paper of 17th 
September, asks for a remedy for fleas Nothing, I 
believe, but the Frenchman’s powder will kill them ; 
but the following will keep them from his bed : Take 
five or six pieces of camphor of the size of a walnut; 
tie them up separately in pieces of cloth; take them 
to bed, placing them in different parts top and bottom, 
and I think he will sleep with less annoyance fr@m the 
pests. 
I learned the above remedy many years ago when 
in Paris, where fleas abound. A Subscriber. Ja¬ 
maica Plains, Mass. 
