■ 1854 . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
15 
could not be loss than $150 per acre. Here nothing 
remarkable was done, but {with a slight exception) 
every thing was well done. The soil was pretty rich, 
clayey alluvial, and deeply worked, the subsoil plow 
running to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches (two 
feet would have been better). A very little stable 
manure and a few bushels of ashes were used as a top 
dressing. The manure should have been worked in 
with very light furrow, or with the cultivator, but a 
heavy rain made it impracticable at the most advan¬ 
tageous season, and in a great measure compensated 
for the neglect. A small portion of it retained standing 
water until the middle of June. Some of the cuttings 
did not, in this wet place, strike at all, and others made 
little growth. A blind drain was then made through it, 
when the plants began immediately to thrive, and made 
a pretty good growth, but not equaling the others b}'- 
about ono-half. The cuttings were of very vigorous 
one year old wood, a few of them retaining .some of 
the former year’s wood. Unless the cuttings have to 
the heart a high degree of vital energy, the life of the 
center fails, and the plant becomes rotten at the heart, 
and although it does not soon die, it gives but imper¬ 
fect shoots ; whereas the one that is full of vital energy 
makes a plantain every respect as good as a seedling. 
How shall a person proceed that wishes to plant wil¬ 
low 7 ? A little dabbling in it will afford small pleasure 
and no profit. Take tbe business at the point, at which 
the best cultivators now have it—acquaint yourself with 
their doings and opinions concerning it. The time, 
money and thought required to experiment, are not 
trifling ; and even.if you are willing to lavish the time 
and means, unless you possess the patience and skill of 
a. thoroughly trained cultivator, the experiment will he 
conducted to no satisfactory result. 
Willow growing is destined to become a business of 
importance, or rather, is now becoming so ; and those 
who early engage in it judiciously, will receive the 
. brightest reward. I have just learned that Dr. Grant 
is so well pleased with it, that he is. preparing to plant 
another field of twenty acres next season. That would 
generally be thought too much for a new beginner, and 
in most cases rightly so ; but one-tenth of that quan¬ 
tity would be little enough for a beginning, and would 
be too little, unless you have, of suitable land (or mean 
to have) enough to extend it considerably. Those who 
make a large business of it will get the best per cent- 
age. I am making my article so long, that I cannot 
explain now, but will hereafter, if you wish. 
A few words on the soil suitable for willow. It can¬ 
not be profitably grown in a swamp; but a swamp 
thoroughly drained and cultivated, is no longer a 
swamp. On such, willow will grow most luxuriantly ; 
and so will red clover, but the upheaval of winter frost 
will throw out the clover and kill it, but will not injure 
the willow. It must, for its roots, have at least a foot 
of soil, that is not constantly sodden with water— 
and far better if you get two feet. Then the vigor will 
be astonishing to those who have not seen it; and to 
get shoots averaging 8 feet is easily practicable, and 
is quite profitable. I will relate a case that came 
under my own observation A field that had been cul¬ 
tivated the previous year {on a portion of it, although 
the season was very dry, the crop had been lost by too 
much wetness,) was plowed, trench-plowed and subsoil¬ 
ed ; that is, one plow followed another in the same fur¬ 
row, besides tbe subsoil plow, making three. It was 
commenced early, and found to be very muddy work, 
and half of it left until after corn-planting, bringing it 
to the last of May, and some of it was not planted until 
the early part of June. The cuttings had been pro¬ 
vided in the winter, and deeply covered with litter in 
a cool place, but before the last of planting some of 
them had thrown out shoots of considerable length. 
Drouth of unexampled severity followed (1852). Ap¬ 
prehension was entertained of entire failure, yet where 
the ground was deeply worked, no failure occurred ; but 
a little not deeply worked was an entire failure. The 
deep working so obviated the wetness that the past wet 
season caused but little injury. The early planted are 
still somewhat the best, but on any part the crop is 
quite satisfactory. 
Dr. Grant has prepared a treatise respecting its 
management and preparation for market, for the bene¬ 
fit of others, .which he will publish as soon as he finds 
himself fortified by experiments, sufficiently protracted 
and extensive to enable him to speak with full certainty 
on all important points. He is able to supply cuttings, 
but only in limited quantities of the rarer kinds. He 
is willing to impart information to all interested par¬ 
ties.” Staten Islander. Richmond (7o., N. Y. 
Brash and Tile Draining. 
I read with interest an article from your paper, on 
the subject of under-draining, wherein you recommend 
the use of brush under certain circumstances. I am 
preparing to drain some wet prairie, which is of a 
loose muck in most places, and several feet in depth. 
As being the most durable, I would prefer to use tile, 
but the article is not made here, and could not be pro¬ 
cured nearer.than Buffalo, and I presume it would not 
pay to bring them from there. I have, however, an 
abundance of brush, and timber in all its forms. How 
large should the brush be ? It has occurred to me that 
I could make a good drain with poles. What is the 
weight per thousand of 2. inch, draining tiles? By 
answering these inquiries, as it may suit your conve¬ 
nience, you will confer a favor on—A. A. Cole, Peru , 
2nd, Nov.12, 1853. 
For soft or mueif.y ground, and where the drains are 
deep, it would be best to deposit first, a small layer of 
fine brush on the bottom of the ditch, then lay in the 
middle the poles or larger branches, and lastly, a layer 
of brush cut from three to five feet long, the buts down¬ 
wards and down the hill. By this means, the poles 
are completely encased in fine brush, and their larger 
interstices prevented from becoming filled and choked 
by tbe soft material in which the ditch is dug. Where 
considerable water is expected to flow off; and more 
especially where the descent is trifling, it is quite ne¬ 
cessary that some large channels of this sort be pro¬ 
vided. Where, however, the water is in small quanti¬ 
ty, it may be sufficient to fill with brush in the ordinary 
way, or by placing the buts downwards, and pointing 
