Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-11-30


Of the Basket Willow. 7
Mr.. John Fleming, IT,, Esq. Of
Sherburn, Mass, al experienced cul-
lyator and manufacturer OF the O.
sler Willow, prefers good springy up
land TO any other soil, for profia-
BILE plantation. ] am confident that
the moist rich soil Of Vermont, so
well adapted to raising large crops of
grass, will, il well cultivated, produce
large crops of the basket willow,
whether bottom or upland. And If
any one will visit my plantation of
Tour acres. | think they will be salts
he'd that many prospects Of success
are equal on an average OF what
have set forth in the foregoing, to say
the least. And would agree with
Mr.. Bement there he says, From
my own experience ] am fully con-
WINGED that the Willows may be
grown proftably, in this country, for
less Than fifty dollars, per ton weight
As the cultivation of the Willow
is new enterprise in this country,
men, are, naturally, little Jealous
and fearful. Just So il was with the
manufacture of potatoe starch, some
eighteen or twenty years ago, at the
time the writer commenced in the
business. In the course of few
Vaarc tho hus,,ae. ,n,.oo.ol - H..
the production amounted TO five hun
dred tons, and the demand was fully
supplied, and prices declined. But
mills continued 10 multiply, the con-
sumption increased, and, finally,
overreached the production. Prices
rose, and have ranged high for sever
al years past with demand that re-
quIres sixty-fve hundred tons to sup
ply it. Thus, it seems to me, il will
naturally be with the Basket Willow.
If the prices should decline little
the consumption would increase,
and, consequently, an increase Of
production will be necessary to meet
II.
| have compared the cost of Will
lows with Starch, aud find that the
cost of ton of Starch is certain,
twice as much as the whole cost O.
a ton of Willows. And the price.
of Willows in market is rather better
than that Of Starch. And still Starch
has been manufactured at a gooc
profit although the business require,
large outlay of capital, and is YER,
much exposed to fire, aud goes /,
decay in short time. Not SO witt
the Willow, every man may have 1
: patch, or large plantation, on his own
farm, very little to do to it after tn,
J second year, except to harvest and
prepare Tor market. And the harvest
: ing comes off after he has finished
+ all his fall work. am confident no
one need hesitate to plant good moist,
, mol acet, upland. ] have also com
pared with Hops, and find that the
: Willow, at present prices, is as pro
= iitable as hops at twenty cents per
, pound, and two or three acres @.
: Willows can be taken care OF as well
as one acre of hops.
Mr.. Downing, in the article refer
red To above, says: the cultivation
OF Willow, for Osiers, when lis prin
cipIes are well understood, is not d.
iticult, and the profit, under goo,
management, are very great. III.
fear that the supply may overreac
The demand, is not only groundless
but, on the contrary, 1t is susceptible
OF proof, that for long time to come
the demand must increase far beyon,
proportional increase of production
IN the country.
II is but about fifty years sine.
England received almost her eotir
supply from the continent. The Ion.
continued wars cut off this SUNNY
and the deprivation was so severeb
felt that it became matter of ma
tional concernmeni, and premium
were awarded for the formation O
Willow Plantations. Men of ever
degree OF means, of all ranks. from
the peasant 10 the lord, engaged il
it, aud It's cultivation extended yer
rapidly E; (,he Duke Of Bedford hay
ing plantation of thousand acres)
yet, 10 The present time, prices hay
not at all declined, but rather ad
vaneed. Sang, in his Osier Planta
ton in the year 1879, stating from
his own knowledge, says, some GOO:
plantations have yielded, annually
for several year, a profit of E24 t.
30 pounds sterling some as higl
as Gao to ESQ, but these very fay
orably situated, and tended wit,
great care.
Ia 1852, from reliable information
from different quarters, the goo,
plantations yielded from E3O TO ca,
net, aud some as high as ESQ. A
merican fields are equally productive,
land prices in New York, Philadel
phIa, and Boston, about twenty pc
cent higher. ,-
Mr. Fleming, in his address befer
the Norfolk County Society, 6
1852, says, The prices Of Willow
range from So TO 81 per hundred
weight, for English, French, Duici
aud German and native growr
willows, raised from SETS IMPORTS.
from England, sell at Be more pc
hundred weight
From the best Information | car
obtain, says w c. Haynes, 10 Hunt
Merchants Magazine, there ar
from four TO five millions of dollar
worth of willows annually importe,i