Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-01-15

price Of the willow has gone on increasing and
e swelling the purses Of Tie importers; who are
1 chuckling over The crude visions Of American
firms in imagining that the market can be over
stocked with an article Of such universal use.
any one who will nae tic least observance and
thought upon the subject will see that the idea
! is simply ridiculous.
Willows are the best material for basket
making Of any description that can be pro-
cured and now that they can,-with tine help of
, machine loT pecling-bo grown and furnished
in cheap abundance, they will soon come into
use fer that porpose. When we consider the
increased and universal use of Baskets for every
purpose by farmers, gardeners, fruit growers,
cotton planters, merchants and manufacturers,
: and by euery family in city or country, we can
: form some idea Of the east amount required for
, this purpose alone.
But that is only one of their many uses.
cannot here enumerate all the purposes to which
1t Is now applied-nor can we imagine the end
less variety Of uses which it will be put to when
: the price is brought to range rearer with that
oil any other farm crop One of this latest uses
to which they have been applied is in the manu-
facturo of ortifc'al legs, and from their light
ness and elasticity, they are found TO be a very
: superior article for that purpose.
+ Perhaps You will ask, "lf willows are an
: article OF SO much Importance, why has there
not been more said about them Why do we
J. uot 81 them quoted in tho Prices Current in
e our papers, and why are tsey not advertised for
in our cities' ! viii tell you why all this is
not; 1t is because the whole trade is in the
r hands Of the importers Of foreign willows, and
3 the manufacturers of willow ware in few
a of our largest cities.
OF course it is not for the interest oil the i'm
porter to have willow grown here, and he keeps
his business as still as possible; and the basket
n maker dare not advertise or give any open en-
T. couragamont to its cultivation, for if he did he
a could buy no more foreign willow, and his bus,
,s mess for the present spoiled. These are facts
j. which can not be disputed
While in the shop Of basket maker in N.
:. T., last winter, asked him why he did not
advertise for American willows, and told him
ot las the business Of growing them was getting
d considerably started in this country, he might
At thus obtain Il supply Of fresh willow, which
he said was much better than the imported
Ne His answer was that . there were not yet
enough grown, that he could obtain by adyer-
N Using, to supply him. and if he should adycr-
tn tise for American, ho could not buy another
ty pound of foreign willow, and would have tc
a' stop his business lie then spoke of a mum
Der o. basket makers Of his acquaintance, who
as had encouraged its cultivation, and for which
o, reason the importers had refused to sell to then
and they had been obliged to go into other bus
"a mess TO obtain living.
d, 1t is thus the market is " supplied" ant
x that there is g no demand y for willows in thi
y y country. The basket makers dare not demand
III them, but the People DO, and il we will onl,
he grow and manufacture them into various kind
to of wares, they VIII be ready to buy and pay u
J., Il good price for them. We now come to tn
d question, " how, and where shall we find
market for them This is a practical qucs
I'd ton, but one easily answered When you
~ ~ have your willows peeled, and ready for mar
cd ket, draw them to your nearest Railroad Sta
Of ton and send them to any commission mer
- chant in any large city, to which you are near
~ est, with a request that they will sell them an
send to You the proceeds. That is one way t
ed find market. Another, and better way,
y you cultivate enough to make it an object, is t
-, hire one or two good basket makers, and the
take in boys to learn the trade, and manufactui
,he your own willows into such wares as will find
ty, ready market in your own vicinity. Thus 20
p1S- will have the profit of anulacturing, as we
as of growing the willows and help to oxten
the market and introduce the use of willo,
10. Baskets &c.
his If you have but few willows, and do not wis
VI to extend your plantation enough to afford
machine Of your own, there will probably
ent others in your vicinity who will plant more
less so that there will soon be machine so ne
that you can take your willows to it to be pet
ell or if you should have to peel them
hand for lew years, until you can get the bu
mess started in your vicinity, you must not
,wn discouraged, for all that have hitherto be,
low used, have been peeled by hand, and many mo
svo will have to be before machines can be intr
and ducod into all sections. In many cases you C;
ver find in your vicinity some one who understan
~l.,t WIN, { hu1 fnty will 10,
nd you thought not worth your while TO send
tied market, would be glad to take them, peel al
hat make them up, and pay you in baskets.
emf veryiIargo proportion of foreigners-espe
NV ially French and German--who come to tt
Fell country, understand basket-makins, and al
,end many Canadians and Americans. There is har
roRt ly town in which, by a little inquiry b,
will kot maker can not he found
re is If you propose starting a willow plantatir
a}u and have not enough land that is suitable,
has do not wish to plant large amount, you c
ock introduce the subject to yonr neighbors, sh
: be them its prospects and get them to join you
arti- starting the busaeas BY thus clubbing
ugM gethcr and procuring large amount Of c
ows. tinga, you will obtain them much cheaper,
cleo sides icing sure enough in your vicinity Of c
thew pIoying machine for peeing, which will Sc
G OBJ be furnished at prices varying from $50
ound $500.
m in For full instructions for planting and Gu
and waiting willows | send circulars free-to ALL !
and shall continue to give such instructions as n
Il