The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-05-15
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Willow and It's Uses.

The willow of commerce, used for making
baskets and other willow ware, is cultivated
like corn or beans, or any other commercial
product; and the common willow, which
grows in wild state upon wet land in vari-
GUS parts of the world, cannot be made to
supply the place of the cultivated article, as
it rarely possesses the requisite smoothDess
of surface, elasticity, and lack of pith. The
cultivated willows, or osiers," as they are
technically denominated, are not necessarily
grown upon wet land. The field where they
are to be planted is as thoroughly prepared
as for any other crop. The planting is done
by setting twigs of willow in the ground, in
rows sixteen to twenty inches apart, the dis
lance between the twigs in the same row be.
ing eight to twelve inches.
The crops of the frat and second years are
not very valuable, though the shoots are care:
fully cut to prevent injury to the crop of the
third year, which is expected to pay all the
expenses, with the rent, taxes, etc, of es
tablishing the plantation. The field may be
kept in willows ten or twelve years, at the
end of which time the roots are ploughcd or
grubbed out, and the land is given to some
other crop. The land must be all the time
kept clean of weeds, and, if it shows signs of
exhaustion, manure must be applied. The.
willows are cut in the autumn, ss soon IS the
leaves fall; and if they are to be "peeled
white" they are done up in bundles with
their butts in six or eight inches of water, in
which they remain until the following spring,
when, as growth begins, the bark peels off
readily. If the osiers are to be "peeled
buff" they are bundled and dried, and are
subsequently peeled by being boiled or
steamed. and then drawn through machine
made for the purpose. The baskets made
from tie buff are said to be much frmer than
those made from the white rods.
There are several manufacturers of willow
ware in Boston, and large number in New
York and other cities; and they would GER
taiuly be willing to purchase American will
low, if it could be obtained of as good quail
ity, and at the same price, as the imported
article but, although there is a duty of
thirty per cent. upon imported willow, it is
doubtful whether a person located as far
west as Springfield, Illinois, could at the pre-
sent time raise csers and deliver them here
as low as they are delivered here from Eu
ropean countries. They are quite bulky
articles and the freight charges upon them
over seven or eight hundred miles of railroad
would be quite heavy. Osiers are sold here
at an average Of nine to eleven cents per
pound, and some of the poorest qualities can
be- purchased at from five to seven cents per
pound. The labor employedin raising them
is usually very cheap, much cheaper than can
at present be obtained in this country, and
the freight on them across the ocean is also
very low. There is no doubt, however, that
they eau be made quite profitable crop in
almost any section of the country, if manu-
featured in the vicinity where they are
raised and, as labor is much lower now than
formerly, it is safe to predict that in the fu-
ture greater proportion of the willow man
ufactured in the country will be raised here.
Indeed, it is to be regretted that more atten-
ton has not already been paid to the subject
by agriculturists. Willows are quite an i'm
portant crop in Great Britain; and it is es
timated that there are, in that country and
Ireland, between six thousand and seven
thousand acres IN cultivation. France and,
Belgium produce large quantities of excellent
osiers, and many tons of the coarser kinds
are exported from Holland.-Commercidl
Bulletin.