The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-06-12
WILLOW TREE FARM.
Something that beats Cotton and Corn
Crop.
Macon TtLtlfcnh,

| A!i' IL ~. taut, tu6 N6ll'kuORn Dank
er, has solved the problem of utilizinj
the swamp lands below Macon. Man,
have tried the experiment of raising corn
cotton, oats, etc., and found it very uncer
tain. The overflow from the river Offer
ruined the crops and lost the planter
many dollar. The land is rich ant
grows erything; but unless levees ar,
built-and these are expensive-no cal
culation can be made as to the result.
But MIR. Plant is now Indifferent as 4
freshets. His swamp farm, about two
miles from town, is surrounded and pro
tected by strong levee, and is in ever,
respect model farm; but il this leyeS
should break and the water remain or
the land for months, he will now have
better results for the willow trees he ha.
planted than if the evee remained in
tact and he gathered full crop Of cotton
and corn.
he has now a willow farm, the only
one in the South. Think of twenty
eight acres planted in willow trees And
yet these willows bring him 5000 to the
acre the second year, $500 the third wear
$400 the fourth year and so on. And
TINS too without putting q plow or hoe tc
the ground.
About two years ago Mr.. Plant was in
Hartford, Conn.,, and say lot of villrTs
growing around the dykes of tho Col,'e
pistol factory. They were imported hv
Col. Colt from Switzerland about the
time several Swiss families came over to
settle. MI. Plant took quito fancy to
the willows aud seeing how we'll tbey
grew on land subject to overnows, knew
at once that they would thrive yell on
hiH swamp lands near Macon. He
secured $4,000 cuttings from Col. Colt,
and they were brought out and planted
about IL months ago. The plants grew
rapidly and soon convinced Mr.. Plant
That he was right in bis copjectures as to
the willow doing we'll on the swamp
About year ago he planted $4,000
more cuttings, fronl which he took and
planted 10000 cuttings about five weeks
ago on about eleven acres Of land.
During the last freshet. about tive
weeks ago, Mr.. Plant heard of shin
load of willows arriving in New York.
he telegraphed nj once for a large lot
and they arrived just about the time the
water subslded and leH the ground in a
muddy condition. Employing a large
force CT negro women and boys he had
these tWigs assorted out and proceeced to
put them in the ground. With a large
force Of negro boys he laid out seventeen
acres of ground in rows five feet apart,
with stick, holes twelve inches deep
were made and the boys dropped in the
cuttings at q lively rate, wading through
the mud and water. The ground was Ia
excellent condition, aud out of %. 900
cuttings only q few failed to take root
and begin to grow at once. Thus he has
total of 100000 willow trees on his %
acres, and with corn and the castor beans
planted between the rows.
"A visit to this novel farm Yesterday
afternoon showed the trees to be growing
finely. Those set out eighteen months
ago are from FIVE to eight feet high; those
set out twelve monthn ago are three to
four feet high, and these set out a few
weeks ago are growing rapidly and will
be ready to cut in two years. The first
cut OF this crop will be made next Octo.
Der.
Now as to what the willows will bring.
ihsse cuttings viii produce ten to The
acre for the second year, and this will be
increased year after year. Each cutting
produces six or ei~ht upright switches
liSe grass from ven to nine feet high,
without any twiss or branches, doubling
IN quantity and increasing in height
from year to year without replantiDg.
when properly stripped and prepared
Tor market, these willow branches readily
command from $3.50 to 5000 per ton. or
from to lO cents per pound at the North
or West.
1t will be seen by the figuring that at
the end of two years Mr. Plants twenty.
eight acres will bring him in S5. 600. with
no expense save the stripping and balipg.
In four years this amount is doubled.
The stripping is very simple process,
For some time it was q puzzle to MIR,
Plant. but while on one Of his trips to
Rev YORK, be vent into one of the !s.s=
ess %il!o~wsrs establishments to look
around, and while there a shipment of
willow branches came in from the West,
The willows were white as snow and alto.
gether fine lot. He asked where they
we're grown, and was told in the West.
To find out how the willows were cleaned,
Mr.. Plant very quietly made trip of
four hundred miles. He went to the
grower OF willows and found him using
q very slow contrivance. After looking
at il awhile Mr.. Plant soon saw that he
could improve upon the method, and ask.
ing permission Of the willow tree farmer.
pulled off his coat and in short while
had q machine that took the bark off at
once. The farmer was delighted, and
after MIR. Plant returned home the farmer
patented the machine and sent one 10
Mfr. Plant.
The Willows are pulled through .h!s
little machine and tho bark and leaves
are stripped of clean. The willows are
then plunged into q vat or trough of
water and taken up Immediately by boy
or girl wearing heavy wooden gloves.
The willow switch is pulled through the
hand, laid aside, and Is then ready for
baling. The ends are altered aud pressed
in compact bundles, and are then ready
for market. The cost of shipping and
preparing does not exceed five dollars
per ton.
On one of his trips to New York, Mr..
Plant mentioned his willow farm 10 a
leading willoHware manufacturer, and
was made an offer in writing for all he
could grow in ten years at $3.50 per ton.
Recently drummer for willowware
house happened to see some of the willow
switches grown On Mr.. Plants place. He
wrote to his house concerning them, aud
in four days Mr.. Plant received an offer
for his entire crop at 5000 q ton.
Now while this land Is made SO valu.
able by tree that requires no cultivation
whatever, making sure crop every year
there is still ample room on the same
land for q crop Of corn which Is planted
between the rows. But Mr.. Plant grows
something still more valuable than corn.
dc 10 planting the castor bean, from
which castor oil is made. He plants the
dwarf variety, which has the same yield
as the taller species. For the beans he
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