Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1889-11-29
The White willow.
by r. SYKES.
Continued from Last I'eek.)

Having enumerated some of the promi-
nent reasons for planting willow hedges.
will give short instructions as to the
methods of planting. Where the willows
are plentiful poles to 10 feet in length
and averaging about 2 inches in diane,
ter may be utilized in the following man
uer !: The poles should be cut in or abous
October, When-.he weather is not frosty.
aud, the laterals having been trammed-sf.
should be covered lightly with straw t..
prevent them becoming too dry. Til,
poles should be laid lengthwise SO as TO
form line, with the ends touching eaci,
other, in dead furrow which has been
previously prepared, This furrow should
DC ~ Or II inches IN depth. The eurlI.
should then be turned over them with II
plow, and the poles thus cffectually GOV
cred. In the spring, about seeding timr,
the earth should be hOed away ut reguiat
Intervals Of 1S inches to 2 feet along ln,
row OF willow poles. At these Intervals
the poles will sprout, and, under favor
able circumstances, make growth Of 3 |"
feet the first season. When tile sprouts
are lO to II inches high they should b
cultivated. The future of the hedge vii
tfterward depend upon the care and cull-
walton given to it. as it will respond t.
good cultivation as readily as crop q;
corn.
Another mode Of raising willow
hedge is from cuttings and it is u NOR
economical method iu districts where the
willows ure not plentiful and poles can
not readily be procured. The cuttings
from either one or two year old twigs 3
| or 8 inches in length and about three
alghths TO three quarters of an inch in di
| ameter, should be cut between the mouths
of October aud December, or in the
month Of March. but not during frost.
weather. They should be planted ciihc,
| in the fall of the Year or in the early
spring, in the following manner: A strip
OF land IL feet wide having been thor
oushly prepared, the cuttings should b',
set eight inches apart in Il straight fur-
row running up the center of the strip
opposite the land side The furrow
should have been plowed at least six to
| light inches deep. 1t Is not necessary t.
set the cuttings erect, as they grow
equally well If planted ut an angle of d
degrees. The cuttings should Lnen be
covered by plowing another furrow. Thr
Earth should aftrrward be pressed with
the foot firmly around the cuttings, CARE.
| htlng taken that not more than one inch
of the length Of any of the cuttings shall
show above ground. II more than one
bud is exposed the cutting will probably
become too dry aud will f;, to sprout,
If it Is necessary to keep the cuttings un
til spring they should be tied in bundles
aud buried one or two feet deep in dry
soil. or else covered with hay or straw.
They should be planted as early as pos
sible in spring, good soaking in water
before planting being desirable unless the
g rth is quite meist. The strip of land OF
tirebreak on each side Of the hedge should
should be cultivated twice each year.
Should the fire reach the hedge in spite OF
the fircbreak the hedge will not be de.
stroyed If apparently reduced to ashes
it will spring up again from the roots. A
willow hedge once planted ls not easily
destroyed. Another method Of raising
the willow, either as hedge or IN a
grove, is as follows: Plant cuttings, as
described above. At the end Of the 6rst
or second year or early the following
spring cut of all the shoots. From the
next crop of shoots. which will be clean
and strong, select all the best rods trim
off all laterals. leaving the tops or leads
untouched. Sharpen the root ends and
| push the rOuS elknt or zen lncnoS AT proper
distances apart into land previously pre-
pared by deep plowlng. In this way
every tree should grow clean and straight,
provided they are not overpowered by
weeds or rank vegetation.
| 1t is not desirable to attempt to grow
the willow, or indeed any tree, in soil
which has not been thoroughly prepared.
1t is preferable to wait year and mean
while raise crop Of potatoes or gram on
the newly broken ground. Moreover, the
willow, as is the case with all trees, re
quires a sol which has been plowed al
least six or eight inches in depth.
The willow as forest tree is profitable
to raise. AS such it NAV be planted either
3x3 feet, requiring 1880 cuttings to the
acre, or AKA feet, requiring 2.722 cuttings
per acre. If planted 3x3 feet, the young
trees should at the end OF four or five
years be thinned out to one quarter OF
their number and at the end of twelve
years they should be reduced to 800 trees
per acre. leaving theh1 space for full de.
velopment which they should attain al
about thirty SIX years, reaching the
height of 60 feet and measuring ten fee
in circumference four feet from the
ground. The wood of tile white willow
is very light and tough and takes gooG
finish. It is useful for plsnklng and fo1
J ke.blocks on cars.