Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1910-05-06
RAISING DIAMOND WILLOWS
FOR FENCE POSTS

\ writer in the Dakota Farmer says:
AS to growing the Diamond willow ar
officially for fence post as Il prac-
teal and profitable proposition. think
it will pay big if conducted on the right
principles. First select if possible. IL low.
wet. rich piece OF land. avoiding how
ever. an old lake bed where the trees
might stand under water for long pc
Iiod of time: all of the willows. how
ever. will usually stand under water as
long as any other class of trees. but there
is Il limit to their endurance in his line
Plow and prepare your ground well. as
You would for any other class of IL tim
her belt. Mark it with four foot corn
marker, then plant seedlings or cuttings
feet apart i'll every row. which gives
You 5.444 trees per acre. Do the work
thoroughly and early III the spring and
by all means strive. ii possible. to get
I. complete stand as it is expensive and
Enproflable to have il otherwise. 1t
costs Just as much To care for oirel half
81 >talu ana III the case ~ thc nall
stand. the profit is practically invisible.
and il is hard TO fill Vacancies ~,ti,fac-
torilv later ON. Give good cultivation he
first season and encourage as >trpn. Il
growth as possible.
Pay no atttn ion whatcve" to trim
ming the first summer but the follow
ing spring cut them all back to about
Two inches OF the ground. They will then
lI,-
now watch these closely and when these
sprouts are one to two inches HIGH and
are still Gender. rub or pun OFF all hu.
the best enc. lcavn. this one to make
the tree. Ii will be necessary to 20 over
the plat the second time u remove any
other sprouts that may start later. It
done at til" proper time the trimming
hi- second season can be done almost
entirely with the hands without the use
Of knife or shears. and the single tree
which we produce this season >hauld av-
craye III height fully >i> feet, and be
smooth and thrifty Clean culture should
be kept up also this second season.
Now. the third year clean culture
should !" kept up though it will not be
much work Il, former seasons. Along
in June when buds and sprouts start.
lie plat should be gone over carefully
ana >prult, again removed from near he
ground and up the body Of The tree to
Il height Of , to ; feet mot higher than
3 feet this season.. taking care not to
get the tree top-hravy enough to Iop
over.
ht following seasons it will perhaps
not be necessary to continue the cult
walton ont look after the shaping OF the
tree 50 a. 10 get the Whole growth into
The one main sem. and raise the body
little each Year until the luwrr
branches are GIl 10 ! feet from the
ground. krcp of aIl suckers from near
he ground and force all growth into the
mann tree. ~ seven wears from planting.
they should be large enough to thin on.
to tour f"r apart each WAY. The thin
l1n"> benz. large enou4., ~ Il post with
Al tWa-inch top. This thanin. should
give You :.OoO posts worth 4 cent, each
or Sl2n per acre after ailowin. 712 trees
per acre tOr losses or vacancies and this.
we consider. is Il very liberal allowance.
Nov YOU have 27.2 trees per acre left.
and il these are left ) year, Ion ger. they
will make :. p SIS 10 the tree. I he butt
cut should make IL post with 3 to ~,
inch top worth l. cents. and the top
cut il post With IL tWoinrh top worth
Il cent. masking he nra. little sum ct
S4Sa.W for this last cutting. or S6O99b
for hoth cut in2,. Now figure the to
tai expense up t. TIE thinning time q,