The Peach-leaved Willow, ,t/i.e (t»typbtloiile. is known by its leaves, which resemlde those of the peach and almond. The tree !_'rows to medium heirlit, and is found :al over the country, skirting the banks of streams. Its hark is ridged, and is little disposed to shed in flakes or scales.
Besides the willows so for described, there are over seventy .1merican species that never grow higher than andhtious shrubs. Nature must love these little willows, she has made so many of them. The Sandbar Willow, ,'(//i.e flaciatilis, helps the larger species to hold the islands of sand in their places, and to prevent the river from changing its course. The landscape is made beautiful 11V the billowy green foliage that covers the stretches of sand, and the debris brought down by the river in time of flood. The Broad-leaved Willow, &did' ykorcoph yllo, has been planted um the great dunes of shifting sand that pileup along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. it gains a foothold, this little tree grasps the sand in its fibrous roots and holds it where it is, the growth and its foundation sand drifts acting as a protection to the country behind them.
The Osier Willow. •t/izt; i:imino/is, is the basis of a great industry. All sorts of wicker-ware are made of its supple twigs. Nearly one indred varieties of this species are grown in Europe for use in basket weaving. This business is new in America, but it has been successfully estaldished in central New York. It is likely to pass rapidly thron;rh the experimental stages and become a great industry here as it is abroad.
Had little willows none of the uses ascribed to them, we should still value them for their heautv. Few are lacking in grace when they grow alone; many are soft and beautiful in effect when they grow together. The hare twigs of willows show the first sign of the relenting of winter. A willow copse is full of color at any season. The Shining Willow earns its name by the gleam of its brown twigs long before its glossy leaves appear. The Purple Willow has its color on its young
branches. March pussy willows are dressed in Quaker drab. but the staminate catkins of willows that blossom in May are not so demure. Turning them in the light, one sees finder the sheen of silky hairs a play of colors as varied and as ovaneScent as those that glow in a Hungarian opal. It is in these delicate colors of willow, and other early spring that the Japanese artists 1ind their chief delight. Soon the colors fade, the golden pollen pushes out, and there is no such sight for its ;t•ain until next spring.
In point of beauty. the unimproved sorts of willows have. I think.
the great advantage over cultivated kinds. Compare the Glaucous Willow, iti'a/ix disco/or, the early "pussy of the bogs, with its (•ity cousin. the Kilmarnock Willow, that produces such zit' abundance of coarse staminitte flowers.
The Shining Willow, licitht, deserves a place of 110110r on home grounds. Its glossy foliage is its especial charm. The transplanting of it is an easy matter.
The Silky Willow, &rli,c sel'iem, has purplish twigs, and -its young leaves are densely covered with silky hairs, When these hairs are shed, the pale linings of the full grown leaves make this little tree one of exceptional beauty throughout the summer All willows surprise its by their adaptability. Often a species that loves the hog will thrive when planted high and dry on rocky knolls. There are some species that prefer the dry ground and thrive amid rocks and sand in arid districts. hi arctic regions and on mountains farther south, are many species of willows that interest the botanist and the general explorer. They are stunted to pigmy size, often rising not more than six inches from the ground. But when the brief arctic summer comes they unfold their leafy shoots and hang ont their catkins. In spite of adverse conditions, they never forget that they are willows, and hold loyally to all the rites and traditions of their family.