MISSOURI WILLOW FARM.
East Kansas City is one of the most important centres in the MissouriValley in the business of shipping willows. In the last three monthsalone the Kansas City Southern Railway has hauled from there 140 flatcarloads of trimmed willows, and is taking out more as fast as thewillow plantations can furnish the crop.
The roots of the willows keep the sand from shifting along the riverbanks; but the use of the tops of willows in fighting currents of wateris comparatively new. Government work with willows requires that thetrees shall be more than twelve feet high and between 3/4 and 2-1/2inches in diameter at the butts. After a patch of these trees has beencut the ground looks like a stubblefield of corn. The new sprouts,however, look more like a field of wheat--if wheat only had thatpeculiar reddish tinge that willows take on at this time of the year.In two and a half to three years after cutting willows will grow upagain to the size required for dikes or for plaiting into mats.
The willows now being bought by the railway are for use in checking theinroads of the Arkansas River between Spiro and Fort Smith, Ark. Thedikes that are being constructed run out into the river 150 feet andare of willows held in place with large steel cables. Since December11 nearly 800 carloads of trees--not all of these willows--have beendumped into the river.
The sand filling the crevices between the bundles of willows makes astrong and economical pier. The steel cables insure the safety of thepier until the sand has done its work.
In cutting and trimming the willows the harvesters use nothing butordinary corn knives.