No
one knows when man first learned to weave pliable stems, although
archaeologists are certain that baskets have been made for at least 9000 years.
The art of basketry has been adapted for a wide range of purposes, including
roofs, doors and walls, as well as for a variety of containers. Basketry has also
been used for producing sails, for making nets and fish traps, and also for rafts. At
one time, it was used in the manufacture of ceremonial bowls for religious services.
Many
attempts have been made to perfect basket-making machines which would
produce large quantities of basketry more quickly than by hand, but to date this has
been unsuccessful and all baskets depend on manual skills.
By
experimenting with various materials, it was found that willow produced the best
baskets. By cross-breeding willows, more pliable strains were developed and
willow is now grown and managed specifically for craftwork.
Although
most basket willows (osiers) used in Britain are grown here, some
material is imported from other European countries, including France, Germany,
Holland and Poland. If the willows do not grow 'naturally', they have to be cultivated
in moist low-lying soils. Sites have to be large enough for fallow areas.
After
deep-ploughing and manuring, the willows are planted from sets. Each set
measures 30 cm (12 in) long and has to have a number of buds. The sets are
taken from older trees and are pushed into the ground, 30 cm (12 in) apart, in rows
60 cm (24 in) from each other, so that the weeding, so necessary for a good
healthy crop, can take place. There may be as many as 17000 sets to an acre (0-4
hectares). Stock collected and planted during the winter will be ready for growth in
the following spring. Roots develop beneath the soil and sap will rise, allowing the
aerial buds to grow.
Apart
trom weed control, the crop does not need a great deal of attention. Willows
are deciduous and the leaves which fall in the autumn decay and provide a
valuable source of humus for next year's growth. The young willows grow for
between 2 and 3 years; they are pruned at the end of the first year's growth to
encourage the production of strong roots and by the end of the third year, the
stems are long enough for basketry. Osier beds provide plenty of material for many
years; the 'stools' increase in size annually and the young stems may be harvested
every 3 years.
Hybridisation,
both planned and accidental, has produced as many as seventy
varieties, e.g. the golden, black, Dutch, Spanish, champion and stone osier. All are
now used for basket-making. The Welsh osier is used for fish and eel traps,
because the wood has a bitter taste, which the fish do not like; once inside the
trap, the fish do not bite their way out—or so the marsh man believed. Other
species of osier have more universal uses in craftwork.
Once
cut, most rods are used as they are, a condition called in the round. Others
may be split and these are known as skeins. The high grade stems are used in
basket-making, but the rougher material is reserved for the construction of hurdles.
The
willow is cut in the winter when the sap has gone down. Using a hook, the
cutter employs an upward movement, making his incision as close as possible to
the stool. The stems, stacked in heaps, are then arranged in bundles, a piece of
osier being used to secure them; bundles for sale have a standard diameter of 37
in (94 cm) at the base.
Green
rods are used for making cheap hurdles and are not treated before being
made up. Brown rods are derived either from steamed green rods or from better
quality green rods left in the open air to dry naturally. Brown rods get their colour
when dried in the atmosphere or steamed. Soaking may be necessary before use
to make them pliable. They are used mainly for garden furniture and rough baskets.
Good quality green rods are boiled for up to 5 hours, during which time the tannin
soaks into the wood, producing the buff colour. They are stored while still damp
and are stripped later.
The
best quality are the carefully selected white rods which are stored in water,
either in tanks or in specially constructed pits, from winter through to May, when the
buds will be open and the sap has started to rise. The stems are passed through
an iron device called a brake which grips the bark as the wood passes through
and strips it off, revealing the white rod. Norfolk basket-makers used to employ
women to do this for the princely sum of 2.5 p per complete bundle.
Willow
has been used for making a variety of articles in the past—bullock feeding-
baskets, bushel skeps, fish baskets, potato baskets, fruit baskets and linen
baskets—but plastic and wire have largely replaced it. Today ornamental dog
baskets and log baskets, as well as garden furniture and hurdles, keep many
craftsmen busy.
