Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 15.djvu/163

* OSIEB. 132 OSLEB. all Anicritan species, are recommended for grow- ing in the L'nited States. Osiers arc" extensively cultivated on alluvial soils, especially on the tide-Hooded river basins of Holland. Belgium, and Trance, wlicnce large i|nantities of rods are exported. Much depends on the closeness of planting, as wlien sjiace is too abundant the shoots of many of the Ivinds branch more than is desiral)le. When osiers for the finest kinds of basket-work are desired, single- eye cuttings are planted close together, so as to obtain weak but line shoots. For ordinary work, cuttings 15 to 10 inches long and of tolerably thick branches are ])lanted in rows from 18 inches to two feet apart, and at distances of 15 to 18 inches in the i-ow. Osier jilanlations in light soils continue productive for 15 or 20 years. and much longer in rich, alluvial soils. Clay soils arc unsuitable. Usually no cultivation is required after jihuiting, although shallow culti- vation is rcciimnicnded to keep down the weeds. The shoots are cut once a year, during thf resting period. They are then sorted, and those intended for brown baskets are dried and stacked, out of danger of rain, care being also taken to prevent heating, to which, like hay. they are liable, and by which they would be rendered worthless. Osiers intended for white l)askets cannot at once be peeled; but after being sorted, they are tied in bundles, placed upright in wide shallow trenches or rivulets in which there is about four inches of water, till they begin to bud and blossom in spring. They are then, in ordinary seasons, eas- ily peeled by drawing them through an instru- ment called a ^break. but in cold seasons it is sometimes necessary to lay them for a while under a quantity of litter. They may also be peeled by steaming or boiling the dried shoots. There are extensive plantations in the vicinity of Rochester and Liverpool, New York: Detroit, Michigan: Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Baltimore. ]ld. In ISllO there .was ju-odueed in the United States willow ware valued at .'f.3,(i30.00. an increase of 01 per cent, over the production of ISSO. OSIMO, o'ze-md. A town of Central Italy in the I'riiviiice of Ancona, situated eight miles south of Ancona (Map: Italy, H 4). It has a cathedral, a bishop's palace, a museum containing many statues and ancient inscriptions, and a lilirary. The chief industry is silk-spinning. Osinio is the ancient .lu.rinnim, founded by the Konuins in n.c. 157. Po[mlati(m (comnume), in 1881, 17,:!40; in inOl, 18,.52!). OSI'RIS (Lat., from Gk. 'Oaipic,. from Egypt. Ilrsii. Aiisiir, Asiri). One of the principal Eg>'p- tian <leitics. originally the local god nf Abydos and Husiris, wlm early ac<|uired a solar character and was identilifd with the setting sun. He thus came to be regarded as the ruler of the realm of the dead in the mysterious region below the west- ern horizon. According to the legend. Osiris was (he son of .Scb (the earth) and Nilt (the sky), and the husband of his sister Isis. When he came to rule over Kgypt he found the people jilunged in utter barl)arism and Tailed them from their wretched condition by giving them laws, teach- ing them to till the ground, and instructing them in the worship of the gods. He then traveled over the whole world, spreading the blessings of civili- zation in every land. His wicked brother Set (Typhon). the enemy of all good, would have taken advantage of his absence to undo his work and subvert the order he had established, but was defeated by the watchfulness of Isis. When the King returned, however, Set i)lotted to destroy him by treachery. Having privily taken tin- measure of Osiris's body, he made a beautiful chest of like dimensions and brought it with him to a great feast, at which Osiris was present. As though in jest, he promised to give the chest to any one whose body should fit it exactly. After a number of the guests had tried in vain, Osiris got into the chest and lay down, when Set and his confederates (juickly shut the lid and fastened it securely. They then cast it into the river, and it was borne out toj-ica by the Tanitic mouth of the Nile. Isis, after long w;inderings. found her hus- band's bod.' and brought it back to Kgvpt. but while she went to visit her young son Horus. it was discovered by Set, who tore it to pieces and scattered the fragments far and wide. Upon learning of this misfortune, Isis took a boat an<l carefully sought out the scattered members of her husband. Wherever she found a ])ortion of the body, she buried it, and the spot was ever thereafter revered as sacred ground. hen Horus grew up, he took vengeance upon the murderer. Set. and ascended his father's throne. Osiris, meantime, lived again in the under world and be- came the ruler of the dead. At a very early period the worship of Osiris was connected with the Egvptian doctrine of the inunortality of the soul and became popular throughout Kgypt. Abydos, where the head of the god was believed to be preserved, enjoyed the reputation of special sanctity, and bodies were brought from all parts of Kg.vpt for burial in its sacred soil. Osiris is usually re]U'esented swathed in nuunmv cloths, holding in his hands the crook and the Mail, sym- bols of royalty, and wearing upon his head the Atcf crown, which was formed of the tall crown of Upper Kg.vpt with a long feather on each side. Consult: Wiedemann. IlcVu/ion of the Ancient Egi/ptians (New York, 1897); Erman, Life in Ancient Er/upt (Lontlon, 1804). See also I.si.s ; HoRis ; Serapi.s : Set: and the paragraph on lic- lif/ion in the section on Ancient Ef/i/pt. and Plate of Egypti.^n Deities, under the title Egypt. OSKALOOSA, os'ka-loo'sa. A city and the county-seat of Mahaska County, la., 00 miles southeast of Des Moines; on the Burlington Route, the Chicago, Rock Island and PaciKc. and the Iowa Central railroads (Map: Iowa. E 3). It is the seat of Oskaloosa College ( Christian ) and Penn College ( Friends ), opened in 187.'i. and has ,a public library, and a United States Government post oflice building, erected at a cost of $05,000. The yearly meetings of the Societ.v of Friends in Iowa are held here. The indiistrial interests of the city are represented by manufactures of wagons, steam and hot-water heaters, tlour. packed meat, woolen goods, vitrified brick, and iron and brass goods. In the vicinity are de- posits of coal, which is extensively mined, besides fire clay and limestone. There are also large agricultural anil stock-raising interests. Settled in 1843, Oskaloosa was incorporated ten years later. The government is administered under a revised charter of 1885, which provides for a mayor, chosen everv two vears, and a council. Population, in 1890". 0.5.58; "in 1900. 9212. OSLER, os'ler. William (1849—). An American physician and author. He was born at