THE AQUARIUM, APRIL, 1894. 



Ill 



hanginCt baskets. 



The devices for making hanging 

 baskets are nearly endless. Our florists 

 offer a great variety of patteriis ; our 

 wire manufacturers offer some pretty 

 designs, and our pottery and tile mer- 

 chants have equally attractive models 

 of elegance and beauty. Choose any- 

 thing you like, only we recommend to 

 you not to get them too small. We 

 would select nothing less than eleven or 

 twelves inches in diameter and six 

 inches deep. Let the soil be filled in 

 even with the edge of the rim, and then 

 rise toward the centre like a small 

 mound. If there are but one or two 

 large plants in the basket, cover the 

 surface of the soil with moss, which 

 will retain the moisture in the soil, 

 needing watering only at occasional in- 

 tervals ; the moss from trees is not as 

 desirable as that usually found growing 

 on the ground in some low, moist 

 place near a swamp. Pots of lava, or 

 non-porous material, without a hole at 

 the bottom for drainage, must be used 

 only for holding other and more porous 

 joots inside, the interstices being filled 

 with moist moss. Very pretty wire 

 baskets are found at some of our stores; 

 and these, being open, must be filled 

 with moss first, and then a little soil in 

 the centre, and the plants added after- 

 wards. 



Large sea shells (nautilus or conch) 

 will hold soil enough to support trailers, 

 and are usually tasteful window orna- 

 mervts. One of the prettiest baskets 

 ever seen was made from a single sea 

 shell, quite large. Holes were bored 

 through the edge to fasten cords to hang 

 it by ; the interior of the shell was 

 filled with light, rich soil, and Lycopod- 

 iums and Lobelias were planted in it. 

 The rind of the gourd and of the scal- 

 lop squash make elegant baskets for 

 drooping j)lants. Cocoanut shells, 

 whether in their natural state or embel- 

 lished with rustic work around, are 

 acceptable. 



refS 



Queries. 



For the small sum of fifty cents in 

 advance, which pays for a year's sub- 

 scription to The Aquarium, you are 

 entitled to ask information on any point 

 regarding the aquarium or the window 

 garden. We offer no other premium 

 to our subscribers than that of putting 

 our 25 years of practical experience in 

 these branches at their disposal. Ask 

 as many questions as you please, but 

 please to enclose postage for reply. All 

 questions are answered by mail, and we 

 publish only such in these columns as 

 are of general interest. 



Dr. B. 0. — The name of the micro- 

 scopic water plant, described in last 

 issue, is '' Wolffia." 



Aquarium -The two spined stickle- 

 back (Gasterosteus noveboracensis) is 

 the best species to keep, if one wishes 

 to see them build nests. The season 

 for them begins now (March), which 

 lasts until the warm weather. 



Mrs.M. C — The old fashioned "Lady 

 Washington Geranium" (Pelargonium) 

 requires very rich soil to bloom well. 

 Sandy loam, to which about one-third 

 of pulverized rotted cow manure is 

 mixed, is its delight. It also wants a 

 nice, warm location. 



Mrs. Clarke — A saucer for a plant 

 tub is readily made out of sheet lead, 

 such as is used by the plumbers. Cut 

 it to a circle to correspond in size with 

 the base of the tub, allowing a margin of 

 about two inches all around. This done, 

 turn up an edge (scalloped) by means 



