HAXGTNG BASKETS. 



113 



the different forms of wire baskets, which, when used, 

 are lined with moss, and being thus very open, and allow- 

 ing of complete drainage, are best suited of all for the 

 well being of the plants. Many beautiful forms are 

 made from pottery ware, colored so as to imitate stumps 

 of wood and other objects. Thousands of these baskets 

 are used in some of their dijfferent forms, and many grow 

 their plants in no other way, as plants are not only more 

 easily managed in these, but many 

 varieties so cultivated make a more 

 graceful growth than is possible 

 when they are in pots. In hang- 

 ing baskets, the fall or Dutch 

 bulbs, of all kinds, can be grown, 

 giving them exactly the treatment 

 recommended for growing in pots 

 on page 44. When hanging bas- 

 kets are hung on the veranda or 

 porch in summer, a great quan- 

 tity of water is usually required, 

 as the dry air surrounding the 

 basket on all sides generally dries 

 up the soil. The simplest way 

 of watering them when dry, in ^^^- ^'^' 



summer, is to immerse the bas- ^^'"^ ^^'^^^ ^^'^^• 

 ket in a pail or tub of water, so that the earth is thor- 

 oughly soaked through. How often this immersion will 

 be necessary will depend on the weather, the condition 

 of the plants, and the quantity of earth. If the bowl 

 of the basket is full of roots, and the weather hot and 

 dry, then once each day may be necessary ; while, if the 

 weather is damp and cool, it might not require watering 

 more than once a week. The rule with tliese, as with all 

 plants, is, never water unless tliey are drv, and then 

 water thoroughly. Just what this condition of being 

 '^ dry'* is, is not quite so easy to describe. As a rule, most 



