UASKKT MATERIAL- 



BASKET-WORK 



MATERIALS 





Alnus nltlda. The alder or shrol, udish, etc., twigs used in tying loads, in D.E.P., 

 istructioii of rope-bridges and of crude baskets. i., 175 7. 



Arundlnaria pp. (see Bamboos, p. '.!>). 

 Bambusa. etc. (HOO Bamboos, pp. !>'.) \u\ttneq.) Along the foot of tin Hima- 



ni cast to wofit, haml I >askut-nialung is an important industry. Tho 



mbinod hat and umbrella of tho Assam and H ultivulor.-;, as also tho 



irti^tic hats of the Slums, aro mado of bamboo. In Hengal, ingenious and 

 rnictcd fish-traps and bird-cages are abo. constructed of bamboo. 

 I'ln- tratlic in thi-se articles is by no means insignificant. 

 Borassus flabelllfer. Fancy baskets, etc. (see p. 170). 

 Cajanus Indicus. Agricultural baskets (see p. 200). 



Calamus (see pp. 201-4.) Cane baskets of great strength are largely pro- 

 duced in r.cn^al, on for example in Patna, Pubna, etc. Those are formed of 

 canes wound round ana round and held in position by tic-bands. Fancy 

 rk is largely produced in Poona, Ratnagiri, Kanara, etc. In Bengal a 

 small colony of Chinamen are engaged in the production of cane-chairs, baskets, 

 it c. In Shimoya in Mysore and in several localities in Coorg cane-work of 



note is turned out. 

 Caryota urens (see p. 286). 

 Corypha umbracullfera (see p. 429). 

 Dendrocalamus (see Bamboos, p. 102). 



Indigofera alropurpurea. Tho bankati, eakuan, and I. Gerardiana, tho kati, D.E.P., 

 kfn-nti, etc., are fairly extensively employed by the hillmen to tie loads and iv., 384 5. 

 in. ike baskets, etc. 



Melocalamus compactlflorus.- The bamboo most highly prized for lacquered 



s and trays (see p. 103). 



Parrotia Jacquemontiana. The psher or piahor, killar, apilecha, etc., of the D.E.P., 

 .NY. Himalaya, is a most useful shrub, the twigs of which are extensively vi., pt. i., 

 ployed in binding loads, making strong (though not very durable) baskets 111. 

 <1 in constructing the so-called rope-bridges (jhulaa) which are thrown across 

 ,e mountain torrents. Occasionally twigs of CotoneaHtur, inaigofrru, oien, 

 d sje are mixed with 1'an-otia, and in other parts of the Himalaya 

 ie grass im-im-nimn is mainly used for these bridges. 



Phoenix (see pp. 884-5). Beautiful cigar-cases are plaited in Madras Cigar-cases. 

 from specially prepared strips of the leaves of this palm. The leaves, which are 

 .own as bhutra or khushab, are also woven or plaited into fans, baskets and 

 pes, etc. The leaf-stalks (chhari) make excellent walking-sticks, and split up 

 iey furnish a material which is woven into exceedingly strong crates and Crates. 

 ikets. W. H. Gee (I.e. 15) says that in the Panjab the manufacture of 

 from the date-palm is universal, and that there is a fair export in 

 ese articles from Peshawar. Fans are made largely in Rohtak and Karnal. Fans. 

 Delhi also there are two factories for date-palm fans. The leaf is soaked in 

 ater for a short time and some of the leaflets cut off and plaited in with those 

 >at remain, thus forming the fan. They are then stained according to certain 

 ttems. A man can make about twelve such fans a day. In most parts of the 

 untry where one or other of the date-palms is plentiful the leaves are largely 

 [ployed in the construction of baskets, as a rule in the bee-hive shape. These Baskets, 

 produced in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies and in the Panjab, Sind, 

 uchistan and Afghanistan. In the eastern parts of Bengal, matting used in Matting, 

 luses is almost always of khajur (riiwntjc) and is sold at about Rs. 6 per 100 

 uare yards. [Cf. Gee, I.e. 6, 14.] 

 Phragmltes (see Mats and Matting, p. 777). 

 Pseudostachyum (see Bamboos, p. 104). 



Rhus Cotlnus. The Elm-leaved Sumach or tinga, phan, etc. ; shoots D.E.P., 

 employed in coarse basket-making. vi., pt. i., 



Saccharum arundinaceum (see Munj, pp. 929-30). 496. 



Sallx. Several species of Willow. There does not appear to be in D.E.P., 

 India any generic name like osier which denotes the specially grown shoots v i., pt. ii., 

 used in basket-making, but bed or bent are very general names, and others 387-91. 

 such as bin, bis, bisa, bhesh, baish, bhains, bes, etc., all denote willows. 

 Although never so successfully worked up as in Europe, the willows of India 

 are of the greatest possible value to the people. The kiltas or load-baskets Kilttu. 

 carried on the back by the hillmen are very generally made of willow, and 

 the long willow-baskets used in conveying apples and pears from Kull i 

 and Kashmir to the plains are well known. The kilta is a pointed basket so 



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