BAS 



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BAS 



ing out, let the beds be well watered 

 previously to planting, and plant in the 

 evening. Lift the young plants from the 

 seed-bed with a small fork or trowel, and 

 plant them out with care, eight or ten 

 inches from plant to plant each way, and 

 water them, to settle the earth to the 

 roots. Attend to earth-stirring, and water 

 when required, until the plants are well 

 established. If green tops are required 

 for earlier use, sow in pots, pans, or 

 boxes, and place in any heated structure. 



To obtain seed. Some of the earliest- 

 raised plants must be left ungathered 

 from. These flower from July to Sep- 

 tember, and, accordingly, ripen their seed 

 in early or late autumn. 



BASINING-UP. By this term is meant 

 raising a small bank of earth entirely 

 round a plant, so as to retain water im- 

 mediately about the roots. 



BASKETS, employed by the London 

 gardeners, being made of osier or deal 

 shavings, vary triflingly in size more than 

 measures made of less flexible materials. 

 They are as follows : 



Pottle & long, tapering basket, made 

 of deal shavings, holding about a pint 

 and a half. 



Sea-kale punnets eight inches diame- 

 ter at the top, and seven inches and a 

 half at the bottom, and two inches deep. 



Radish punnets eight inches diameter, 

 and one inch deep, if to hold six hands ; 

 or nine inches by one inch for twelve 

 Lands. 



Mushroom punnets seven inches by 

 one inch. 



Salading punnets five inches by two 

 inches. 



Half sieve contains three imperial 

 gallons and a half. It averages twelve 

 inches and a half diameter, and six 

 inches in depth. 



Sieve contains seven imperial gallons. 

 Diameter, fifteen inches ; depth, eight 

 inches. 



Bushel sieve ten imperial gallons and 

 a half. Diameter at top, seventeen inches 

 and three quarters ; at bottom, seventeen 

 inches ; depth, eleven inches and a 

 quarter. 



Bushel basket ought, when heaped, to 

 contain an imperial bushel. Diameter at 

 bottom, ten inches; at top, fourteen 

 inches and a half; depth, seventeen 

 inches. Walnuts, nuts, apples, and po- 

 tatoes are sold by this measure. A bushel 

 of the last named, cleaned, weighs fifty- 



six pounds; but four pounds additional 

 are allowed if they are not washed. 



BASKETS (RUSTIC). These are often 

 suitable ornaments for the reception of 

 flowering-plants upon lawns, and other 

 parts of the pleasure-grounds. These 

 baskets are easily made. Having fixed 

 on the sizes you wish for, procure some 

 "nch boards, either of sound oak, which 

 is the best, or of well-seasoned elm or 

 deal. Cut them into the proper lengths, 

 and nail them together the right width ; 

 they will then form a square. Mark 

 then the desired form (round or octagon) 

 on this square, and cut it into the de- 

 sired figure. When this is done, you 

 have the ground-work of your basket ; 

 make the basket ten or eight inches deep; 

 and, if your garden is moderately exten- 

 sive, you may have them the largest size 

 to be manageable, that is from three to 

 five feet in diameter. If a small garden, 

 this size would be inconvenient, and 

 take up too much room. Yet there is 

 no reason why you should not have two 

 or three of these ornaments. For such a 

 garden, the most proper dimensions 

 would be two feet ; and for that size, 

 six inches deep would be proportionate. 

 Then proceed to nail to the circular or 

 octagon bottom the sides. If the shape 

 is round, let the pieces of wood to form 

 the sides be narrow, bevel inwards the 

 sides, and shape them so as to form the 

 circle; but if of an octagon form, the 

 pieces will be, of course, of the width of 

 each of the eight sides, and planed to fit 

 at each corner. Fasten them firmly to- 

 gether with nails, and the main founda- 

 tion and walls of your baskets are com- 

 plete. On the top of the side put some 

 split hazel rods, of sufficient thickness to 

 cover it, and hang over the outside edge 

 about half an inch. Place some of the 

 same kind close to the bottom ; then, be- 

 tween the two, cover the plain boards 

 with some rough oak or elm bark, so 

 closely fitted as to give the idea that the 

 basket has been cut out of a solid tree ; 

 or, which is more expensive and trouble- 

 some, but certainly more ornamental, 

 cover the sides with (split or whole, as 

 you may fancy) hazel rods, formed into 

 tasteful forms. These should fit so close 

 as to hide completely the material of 

 which the sides are formed. The bark- 

 plan will not require anything more 

 doing to it after it is neatly fitted and 

 securely nailed to the sides; but the 



