ORC 



[ 664] 



ORC 



The instrument used to bore the holes 

 with is a very small steel rod, about six 

 inches long, with a wooden handle ; it 

 is filed to a point at the end intended 

 to bore the hole with. We find it con- 

 venient to have two or three, for a 

 reason we shall state presently. After 

 a certain number of rods are cut and 

 smoothened, they are taken to a place 

 where there is a small, clear, red fire ; 

 the sharp end of one of the borers is 

 put into it about one inch. As soon as 

 that is red hot, the other is put in, the 

 heated one drawn and thrust into the 

 rod very near the end, and held there 

 as long as it continues to burn its way 

 without much pressure. If too much 

 force is used, the wood will be apt to 

 split. As soon, therefore, as the in- 

 strument ceases to burn its way through, 

 it is replaced in the fire. The other by 

 this time will be red also; this is then 

 taken out of the fire, and applied to 

 the hole. This operation is thus per- 

 formed with each bore alternately till 

 the hole is made through the rod. The 

 description of this operation takes up 

 considerably more time than the opera- 

 tion itself. It is quickly and easily 

 done, as any of our readers may prove 

 on trial. After as many rods are 

 bored as may be wanted at one time, 

 the next thing is to put them together. 

 The articles necessary for this are some 

 copper wire and a few flat-headed cop- 

 per nails. Each basket will require 

 four lengths of wire, the length of 

 each to be in proportion to the size of 

 the basket they are intended for. They 

 should be long enough to meet at least 

 eight inches above the top of the 

 smaller-sized baskets, and from a foot 

 to eighteen inches above the larger 

 ones. At the end of each piece of wire 

 make a loop so large that it will not 

 draw through the holes; then lay the 

 first two rods, and upon them, for the 

 smallest basket, lay three others ; nail 

 these three to the two outside rods, 

 thus forming a sort of raft, to use a 

 nautical term for want of a better ; turn 

 this over, and underneath it put two 

 other rods, to form the other two sides 

 of the basket; then draw the four 

 pieces of wire through the holes at each 

 corner, the looped end being under- 



neath. Continue to lay a pair of rods 

 alternately, drawing the wire through 

 each till the basket is of the required 

 depth. The smallest size, three rods 

 deep ; the two next, four deep, and so 

 on. When that is done, make four 

 small pointed pegs, and drive them into 

 each hole at the four corners. This 

 will fasten the rods in their places, and 

 prevent them from ever starting up- 

 wards ; then draw the wires together 

 at the top, twisting each pair over each 

 other, and fasten them with a piece of 

 fine wire. Your basket is now complete 

 and ready for use. 



Logs. None are so good as the wood 

 of the Acacia, commonly so-called, but 

 which really is the Robinia Pseudo- 

 Acacia. Its wood is firm, and does not 

 soon decay. The next best is the oak. 

 In all cases we strongly recommend the 

 removal of the bark; our objection to 

 retaining it being, that it only serves as 

 a hiding place for wood-lice, small 

 snails, and other destructive insects, 

 besides retaining in winter too great a 

 quantity of moisture. The wood should 

 be procured a year before it is used, 

 and then the bark will come off very 

 easily. We except cork wood, which 

 we think very good when it can be 

 procured readily for this purpose ; and 

 the bark of cork suits the orchids well, 

 and, unlike the others, does not rot so 

 soon, and consequently has not the 

 objection to its use of being a receptacle 

 for vermin. The best wood for baskets 

 is the rough-barked common maple ; 

 the branches of this tree make the 

 handsomest baskets, but as it is not so 

 plentiful as the hazel, the latter is the 

 sort we recommend. Some object to 

 baskets of this description on account 

 of their soon perishing. This we con- 

 sider no objection at all, but rather an 

 advantage ; for as soon as the basket 

 is decayed the plant lias grown so 

 large that it requires a new one, and 

 the rotten sticks of which the old basket 

 is made are more easily broken and 

 removed than sounder ones. 



O'RCHIS. (From orchis, testiculate ; 

 referring to the two oblong bulb-like 

 roots of many of the species. Nat. 

 ord., Orchids [OrchidaceajJ. Linn., !iO- 

 Gynandria 1-Mouundria.) 



