April 10, igoo- 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
247 
Rustic Hanging 
- Baskets. - 
===== -r 
Procure a quantity of stout twigs, say, 
about one and a half inches in diameter, 
and twelve to fifteen inches long. Dress 
the ends off neatly, without injuring the 
bark in any way, the more twisted the 
twigs are the better the effect obtained. 
Each twig, or branch, is bored at either 
end, the hole being wide enough to let 
through a stout wire. This wire is the 
means whereby each spar, or twig, is 
fastened together. 
Endless variety may be had by making 
the baskets different shapes, such as 
square, diamond, oblong, star, triangu¬ 
lar, etc. The baskets should be lined 
sides and bottom with wire netting (fine 
mesh), this in turn being lined With 
sphagnum moss, or, failing that, the best 
procurable. 
If one have a greenhouse, the best re¬ 
sults can be obtained, as after the baskets 
are planted and hung up therein, growth 
is rapid, and bloom follows in due course. 
When this stage is reached, they may be 
taken to the window, or verandah, as the 
case ma y be. The lack of a greenhouse, 
however, should not deter the amateur 
from having just as fine a display as his 
neighbour, although his may be later in 
reaching the same stage of perfection, 
owing to lack of moist heat m the early 
stages of growth. 
Soil in which peat, loam, and sand pre¬ 
dominate, should be used, taking care 
that it is nice and moist, but not so wet 
that it sticks to the fingers. 
There is quite a selection of plants frr 
; the purpose, and the different effects ob 
tained by combination are wonderful, i- 
shall give a list only, and leave readers 
to make their own choice, but do not at¬ 
tempt to crowd too many varieties to¬ 
gether into cme basket, or the result will 
be hideous and disappointing. 
Ivy Geraniums in variety ; Campanula 
isophy 11 a (blue), Campanula • isophvlla 
(white); Fuchsias, Frau Emma Topfer, 
Theroigne de Alericourt (both double), 
Pendant, and Cloth of Gold. Single 
Geraniums, Begonias, etc., may be used 
as centrepieces, and shoots of the Ivy 
Geranium may be trained up the wire 
that supports the basket, in addition to 
twining around. Then there are the old 
Creeping Jennv, Mother of Thousands, 
Musk, Trailing Lobelia, Tropaeolum, 
canariense, and Nasturtium Firefly. This 
latter is very striking in a basket with 
Ivy Geranium. 
There are many Ferns suitable for bas¬ 
ket culture also. 
D. G. McIver. 
Bridge of Weir. 
- +++ - 
Greenhouse and Conservatory Construction 
and Heating. * 
Under the above title a book of 160 pp. 
has been edited by Paul N. Hasluck. In 
this he deals with the tools required by- 
carpenters or by amateurs who would 
build their own greenhouse. Numerous 
drawings show how to make the various 
joints and thereby' fix the different pieces 
of the greenhouse together. For those who 
have a natural love for carpentry, the book 
would prove useful on account of the de¬ 
tailed work in connection vfith the build¬ 
ing of a greenhouse or conservatory, in¬ 
cluding those that are portable. Heating 
is illustrated by boilers in considerable 
variety, and also shows the method of 
fixing up pipes and bracing joints to¬ 
gether. Small houses are kept in view 
as w r eil as large ones. The work is pub¬ 
lished by Messrs. Cassell and Co., Ltd., 
Ludgate Hill, London, price 2s. 
- - 
- Apples -_ 
Storing in Cold Places. 
Those of us that have the interest of 
the country and the land at heart, and 
are anxious to see more thrifty people 
on the land, are pleased to note the de¬ 
mand in many places for small holdings 
(and by the way, Air. Editor, I am glad 
to note you are devoting space in your 
interesting paper to this question). For 
upwards of fifty years I have had to do 
with the cultivation of the land, both in 
farm and garden. In the latter for many 
y.earsj both in private and market, I have 
"had much to do with the culture of hardy- 
fruit. I am convinced that much of the 
money' sent out of this country for fruit, 
especially Apples, may be kept at home, 
providing more land was planted to fruit 
trees on the best methods of culture. 
With land obtainable from a public 
authority- there is more security of tenure. 
Many are under the impression to embark 
in this industry is an expensive matter, 
but this is not so, seeing the land may¬ 
be cropped till the trees begin to be 
profitable. Added to this there, need be 
no great outlay in buildings, etc. Iron 
sheds could be used for all purposes; in 
these may be stored all late keeping 
Apples and Pears. No greater mistake 
could be made than to erect heated 
buildings for this. Last year I stored 
many keeping kinds, in big cases, bar¬ 
rels, etc., in an iron shed. \\ ith severe 
frost these were covered to keep the frost 
from them. W ellington, Alfriston, and 
Deux Ans, kept plump and sound till 
the end of April, and I have many kinds 
I am keeping in this way, now at the 
close of Januarv. 
Onward. 
-- 
New Dahlias. 
The National Dahlia Society issued an 
official catalogue of names and a cultural 
guide in 1905. Each year since then 
they have sent out a supplement, in¬ 
cluding new varieties belonging to each 
different class, together with revised iists 
of each class for exhibition and for gar¬ 
den purposes. This has now been done 
for 1909 and we note that Cactus Dahlias 
take the lead by a long way as to the 
number of new varieties added. No 
other class has been so popular- for many 
years and the forms are now getting 
wonderfully fine before they can get much 
recognition. The London Dahlia Union 
is now incorporated with the National 
Dahlia Society, so both should now be 
much stronger. The joint Hon. Secre¬ 
taries are Messrs. E. F. Hawes, Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, London, 
and H. H. Thomas, 68, Shakespeare 
Road, Hanwell, Middlesex, 
Physicians 
and 
Headaches. 
Physicians have diagnosed more than 
fifty kinds of Headaches, and sufferers 
from the more common forms may 
relieve themselves by locating the cause 
and treating themselves accordingly. 
As the old Latin adage says : “ When 
the cause is removed, the effect must 
cease.” 
But, as is universally admitted, pre¬ 
vention is ten thousand times better 
than cure, and those who take VI-COCOA 
habitually rarely, if ever, suffer from 
Headaches. For this valuable food- 
beverage, though it costs only sixpence 
a packet, will maintain all the organs 
of the body in such a healthy state that 
they will perform their varied and mul¬ 
titudinous functions in the way nature 
intended them to do, and so keep the 
whole system free from disease. 
You can try it free of expense. W rite to 
12, Henry Street, London, YY.C., 
for a dainty sample tin of Dr. Tibbies’ 
Vi-Cocoa free and post paid. It is a 
plain, honest, straightforward offer. It 
is done to introduce the merits of Y i- 
Cocoa into every home. 
Unsuitable Trees for London. 
It is pointed out by Miss Hall, F.L.S., 
that a mistake is being made in the wide- 
-pread planting of Balsam Poplars in 
London parks. “This,” she says, "is 
quite an unsuitable tree to London or any 
smoky town, since its leaves and shoots 
are covered with a resinous secretion, to 
which clust and soot adhere." 
“ School Gardening.” 
In a book of 124 pp. Air. W. Francis 
Rankine has compressed much informa¬ 
tion about gardening as it may be con¬ 
ducted in school gardens. This need not 
differ very much from that conducted by 
the professional, but it is adapted for 
schools, and the instruction of scholars 
in the art of gardening. The work is 
illustrated throughout with drawings of the 
various subjects under consideration. 
Necessarily when gardening is taught by 
the agency of the schoolmaster a good 
deal of scientific information is imparted, 
thus bridging over the gulf which people 
used to think divided the theory' and prac¬ 
tice of gardening. The manual is pub¬ 
lished by Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons. 
Ltd., 1, Amen Corner, London, E.C., at 
is. in cloth covers, so that no schoolboy' 
need be without a book on gardening. 
