13.—MOSS BASKETS.
Take a piece of the spring used in hoop-skirts, or a rattan, and make a small hoop about eight inches in diameter. Collect from the woods a quantity of the long, feathery moss, and wind a heavy wreath of this moss on a hoop, then cover a piece of the rattan or hoop-spring, sufficiently long for the handle, with moss, and fasten it to the hoop. Then take a solid bunch of this moss, the size of the centre of the hoop, and push inside of this moss-covered hoop; this forms a moss basket. Take a common plate, and place this basket upon it, and sprinkle it thoroughly with water. This basket can be filled again and again with bright flowers, casting away the flowers as they wither. The wet moss will keep them fresh as long as if placed in a vase filled with water. Now and then place this basket in a dish of water, and sprinkle it, or let the rain fall upon it. This will freshen the green tint of the moss.
Baskets covered with the knitted moss, which in our work department we have given the directions how to prepare, are very pretty. A tin dish should be made to fit it, and painted green; keep this filled with natural flowers, or French artificial flowers, which imitate nature perfectly, can be arranged in them, and if placed on a bracket, or in some place where they will not be likely to be examined too closely, they will easily pass for fresh flowers.
To form a pyramid of flowers, take three, four, or five wooden bowls, according to the size you wish for your pyramid; let them be a regular gradation in size; procure some round pieces of wood, like ribbon blocks, graded in size, glue the tallest into the centre of the largest bowl so that it will stand upright, and up on top of that glue the bowl next in size, and so on to the smallest bowl. Varnish the inside several coats; paint the outsides green, and cover with moss; some have a stand made, and glued to the bottom of the largest bowl. When filled with flowers it is a lovely sight. Baskets made of tin and painted green, then covered with moss, make the prettiest hanging baskets possible. Tin rings, large enough to surround vases placed inside, and made to hold water, with little wires across the top and painted green, when filled with flowers, form the prettiest mats in the world; the wires keep the flowers in place. I saw one filled with only rosebuds, blue forget-me-nots, and geranium leaves. It is an improvement to cover the outside with moss. Crosses made in the same way are very beautiful, and are appropriate to place on the grave of any beloved friend. In that way flowers can be preserved a long time, if there is a sufficient supply of water to preserve them.
There are innumerable ways of arranging flowers. The poorest person can afford to purchase a tin basin, and with a little common paste and moss, which can be found in all country places, a pretty dish for flowers is soon made. Shells make lovely vases. The large shells sailors polish so exquisitely to resemble mother of pearl, make elegant hanging vases; bore holes on each side and hang them with strong cords.
The month of September is not too late to make a fine collection of mosses from mountains and valleys. Mosses will have attained by this time a luxurious growth. There are but few mosses that look well after being pressed. The best way to preserve a collection of mosses is to arrange them in some suitable box, as they grow, and in the order you desire to keep them, and let them dry slowly. If you wish to cover any box, basket, or vase, it is better to paste them on, before they are entirely dry, with common paste. The dry white and gray mosses form very beautiful receptacles for flowers, by covering the outside of any rustic basket with the moss. Thread wire will fasten it firmly to any basket, or rustic work. Paste or wire can be used to fasten it on to boxes or bowls.
We have seen a lovely rustic stand for flowers, formed from a common wooden box (a large bowl is the more desirable). The handle was formed from a barrel hoop. The legs of the stand were made of gnarled branches of trees. Then fine annealed wire was wound over the whole. This served to hold the moss firmly to the box. The beautiful curled white, gray, and green dry mosses were then arranged all over the box, legs, and handle, so as to give grace and beauty to this inexpensive stand. This box was then filled with rich loam, and planted with purple, white, and pink Maurandia, and variegated Myrtle. These vines twined over the handle, and festooned the sides of the box. Lobelias, Fuchsias, Nierembergias, white and scarlet monthly Pinks, silver-leaved Geranium, and King of the Scarlets, also one white monthly Rose in the centre, filled the box with bright flowers all summer. This inexpensive flower-stand was constructed by a boy during his school vacation, and it formed a beautiful centre ornament to his mother’s front yard. In the winter the good mother had her boy’s work carefully removed and placed in her bay window. There it blossomed, and spoke cheering words to her of her absent darling, as she sat day by day, during the cold winter months, sewing by its side.