While the King and his men are at work digging up the plants the Queen and her ladies can gather the buds and blossoms, picking them with as long stems as possible and remembering to have a few green leaves of each plant with its blossoms. To keep the flowers from wilting, as they would if held in the hand, let each girl be provided with a clean, perfectly dry baking-powder can which has a lid that fits tightly; the blossoms must be without moisture and very carefully placed within the can as soon as they are plucked. When the tin box is filled the cover can be fitted on securely to exclude all the air. The green leaves may be carried in the hand, and when they droop they can be revived by being placed in fresh water. The bit of wildwood brought home in the form of dainty cut flowers could be put in water until dark, when the little
May-baskets
are ready for their reception. These baskets should always be small and must never be crowded with flowers; it is better to have only one variety of blossom with its foliage for each basket.
Fig. [422].—Beginning wire May-basket.
Fig. [423].—Basket ready for handle.
Manufacture the May-baskets of paper boxes, colored straws, wire, and cardboard. Those of wire can be made to resemble coral and are pretty when shaped like that shown at [Fig. 425]. Make a ring of wire about the size of the top of a very large teacup by twisting the two ends of the wire together, then pull it into an oblong shape curved downward at the two ends. Form another smaller ring, connect the two by a length of wire fastened on one end ([Fig. 422]); twist the wire on the bottom loop and bring it across the bottom and up on the other side end ([Fig. 423]). Proceed the same way with the broad sides, extending the wire up and across the top to form the handle ([Fig. 424]); if more braces are needed, add them, and tie bits of string in knots of various sizes at intervals all over the basket frame to form projections for the branches of coral.
Fig. [424].—Wire basket to be turned into coral.