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540 ART OF GARDENING. P a r t HI.
also required in gardening, for cleaning seeds; aud wooden sieves of different kinds for
aii'ing or keeping fruit.
1816. Utensils o f deportation are, tlie mould-scuttle, pot-caiiier, basket, and packing-
case.
1817. Tke mould-scuttle is a wooden box for canying sifted eai'th in situations where
the wheelbarrow cannot be brought into use. Sometimes it is made of iron, like the
common coal-scuttle.
1818. Thepot-carrieris an oblong boai'd, with a hoop-handle in the m iddle: it is used
for carrying pots of plants from one part of the garden to another. A wfre sieve answers
the same piu-pose; but it is an ill application of that utensil, and besides occupies both
hands, and requires stooping.
1819. Garden-baskets are of several species and vaiieties, used for growing, can-ying,
measuring, or keeping vegetable productions. They are ivoven or worked of the spray,
bai'k, or split woody fibre of trees, or of the young shoots of willow, hazel, and other
shrubs.
1820. The plant basket is a vessel of wickerwork, shaped like a large pot, not less than
eighteen inches wide, by twenty inches deep, and is used by some nm.--
serymen, pai-ticulai-ly by the Dutch, to grow large peach trees, vines,
&c., for deportation. By the means of these baskets, when neiv garden-
walls, or hothouses are W it, one, and often two yeai'S, may be saved in
the fruit tre e s : the mode is at present a good deal out of use, but
deserves to be revived. The French have a training basket (fig. 447.)
made of split wood.
1821. The planters’ basket is a flat, rectangular utensil of wicker-work or boards, partitioned
into tlu-ee or more parts, for the purpose of canying with the gardener when
about to plant or remove plants. One division is for the plants taken u p ; another for
the plants to be p lan ted ; and a third for the tools to be made use of, and for any
decayed parts of plants, stones, weeds, or other refuse. By using such a basket the
young gardener may proceed in his operations with order, accuracy, and neatness.
1822. The mould-basket is a strong reticulated utensil of unpeeled willows or hazel,
used for can-ying earth, gravel, or tanners’ bark.
1823. Carrying-baskets and package-baskets aa-e of various sizes, shapes, and qualities
of material and workmanship. Such as are large, coarse, and without handles are called
hampers, and about London, boats, barges, and other local names.
1824. Measuring-baskets are cliiefly in use by market-gai-deners: the largest are
bushels and half-bushels, formed of unpeeled or peeled widow shoots or withies; pecks,
half-pecks, and sieves are formed of peeled withies ; and punnets, pottles, and thumbs,
for the more rare culinary vegetables and fruits, are formed from shavings of deal or
willOAV wood.
1825. Plant packing-cases are of various kinds, according as plants in a growing state,
plants in a state of rest, and with or without leaves, cuttings,
bulbs, or other roots, or seeds, are to be packed.
Each of these kinds varies also according to the distance to
which it is to be sent, climate, season of the year, and mode
of conveyance. In sending plants in leaf from this country
to the Continent, and the contrary, a close-bottomed box
hooped over (fig. 448.), was formerly u s ed ; the cover of
the upper part being either netting, or, if matting, very frequently
removed. These boxes have, however, been quite
448
superseded by what are called Ward’s plant cases, which
are now almost universally used for packing plants.
1826. The glazed packing-case is the most suitable for importing plants fi-om distant
countries. One of this kind employed by Sir R. Farquhar, in sending plants from the
Mauritius to the Horticultural Society (fig. 449.), was made of inch boards, three feet
long, four feet wide, and twenty inches deep. The sloping roof consisted of two glazed
shutters (a a d), which opened to admit afr (6), and could be covered at pleasure with
two rolls of tarpauling (c c) ; the trees were planted in wooden boxes just large enough
to contain a single plant, and perforated in thefr sides and bottom (d), and thefr siu-face
was carefully covered with moss (e), tied down with cord.
1827. Ward’s plant cases. About 1829 Mi'. Ward, a surgeon, living in one of the
closest parts of London, having buried the chrysalis of a sphinx in some moist mould
contained in a wide-mouthed glass bottle covered with a lid, found that the moisture
Avhich rose during the heat of the day fi-om the mould, became condensed on the internal
surface of the glass, and returned whence it came, thus keeping the mould always in the
same degree of humidity; and in time a seedling fern, and a grass, made their appearance
on the surface of the mould. Mr. Ward was very much interested in this, as he had been
endeavoiu'ing for many years to grow ferns in the court-yard of his house in Wellclosc
B o o k I-
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3 J L E L
E,
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from t h e M a u r i tm s , w h i c h a n i i e d i n p e g -fiilpA i t w i t h p l a n t s o f v a r i o u s
g r e e n h o t t s e o p p o s i t e o n e o f h i s s t a i r c a s e -m n c o w , „ a f t e rw a r d s
M n d s , m o s t o f w h i c h s u c c e e d e d h i s f l r s t
f o rm e d , g e n e r a l l y w i t h c o m p l e t e s h i p b o a r d ; a n d i n t h e
e x p e r im e n t o f a p p l y i n g h i s L „ s e s w i t h f e n s , g r a s s e s , & o ., a n d s e n t t h e m
Channel, tho thermometer then being as their ¿nival at the
so contrived that light may be admitted .‘V**ta"?® fre required for
glazed frames should he well painted and puttied Ltactain all
L , in order that when they are put t o g c t o they Especial
the moisture that is within the case, and to wWch the plants usually grow, and
p S i from a defieieney of light. “ A grea number of
plants will travel well in these cases if
from the roof, such as numerous species of Orchideai, Cacti,
&c When on hoard, all the care which is requisite is to
keep the plants constantly in the hght, to remove incrustations
of salt or dirt, and immediately to repair any d /n a g e
done to the glass, either with fresh glass if on hoard, or
with tin or wood.” (Wa rd on the Growth o f Plants in
florists’flowers ( /q . 450.) may
he fonned of boards of any convenient size and two round
pieces of wood a, 6, nailed to the hd, to keep the pot in
its place. In nnpacking there is no difBciüty, as the round
pieces come up Avith the lid.