The Republican journal., 1902-07-17
GRASS FOR BASKETS.
Weavers who Make study of Agrastology.

Weavers who Make study of Agrastology.
From early spring until fall there is
steady procession Of grasses, different
varieties sprlnglng up and others dis
appearing as the season advances.
There are about four thousand grasses
When the basket weaver has learned to
discern among them the sorts suited to
her purposes and the period when they
are at their best, she has taken a long
step in her training Students who
VIII be found this summer exploring
sWamps, meadows and beaches viii tie
THEN tinds into small lunches and label
them with data as to the time gathered
| and the soil and place from which they
are taken. Some grasses should be cut
while they are in seed, and others when
ripe. The basket maker soon learns
that II certain grasses are gathered too
early they are brittle and too easily
broken at the nodes.
GRASSES AND SFpGI~.
The principal materials are grasses.
uSheS, sed@es aud fine inner corn
husllS. y few imported materials. such
as 1at)ia and palm leaf, are also employ
ed when their colors and qualities are
wanted The basket maker must learn
to recognize adaptability IN her mate
riaIs and WeaYes. Among the different
kinds she viii find fiat and round, strong
and weak. coarse and tine. In grasses
and ruslles some are pliable from end
to end. and Others have knots and
nodes. / they are used rightly every
ecceutMclty may serve to emphasize
the makers expression of beauty in
weave and design. stalks of certain
grasses are more useful without the in
conspicuous leaves. and others give
better results If the leaves are retained.
No dyes are used IN the baskets al
though there are found hues that glow
and gleam III wealth OF variety and
tone To obtain these ColOrs has re
Qulred long study and experiment. and
the end of the investigation is not yet.
To get beautiful c0lors was simple
enough. but to obtain permanency of
hue was another problem, and since the
work Is yet in its early stages there is
still much to learn. Baskets. however,
made four years ego have lost nothing
of their wonderful sunshine glow nor
their exquisite tones of pink, red pur-
pies. green's. velloWs and ivory white
Some of the baskets which have thus
retained their charm have been scrub
bed with soap and water from dust and
soil
COLOR AND TEXTURE.
Many OF the best materials are found
III sandy soil. Beach grass has d beau
tiful light green shade and lustrous
quality which makes it extremely desir-
able and one of the choicest for color
This grass has a broad leaf which. up
on gathering, Withers into fine, strong
Vine " hich can be adapted to any use.
1t Is at It's best in August and Septem-
Der. The common salt hay, which
comes packed around southern vege-
tables is nice and smooth and of a gold
en brown hue T&(l grass is not so
available as the short varieties Fine
grass, as a rule, is the most useful.
Stalks are more often employed than
leaves. The leaves are apt to be duller
in color than the stalks
one OF the first characteristics to at
tract the attention of strangers to the
baskets is the remarkable dashes of
sunshine i'll their designs. They are OBJ
! tanned by cleaning. glistening yellows.
\ useful material for this purpose is
the Kentucky blue grass, which is used
so exteneively throughout the country
for lawns, and which is beautifully fine
in texture aud golden in hue. Rye and
oat straws when they are ripe and the
fine, inner husks of dry corn husks also
give exquisite yellows.
BROWNS AND REDS.
Lovely browns are to be had from a
grass that comes up the last of August
and that has little feathery plumes. 1t
is ready to gather in November, but
grass of this sort left standing from the
previous year and cut in July con-
tributes strong fiber and rich color.
The grass that is familiar to every one
because of its pink golden brown in the
meadows through the winter is used
the outer covering of finer grass. This
grass is to be had i'll great quantities.
but if it is gathered too early it will be
brittle. 1t is one of the gloSsiest OF the
grasses and has great variety of tints.
Reds are found mostly is the fall. y
prolific source is the basis of the lag
leaves in October Both ivory white
and pink are obtained from the reeds.
Ivory white is found, too, in the color
less stalk of grass that bears little
rice like seeds, like the wild rice of the
west 1t is ready for gathering in No
vember. Corn husks provide a number
| of colors-dark red brilliant pinks and
puppies. pale green and deep, dark ye]-
| lows. A kind of dark red popcorn is a
| most fruitful source of some of the
richest tones The sweet flag (cala-
mus has silver white leaf with a
| beautiful brown lining. This produces
alternating blues of the white and