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Rh country, the beautiful baskets made in such variety of shape from bamboo reeds, with their color assuming the soft brown shades of mother earth, so perfect an offset for all the varied tints of the flowers, are entirely practical in any climate.

Not to be overlooked is the tiny hanging vase found in the simple peasant home—some curious root picked up at no cost and fashioned into a shape suitable to hold a single flower or vine. Such vases could be made with little effort by anyone and find place anywhere in our own land, had we only a keen enough desire to be always surrounded by the beautiful.

After experience with Japanese vases we find ourselves much more critical in the selection of American or European ones and, beholding all the delightful forms of Japanese vases depicted in their prints, we grow most regretful of the scarcity of their importation into Europe or this country. [205]