Basket

a receptacle of open work woven of rushes, willow twigs, rattan, splints, or other flexible material. Basket weaving seems to have been known to the most primitive people. The rudest tribes practice the art. Remains of baskets have been found in the ancient lake dwellings of Switzerland. The earliest pottery was made by spreading clay on a basket as a frame. The basket burned out in baking, but left marks by which the process can be identified. The boat or coracle of the ancient Briton was made by covering a large basket with a hide. Moses was set adrift among the bulrushes in a basket rendered water-tight with slimy clay. Fruit baskets of precious metals and costly filigree work were well known among the ancients. The roadsides in many parts of western Europe are devoted to the raising of osiers for basket making. It is difficult to draw the line between bags, baskets, boxes, and crates. Many baskets are made by combining wire and splints. Basket-making has become a large industry. The business of making baskets for the marketing of fruit has grown into millions of dollars a year. See Pottery; Willow