Every mother loves plants and flowers, and if the young carpenter wishes to make a present that will be sure to please, just make one of these wooden flower boxes, paint it dark brown or green, and then present it with an oleander or small orange tree growing in it.

There is just one feature in the construction that will present any difficulty and that is due to the fact that the edges of the four side pieces are not exactly square with the sides. This is on account of the slant.

After studying the drawing you will notice that two of the side boards must be narrower than the other two, because they fit inside, just like the ends of any box. The only way to do, therefore, is to stand the four pieces up and then plane the edges of the two that fit inside until they fit closely. The edges of the two wider pieces should not be trimmed down until all four are nailed together, when they can be worked down even with the outside. After fitting in the bottom, the four tapering pieces with the holes in them are to be made and nailed on. As these large holes come so near the ends, one had better bore them before sawing the pieces off, so as to prevent splitting. As soon as the end of the bit is felt coming through, turn the piece over and bore from the other side, so as not to tear off splinters. Nail on the small block at each corner of the bottom - and the box is done.

The construction of the second jardiniere or flower box will proceed in the same way, except that we must use the fret saw to cut out the curves. After marking out the necessary one-inch squares, locate the center points marked with the black dots. Place the point of the compasses on these, and you will find that the curves shown in the working drawing will fall right in place. Saw out two sides according to the heavy lines, allowing just a little for planing off after nailing up. The other two sides will be exactly the same, except that their width must be reduced by the thickness of the other two sides, otherwise our box will not be square when we look down upon it. Set the heads of the nails deeply. Apply a coat of linseed oil inside and out, and when this is dry putty up the holes over the nails. Paint brown or green as desired, giving the inside several coats as a preservative.