December 1925

Intimate Glimpses of Our Native Trees

TO those who walk thru the woodlands in summer only, when the trees are clothed in garments of green, the winter form is like to a closed book. When the leaves quiver under the touch of a July zephyr, we rarely think of the sturdy skeleton that sways and bends and resists the wild winds of winter.

Beautifying the Small Home Grounds

BECAUSE the ground surrounding the small home is usually rather limited in area, considerable care must be exercised in its improvement to obtain the best results. Frequently a person overzealous in his efforts to beautify will use too much in the way of shrubs and garden ornaments, and the result is a heterogeneous mass that defeats the very object in view.

How to Carry the Home Expense

WHEN the first payment on a home has been accumulated, or a lot has been paid for, the way toward home ownership is surprisingly easy, if you will but use judgment and choose a home within your means. Consideration must be given to the factors that will enable you to "pay out" on the investment.

Christmas Wreaths of Native Materials

CHRISTMAS wreaths are older than the first Christmas day! So is the use of native materials from which to make them. More than two thousand years ago in the north of Europe native evergreens were fashioned into symbols of happiness at every Yule-tide season. For in those unenlightened days folks waited anxiously thru the dark months for the turning of the sun in their direction. Whereupon, they expressed their gladness in a great Sun Feast.

Homes of Famous Americans

IT is in the relentless night-time, when the blanket of darkness settles completely over the world. To some it brings welcome rest and the promise of sweet dreams; to others, a chance for merry-making, and jest, and gayety. For it is Saturday night, the last day save one of March, in the year 1850.

Hardy Wild Plants for Northern Gardens

THE cool evergreen woods of the northern tier of states are particularly rich in beautiful flowers. While these woods are generally termed dry we will find beneath the dry surface several inches of moist humus except in seasons of protracted drought. It is obvious that such locations are not of the conventional garden type, but let us realize that we may have a garden that is not bounded by clipped grass or dirt paths, wherein the soil is not cultivated with tools.

Winter Injuries to Trees and Shrubs

COLD weather often plays some rather queer pranks with plants --particularly with trees and shrubs. Not only may the plant be actually killed during the cold weather but an injury may also occur which does not manifest itself till late in the spring or early in the summer.

The Lure of Early New England Dressers

NO article of Colonial furniture makes a deeper appeal to the modern housekeeper than the dresser of early New England days. None is more subtly enveloped in fine American tradition or more closely associated with the home life of the Colonists or the housewifely qualities of the Pilgrim mothers. Of simple, homely aspect, yet its very presence is capable of creating an engaging picture of Colonial days, when the kitchen was the true heart of the home.

Unit House Number Four Is a Dutch Colonial

Holiday Gifts for Home Use

FRAGRANT balsam, pine and cedar, wax-berried mistletoe, crimson-fruited holly, the shining green of laurel and bay, the shimmer of rainbow tinsel, the jeweled radiance of dancing lights, all the colorful holiday wares from lands both near and far-- these are the trappings which invest December with a charm no other month possesses and give to its pre-Christmas weeks a happy spirit of festivity. Effervescent and infectious, the festal spirit will not down: it takes complete possession of our little world, raising everywhere victorious banners of goodwill and of Christmas cheer.

Under the Library Lamp

KING PENGUIN. Miss Fox, a pleasant lady, was reading for some deep thesis, when she came upon this "Legend of the South Sea Isles" in an old English journal. One of Miss Fox's pleasant qualities is that she had in the back of her mind as she studied, a love for children's books of earlier days, especially for "Memoirs of a London Doll." So she recognized Richard Henry Home's prose, even in such strange surroundings and copied this engaging tale off for the publisher.

Dad's Practical Pointers

SOME time ago one of our readers asked for plans showing how to make furniture for a breakfast nook. Several inquiries along the same line have come in now and then, so this month we are giving you plans and directions on the construction of a small breakfast suite.

Garden Reminders

DECEMBER brings very little work to be done in the yard and garden, yet the real garden enthusiast finds that all spare time can be used to good advantage in doing things which will make for a better garden next year.

American Women In The World of Music

NO people of any country have given greater personal recognition to women musicians than have our own Americans. Yet we have never, as a nation, recognized talented women with the same honors that we have given to men.

How to Carve the Dinner Meats

CARVING an attractive piece of meat at the table gives to a meal a feeling of true hospitality and informality. It distinguishes the family dinner from that of other meals while the guests who may be present have a sense of more intimate enjoyment of the occasion.

Needlework Directions

OF course there are not many more days left before Christmas, but there is yet time to make a few more gifts-- that is if they are simple of execution.

ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK

THE real question before the country is, are we going to preserve the old Anglo-Saxon tradition of a detached house where each family can wholly and completely express its individuality? Or, are we going to permit the Mediterranean idea of the tenement and catacomb to prevail? It is our common job to see to it that the former ideal of family life shall triumph.