December 1926

'Tis Curious, When You Think of It!

The Joy of Building Your Own Home

HOME Is there a sweeter word? And what, pray, could be sweeter than to have a home built and furnished just for you? Every room, every window, every door, every chair, rug and hanging always with you in mind! And then-- to live in that house, that thing that almost lives itself, with you, yourself, the soul of it!

Attracting Winter Birds

IT is the sixth day of January. The ground in the woods and fields is covered with a thick blanket of snow. I sit near an east window watching affairs just outside the house. There, in spite of the cold and snow, much of importance is taking place. Soon, I hear a grunting "ank, ank" and see a little bird, six inches long, hopping along a narrow board nailed to an oak stub in the yard.

Fruit-Bearing Habits of Apples & Pears

A STUDY of the fruit-bearing machinery of our horticultural plants provides a subject of interest both to the practical grower of these plants and to the person of a more botanical turn of mind.

Homes of Famous Americans

THE man of amazing versatility who can do a dozen and one things well, is not the dangerous man. He may be seemingly equipped with an ability and an energy to strip the world of all of its riches; he may be endowed with a will and a personality that disarms opposition and opens countless doors to him. But he is not the dangerous man!

The Better Mockoranges

SHAKESPEARE said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," which statement is poetically pleasant but actually very doubtful. If a rose were called buddleia or streptocarpus, nobody would ever care enough about it to get close enough to determine how sweet it was. There is much in a name!

How to Grow Asparagus Successfully

ASPARAGUS is one of the finest vegetables grown in the home garden and there is no reason why everyone should not have a small bed of it. I have learned many things from past experience with asparagus and my first experiences I should not like to do over again; I have received some well-meant but misleading advice that was not practical-- but we all learn many things by experience.

Remember the Books

IF only sentiment were to be served, some of us who build homes would specify bookcases or book shelves in every room, so that we might never lack that heart-warming companionship which good old friendly books have a way of bestowing upon kindred spirits. The peopling of our houses might then be accomplished without the fuss and ado of either invitations or social conventions and we would be spared much of the bother of purchasing formal, expensive furniture and that further abundance of accessories, fitments and furnishings seemingly so necessary in our modern domestic life.

A Plot Plan

How to Built Your own Garage

THE high cost of building material, especially lumber, during the past years has prevented many families from including a garage as part of the home. Since we have again approached normalcy, however, many will be interested in plans for a garage, which will not only serve to house the motor car but which will provide a place for the storage of tools and a workshop.

Nature Lore for Youthful Readers

THE mistletoe decorating your home at Christmas time is a magic charm supposed to bring about kindly feelings toward every-one who comes inside the door.

Under the Library Lamp

NELLIE wants a story-book"-- ran an old Christmas jingle that my mother used to recite to me every December, for as a child I was the Nellie who seldom wanted anything else. And now that the stores are crowded with Christmas seekers and Everybody on Earth is wondering (goodness me!) what to choose for Somebody Else, it is only natural that I should be pushing the claims of books ahead of all other gifts.

How to Trim The Christmas Tree

IN all the world there is no fragrance more full of meaning, more stimulating to one's colorful imagining, than that of a Christmas tree. For days before Christmas, during busy shopping hours, we catch sudden spicy whiffs of perfume, and find ourselves near a market of Christmas greens.

Among Ourselves

Perhaps you would be interested to know that I cut the demure, hoop-skirted little lady out of the cover of my own copy of February, 1926, Better Homes and Gardens. Then with the scrap-bag from the attic and a needle and thread I proceeded to dress the little miss. She has lace pantalettes, a dress of old printed Dolly Varden taffeta, black net mitts, lace fissue, a plaid taffeta parasol with a ribbon bow on the handle and lastly a jaunty red bow on her hat.

Dad's Practical Pointers

MR. W. J. EDMONDS, Whitehall, New York, gives us his plan for a serving tray which he made.

The Song of the Ages

WHEN the voices of the angel host proclaiming the birth of the Christ broke the clear, crisp stillness of that Judean night nearly two thousand years ago, the shepherds on the hillsides of Bethlehem heard the first Gloria in Excelsis and also the very first of all Christmas carols.

Crossroads of Childhood

WHILE every year, every week and every day of a child's life is important, there are a few periods, possible turning points, when the wise parent will exercise unusual vigilance.

Prize-Winning Christmas Candies

HAVE you ever tested a score of candy recipes in the space of a week or two? If you have, then you know that the judges of the candy recipe contest have temporarily lost their appetite for candy.

Needlework Directions

QUILTED cushions and scarfs made of soft taffeta, shantung, heavy satin or crepe de chine are a new note in interior decoration. Cushions of this type are extremely popular because, while their quilted motifs are elaborate enough to make them appropriate for the most ornate boudoir, the style of the cushions themselves may be so simple that they are equally appropriate for the dignified living room or formal hall.

ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK

AT this season of the year, when we are all thinking about the things which will bring the most happiness to those near and dear to us, I should like to make a suggestion. It simply is: What better, more worthwhile, enduring "present" can you make to your family than a home of its very own? Some may look askance at the suggestion of "a home" as an appropriate holiday present, but after you have thought it all over carefully, can you think of anything better?