December 1929

The Glory of Winter Gardens

ALONG the GARDEN PATH

PERHAPS your garden path is lovely now. How can it be lovely, you ask, when it is covered with ice, if there are no flowers or no color along it? Yet, after all, loveliness dwells in the mind.

The Diary of a Plain Dirt Gardener

DECEMBER l. Because Saturday brings relief from college professoring, I quit my desk early this afternoon, and dressing a bit warmly, hurried to the garden. There I spaded with eclat, until shortly I had finished all that I intend to spade in the flower garden this fall. Since I began it, preparatory to next spring's early planting, about a month ago, I have turned under a space that is 100 feet or more long and 30 feet wide.

Christmas Legends

AT CHRISTMASTIME, like children, we prefer old stories to new ones. We like to think again of Christmas trees and holly and mistletoe, of the story of the manger, of shepherds, of carols, and Santa Claus, and the jingle of bells, and good things to eat, and gifts to give and to receive.

Dressing the Window Box in Winter

TO MANY of us a window box has come to be the symbol of a home that is very much loved. Love knows no season and there is no reason why a window box should. True, it must change its dress for winter, but who objects to that?

My Garden Goes A-visiting

ON THE front terrace Forsythia had hung out its myriad golden bells. Winter's spell at last was broken.

The Creation of A Home Location

"I CAN understand the importance of proportion and scale as you outlined it in your articles, but I can't help wondering whatever you mean by naming her husband's business as a condition Harriet must meet in completing her plans. I confess I cannot see what Jack's occupation has to do with the kind of home I want." Thus Harriet's young friend, Jean.

Holly, the Cheerful Tree

"BEGINS to look like Christmas," the holly man remarked, as he stepped up beside me. "It certainly does," I agreed, as I looked at the scene before us. Dusk was quietly creeping over the valley below. One after another, twinkling lights began to appear in the farm homes scattered over valley and hillside.

Remaking the Old Interior

THIS article sees us midstream in the course of our remodeling. The scheme has all been worked out, the model has been made, and the objectionable features of the room that had to go have all been removed. What now lies before us is wholly constructive.

Two Houses That Meet Growing Needs

MOST houses, unfortunately, are built to satisfy the conditions of the moment, with just enough room for the needs of the present-- but what then of the future?

A Heritage in Beautiful Silver

THAT silver of Great, Great-Aunt Ann's, sturdy, well-proportioned, soft with its lovely dull-satin glow, two dozen of everything-- such sets as we seldom see these days. Three generations of Scotts have used it and enjoyed it, and now it comes into the fourth, upon the occasion of the Christmas wedding of the eldest daughter of the family.

Iron Railings That Intensify Interest

DOWN your street, not far from where you live, have you noticed the house with the charming iron railings at its door-- an iron railing that gives to the whole entrance sparkle and loveliness as well as dignity? Iron railings can add these qualities, and therefore, I think it is quite important that we know something about them and how to use them.

A House of Real Value

REAL value is what we want when we invest our money in a home, and the qualities which give a house real value, it seems to me, are five: beauty, dignity, charm, permanence, and economy of space and cost.

The Rock Garden Moves Indoors

WHEN I saw the delightful garden of Albert Erickson, which has been built into his new home in Western Springs, Illinois, I was convineed of its desirability.

With the Junior Garden Clubs of AMERICA

A GARDENING adventure in December? Why surely! Now that our own little gardens are sleeping snugly under their warm leafy blankets and white coverlids of snow, let us take a trip to Japan and study that far-off country's picturesque little gardens.

Christmas Plants and How They Grow

WHAT would Christmas be without holly and mistletoe and the evergreens? And yet, in addition to those gay reminders of the happiest time of the year, the brilliant poinsettia has for a number of years been finding a place in the hearts of the folks of this country as a truly American holiday symbol.

The Nerves of Your House

THE house and the man who creates it have many points of similarity. The framework corresponds to our skeleton, and the heat flowing thru pipes or ducts might be likened to the circulation of our blood, but the most complete analogy would be that of the tiny strands of copper wire which wind their way thru the framework to our nerves-- for they carry our messages of desire for light and heat thru the building, just as our nerves carry messages thruout our body.

Last-Minute Gifts All Around

WE ARE offering you this month a few ideas that are positively guaranteed to fill some vacancies in the Christmas-gift list as well as fit into your few remaining days of time. A few hours' work will easily suffice for the whole group.

When You Buy Gifts for the Small House

WITH the Christmas season at hand, everyone is combing the market for unusual gifts, and we know of nothing that is as acceptable to the whole family as a housekeeping compact, particularly when it happens to be a lovely piece of furniture whose unusual construction is forever an intriguing pleasure to those who are privileged to use it. Certainly, every person living in a small house blesses the inventors of these attractive space-savers that typify the spirit of this age of comfort and convenience without elaborateness.

To Roast Your Meats Properly

NOW is the season to look to the roasting pans and to take stock of your skill in meat cookery. Calendar leaves spattered with red numbers designating holidays and cool weather-- all are stimulating sociability and friendly meals. The gala platter holding the meat or fowl browned deliciously, continues to play a leading role in company and everyday repasts.

Why Not a Mental-Health Christmas?

A FEW years ago a dear friend wrote on the back of her Christmas card to me, "I can't help worrying about what Christmas will be like for your little girl (she was then about 3) with no Santa Claus."

Aids to Better Housekeeping

HAVE you noticed that the electric lights on the Christmas tree occasionally have a way of going out just in the middle of festivities. I found last year, by watching a clever young engineer cousin of mine, that the bulbs could be tested with a flashlight battery, thus saving the endless changing until the combination of bulbs which had burned out were replaced.

Food for Winter Birds

THE old saying that the shortest way to the heart is thru the stomach is even more true of birds than of men. In fact, most bird friendships are cultivated thru feeding.

Come to the Garden Clinic

DECEMBER in our Northern gardens should be the time when we look back over our year's work, making note of our mistakes. We start planning for the next season, and hope to avoid many of the errors. In the South at this time of the year, the climate gradually changes and we are at the season for preparation of gardens. Christmas is approaching and we must think of our annual selection of gifts.

Books for Christmas-Gift Giving

THE term "gift book" started out with a pleasant taste, but it is time to make a new appraisal. There were books that used to lie on the "center- table" of my childhood that collected dust instead of readers.

How to Have an Unusual Christmas Tree

ONE lamp at a time, please! That is probably the devout wish of the father or mother or big brother who sets the string of colored lights on the Christmas tree. If you have done this, you know what I mean. Just when you get the lights all nicely arranged, one of them burns out, and then, out goes the whole string! It is just because of a little error in wiring which can be corrected without much trouble.

The Children's Pleasure Chest

WHAT'S more fun than giving gifts on Christmas? Why, making them and wrapping them during December, of course! And how do I know? Because The Children's Pleasure Chest members have taken a sudden flare for "Santa-Craft," which is a word meaning to make presents by hand for loved ones.

Merry Christmas Stitches

ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK

THE circulation of Better Homes and Gardens has grown wonderfully during the past year, leading us to believe that the year 1929 will break all records in the matter of increase in the number of subscribers. This belief caused us to set 1,375,000 as a goal for January 1. This goal will be reached if you will help.