March 1929

Along the Garden Path

"YOU have to believe." This sentiment expressed by Douglas Malloch in his poem in this issue is one that is especially appropriate to this season. The feeling of hope, of confidence in the resurrection of all things endowed with power to grow, is the dominantfeeling of all lovers of gardens in the early spring.

The Diary of a Plain Dirt Gardener

FIRST-- In Lake county, Ohio, the county seat of which is Painesville, is one of the largest nursery centers in America or in the world. Within the borders of this county and around its edges, practically every kind of tree, shrub, and flower that can be grown in the countryis propagated.

Getting Ready for the Garden

GETTING ready for spring in the garden is pretty much like putting on a play. You know, if you hare ever experienced any sort of theatricals, amateur or otherwise, that there's heaps more doing behind the scenes than there is out in front. And unless the stage is properly set, the show cannot go on.

You May Have One of These Houses

WHERE are we going to live?" This is almost the first question after the marriage proposal and the answer "Yes." It is a constantly recurring query from the time we take on the mature responsibilities of living, and it becomes finally and satisfactorily answered only when we decide to build a house to suit our needs.

Grasses That Make Good Lawns

WHAT species of grasses make the best lawns? Examine the lawns in your own neighborhood, and the chances are that within a block you will discover at least a half a dozen types of sod made up of different species of grasses. Why this difference?

A Frame for the Home Picture

AN ATTRACTIVE garden fence contributes to the external improvement of a home in many different ways. First of all, of course, it serves a useful purpose, in that it helps in establishing property-lines and in preventing undesirable trespassing-- which recalls the saying, "Good fences make good neighbors."

Poppies Typify Joy of Living

MORE than any other flower, the poppy typifies to me the joy of living. It grows so easily, thriving in poor soil, and it has almost no mortal enemies. Its blooming is the happy end of a cheerful growing process. Given toehold on the side of a stone or in a crack in the walk, it thrives.

Bearded Iris in the Southwest

SOME of the old varieties of bearded iris have been grown over a vast area of the Southwest since early pioneer days, but it seems not to have occurred to the growers of this region that the later-developed hybrids might do as well or better.

How to Grow Good Shrubs

IN THESE days of truthful advertising, of standardized products, of intelligent buying, we are taking for granted that nearly all articles we purchase, from toothpaste to motor cars, will be dependable.

Fit Your Shrubs To Your Design

A SKILLED architect plans the general scheme of his house inside and out; then he makes what he calls working-drawings, showing materials, construction features such as trusses, doors, windows, or ironwork on the balcony. The working-plans are the practical program for achieving the general home design.

Just Imagine The Fun of It!

JUDGING the entries in the Better Homes and Gardens' Back Yard Playground contest was like making a visit to the homes of readers, for not only did the judges have pictured for them the grounds of many of these homes, together with the ideas which motivated their planning, but they were introduced to numbers of the children as well, hanging by their knees from trapezes, hurtling gaily down slides, or splashing in homemade wading-pools.

AN EXPERT TELLS YOU ABOUT ROSES FOR YOUR GARDEN

Where can I grow roses? Roses can be grown anywhere if there is reasonably fertile soil and sunshine for at least half of the day.

YOUR PEONY QUESTIONS--ANSWERED

When should peonies be planted? September is the best time to plant peonies, because they will then have sufficient time for root growth to start before cold weather.

A Landscape Plan for the "Staff" House

MY WREN NEIGHBORS

WHETHER St. Valentine's day, the day on which the birds, according to Shakespeare's happy fancy, choose their respective mates, brought to my mind the fact that our wren box had not received its customary fall cleaning, I cannot say. It was on the fourteenth day of February, at any rate, that I removed the box from the place where it had been nailed to the garage and slipped out its rear slab very gently in order not to disturb the contents.

Tea, "Convivials," and Conversation

DUSK, dispelled only by the glow of the fire, settles over a room in which a small group of persons sits chatting and drinking tea. Conversation has been low and desultory. But with gathering twilight and a second cup of tea the talk becomes more brisk.

Lincoln Takes Up Garden Golf

ABOUT four years ago on a fine spring morning, Dr. H. H. Everett, garden- lover and citizen of Lincoln, Nebraska, leaned for a minute on his hoe and looked, from the vantage point of his iris garden, over to the country club. Citizens were thronging onto the the golf-links. Occasionally, above the mellow moan of motors, could be heard vocabulary vehemently voiced by diggers of divers divots.

The Furniture Pendulum Swings

JUST about the time that davenports had reached the limits of puffiness and stuffiness, along comes a shipload of furniture from across the sea, the likes of which had never been seen before. Shades of cubists and futurists, artistically speaking, the stuff looked terrible! "What is that?" persons might be heard asking.

Renovating at Small Cost

IN CONSIDERING the well-worn aspect of one's familiar surroundings, one must gaze with a slightly jaundiced eye to register a really critical impression. It's all very well to be so used to your own shabbinesses that you do not particularly notice them, but the casual friend, the fellow committee member, or the business associate isn't quite so tolerant.

Things to Make With Patches and Paint

PATCHES and paint sound like powder and pomade might be added, but it happens we are not to discuss colonial makeup, but, instead, some very modern makeups and makeovers. I find myself gloating miserly over the precious space allotted, for there is so much to testify in favor of poster-like patches of applique and the marvelous magic of paint.

The Truth About the Nervous Parent

THE great majority of the letters that come to me from troubled mothers fall into one class. Tho they describe a great variety of problems, the same undercurrent goes thru all.

These Are Mothers' Methods

THE Pre-school Age Mothers' Club of Kensington Park, Berkeley, California, was holding its usual monthly meeting at the home of one of our members. We call it "our night out," and make arrangements with the fathers, or otherwise, for caring for the sleeping children at home. We begin at 7:30 and hold forth as late as we feel like it, then enjoy a brief social chat at the end, while the hostess refreshes us with hot chocolate and a simple confection.

Friday, Fish Day

FROM time immemorial, Friday has been so associated along household lines with fish, that its ordinary culinary corollary-- "Fish Day" --seems a matter of course, and I find my thoughts naturally turning to fish when Friday's menu is under consideration.

Versatile Waffles and Griddle Cakes

HAVE you ever poured at a waffle supper? If you have missed this experience, you will be surprised how joyful these informal meals can be. They are easily planned and prepared. Two or three friends are requested to bring their electric waffle-irons when they come to the supper.

For Better Housekeeping

SOMETHING for every room in the house, including the furnace room-- that is what the assemblage of household utensils this month comprises! Perhaps you have been wishing for something in the nature of the tiny bathroom-size vacuum washer pictured on this page; something that you could use to wash out a few silk things, either at home or on a trip, or to encourage the growing daughter in taking care of her own dainty lingerie and silk hose.

Using the New Salad Crops

AMERICANS do not use as great a variety of greens for salads and other table service as do the English. In an article by Fred A. Krantz, in the June number of Better Homes and Gardens, several salad crops were mentioned which can easily be raised in the home garden or greenhouse, and which will help out in the planning of salads.

Health Exercises for Family Fun

THIS is the time of year when all of us begin to notice a shut-in feeling. We feel sluggish, stupid, and stiff, longing for the days ahead full of golf and tennis, gardening and raking, swimming and walking. Our digestions, complexions, and dispositions show our lack of activity and exercise.

Biographies for Home Reading

"LIVES of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime," wrote Longfellow years ago in a poem that came dangerously close to being doggerel. Well, doggerel or not, it is quite clear that the poet was not thinking of modern biography when he wrote the verses.

The Great Robin Migration of 1928

BACK in the Middle Ages word flew from castle to castle that a great migration was on its way to the Holy Lands. Would those within like to join the great crusade?

Shrubs and Trees Go to School

IN ANY community, the school is very naturally the center of interest. Perhaps the most important factor that influences a man to take up his residence in one town in preference to any other is the character of the schools. The progressiveness of the community, the curriculum of the school, and the attitude of the school board and the city government are reflected in the appearance of the school and its grounds, and one is likely to judge from external appearances the sort of care one's child will receive within the walls of the building.

How You Can Prevent Plant Diseases

UNTIL the last few years, not even the plant specialists realized how great is the number of diseases actually carried and spread about the country by seeds. A recent list of such seed-borne diseases mentions nearly 200 different diseases of plants that are actually known to be carried and spread in this way.

Preparing the Ground for Planting

THE calendar cannot decide for you the time to begin working your garden soil. This depends on the "lay of the land," the character of the soil, geographical location, and the season. A garden sloping toward the east or the south, especially if protected from cold winds on the north and west, may be handled earlier than another with the same character of soil sloping in other directions.

The ROME Company

The Mystery of Inky Caps

THERE is fascination and romance and mystery in a little mushroom that grows near many a home in cities and towns of the northern states. Like most mushrooms, it pops out of the ground in the same places time after time when there has been a day or two of rainy weather.

Garden Tips

Goldfish in the Garden Pool

WHEN I was a small boy, I lived near the Black river in northern Ohio, and much of my boyhood existence centered on that stream. It had a great attraction for me: I built campfires on its banks, roamed the shores along its course, swam in it, skated on it; but most of all, I was fascinated by the mysterious world of living things that existed in its depths. I

A Symphony in Gold and Amethyst

A COLOR harmony has been running thru my California garden like a spring melody, very dainty and appealing.

A Tripod for Vegetables

How We Built a Fountain

THE fountain illustrated, which was a pleasure to build, was constructed at a cost of not more than $5. It proves that running water, as a second step in water gardening, after the pool, can be made a factor of an informal garden at small expense.

A Homemade Recipe File

THE GARDEN CLINIC

MARCH-- what ambitions, hopes, memories, the mention of the month awakens. But many things beside memories and hopes are stirring. Even in the northern states, March, before it is over, arouses life in every plant, every bud --unfortunately, too soon in some cases, as the late freezes then injure those plants which have started growth.

Popularizing the Practice Hour

PERHAPS no single phase of any child's general education is of more vital importance to his parents than that which concerns his musical life. And in that connection, nothing presents more of a real problem to those parents than keeping up the child's interest in his daily practice hour.

Some Points About Asparagus

ASPARAGUS is one of the most easily grown of the garden crops, and it may be tucked in almost any place. Once it is cut, however, if is extremely perishable, so if you are very fond of it, you should plan to raise enough so that you may cut it frequently.

What location for Your Son?

ONE of the decisions every boy (and a good many girls in this modern day) must make is the selection of the kind of work which they intend to take up in order to earn their livelihood. In spite of the tremendous importance of the question, and its almost irrevocable nature, boys drift by chance into some job or other without a proper appreciation of the significance of being tied for life to one job; and parents who should clearly understand the importance of the problem often fail to give sensible and much-needed advice.

It's Time to Think of the Birds

WRENS may often be induced to build a nest and hatch a second brood if a place is at hand for building the second nest. The three-room flat shown above has been planned with this possible occupancy in mind. Now is the time to make new houses.

Tips For the Handy Man

THE next time you have painting or work to do about the automobile, fill the finger nails with soap. This can be done by scratching over the surface of a cake of soap. The soap will prevent oil, grease, and dirt from gathering under the nails.

The Care of Aluminum

KITCHEN utensils have come into their own in the past few years, both for beauty of design and service. But there are still a few points on which some of us could exercise a little more care to get the most out of our utensils. If we treat them as good friends, we can expect the most from them.

Growing Cyclamen From Seed

ALTHO the cyclamen is a great favorite as a house plant, it is often very difficult to keep plants which are purchased from the greenhouse and to make them bloom for any great length of time. For that reason, and also because of the expense of the plants, it is most satisfactory to grow them at home if one has a sunny window and enjoys growingflowers.

The Children's Pleasure Chest

SOME time ago a man found a very young squirrel lying in the road. As he was passing our house, he stopped and gave it to me. At first we were a little afraid of it, but seeing that it didn't even try to bite us, we were not afraid to handle it.

A Finish for Old Floors

THE floors in two of our rooms were of hard pine, and were worn and unsightly. They had to be refinished in a hurry. Rugs were out of the question, so was any other floor covering. To refinish the floors I applied boiled linseed oil, to which I had added a little bright red paint and a little black paint, and mixed them thoroly.

Control Cutworms This Easy Way

ONE of the most exasperating garden pests is the cutworm, for it does its devastating work in the dark and seems to prefer destroying valuable plants rather than those which cost less. If one searches for cutworms late at night with a flashlight, he discovers a few, but this procedure takes too much time.

Adobe Soil--A Boon or Bane?

IN many parts of California the greatest bugbear to the home-gardener is the adobe soil with which the gardener has to contend, for not only is it hard to work, but it is no sooner cultivated than it is again sunbaked and hardened. It will not filter the water, retaining it around the plant or tree roots and causing them to rot.

ACROSS The EDITOR'S DESK

ONE of the most delightful Christmas cards that have come to this desk was sent by Miss M. B. Edgar, who picked wildflowers on the hills just outside the walls of Jerusalem and sent them to us with her greetings and the remark that she was very much pleased with the garden notebook she had just received from Better Homes and Gardens. She is located at the American Mission, Latakia, Syria.