August 1929

The Builders

THE love of home is one of the most sacred of human fabrics, for its weave is made up of every good and beautiful strand that grows out of life's fibers. It is a very practical thing, too, for it has to do with honest bricks, well-cured lumber, sturdy metals, durable concrete, architectural genius, and all the things that enter into the makeup of the material home.

Along the Garden Path

WHENEVER we read books or see pictures of the coral-girt island of Hawaii, we see the maidens bedecked with garlands about their shoulders, called leis. Eugenia Bingham, one of our readers, writes: "Whenever you see a lei worn, you know immediately that a beautiful thought has gone forth from someone's mind.

The Diary of a Plain Dirt Gardener

AUGUST 2. Business far removed from gardening has brought me to Cedar Point, Ohio, to attend a baby-chick convention. I've been here three days now, and the business palling on me, I slipped away this afternoon and went eastward for a solo walk along the shores of blue Lake Erie.

They Named It "Cherry Lodge"

IF YOU, a woman, were building a house solely for yourself, for your own personal happiness and satisfaction, what would you put into it and what would you leave out? You, a man, may reply cynically that all houses are built by women; that women are the arbitresses of everything pertaining to them, from quality of construction to the pattern of the wallpaper; that what they want goes in, and what men want usually, alas, does not.

When a Guest Arrives at Your Home

IT WOULD be hard to say just how much a guest room means to any home. If it is a new home established in a strange city or a far-distant village, the importance of this room takes on even greater proportions. Sooner or later, business in town, a desire to see the new grandson, a wish to renew friendships, or a convention near by will bring family and friends to your guest room.

Summer Propagation of Shrubs

BE IT ever so humble, there is a certain sentiment that is attached to the place where you first start housekeeping after you are married, no matter where you may live later on. At least I found it so, even if our first home was only a rented one.

...but None So Regal as the Oriental Poppy

IT HAS been well said that the blood of all the poppies runs rich in red; that all the colors, in the sunshine, are incarnate; that all are harmonious, all appealing, but among the family, as a whole, there is none so regal as the Oriental Poppy.

The Bathroom Modernized

THERE are few parts of a house that have changed so greatly in the past few years as the bathroom. In fixtures and arrangement, in decorations and accessories, its modern form is in such contrast to its former aspect that anything less, however well equipped, gives to a house an old- fashioned flavor that has its effect on value and on ready sale. For this reason if for no other, a house owner careful of his property will find every advantage in modernizing his bathroom, and will learn that the resulting increase in the value of the house will be far more than the cost of the change.

With the Junior Garden Clubs of AMERICA

THINK of it, Junior Garden Clubs have been organized in 24 different states! And, of course, we are growing every day. By the time you read this, the Organization will probably be represented in every state. Aren't you proud to be a member of such a big and growing association?

Biennials--True and Make Believe

THERE are about thirteen make- believe biennials but perhaps only five true ones. A biennial is grown from seed, produces its flowers the second year, and then it dies. The make-believe biennials are really supposed to live for years, but for our own happiness and the garden's glory, they are best treated as biennials.

When Galli-Curci Sings of Home

"WHEN Galli- Curci sings of home," said a music-lover to me recently, "the very word itself seems to receive a caress. She must love her own home very sincerely to know so well how others feel."

What Homes Can Do to Children

IT IS good for all of us now and then to see ourselves as others see us. Even that fine old institution, the home, will be the better for an occasional unprejudiced scrutiny.

No Aladdin's Lamp

"A Peck of Pickled Peppers"

JUST as in our childhood we were intrigued with the old tongue-teaser about Peter Piper and his "peck of pickled peppers," so the homemaker of today can delight the appetites of her family with the delicious pickles and relishes which she can make from a peck of peppers, which is really not at all mythical.

Equipment for Making Frozen Desserts

IF AN election were held in this broad land of ours to determine which desserts are the most popular, ice cream would make a brilliant showing. Men, women, and children alike enjoy this wholesome sweet. To thousands of individuals it offers the most pleasing way of ending the luncheon or dinner.

New Things Out of Paper for the House

LET'S suppose that every woman who glances at our page of paper things this month was one time a little girl who adored paper dolls. There is something about the flexible, gaily colored, easily manipulated medium of paper that gets hold of us, and we proceed to grasp it in return before we are out of the cradle.

Warmer Meals From Cooler Kitchens

HOW delightful it is to have an inviting hot meal, and an oven meal, at that, on a warm summer day, without even a rise in the temperature of the cook! "Delightful, if true," I hear you say. Yes, but it is true, and this is how:

For Better Housekeeping

IF AUGUST is not your vacation month, you will especially appreciate a piece of household equipment which adds to your comfort, to the graciousness of your table service, or to the ease with which you do your work. Business offices have appreciated the comfort to be gained from the use of electric fans during the summer months.

Nature Books You Ought to Know

"WHAT star is that, Dad? No, not the bluish one, the big red one all alone up there." Dad wrenches his mind forcibly away from his inner reflections on today's business and the probable business of tomorrow. "What did you say, son?"

Green Manures and Cover Crops

COVER crops are grown solely for the benefit of the soil, not for any direct value we get from them. Instead of using the cover crops for human food, or for feed for animals, we turn them under and bury them so that they may add vegetable matter to the soil.

Come to the Garden Clinic

MY dahlias are being eaten by black beetles about one-half an inch long. What can I do to protect them?-- Kentucky.

NEW GARDEN LEAFLETS

Archery Equipment--How to Make It

FOR THE man or woman who does not enjoy golf, or who will not take the time to travel back and forth to and from the golf links, archery is a sport that is a good substitute.

The Children's Pleasure Chest

MY VACATION was spent at our cottage at Murrell's Inlet. Murrell's Inlet is just a few miles south of Myrtle Beach, and is an especially fine place for children. I think it is the best on the Atlantic Coast. The Inlet fills up every time the tide rises, and at low tide one can see the oyster beds and the sea grass.

The Picnic Supper

LET'S HAVE a picnic supper in the back yard! You do not need to bother mother to get your food ready, because you can pack your own lunch. Here is a simple but fine menu.

Favorite Feathered Friends

After this one, there is only one more bird to be colored for the bird contest. This month it is the bluejay, a very attractive bird. Color the picture as well as you can, and save it, along with the robin, the bluebird, the hummingbird, and the woodpecker, all four of which were published in other issues.

ACROSS The EDITOR'S DESK

USUALLY it is at the beginning of the New Year that an editor makes his plans and discusses the program for the future, but I cannot wait until that time to tell an item or two of good news. Better Homes and Gardens has grown so greatly that in a few more months we expect to be giving our readers magazines twice the size of the average issues of the past year.