August 1943

To Mothers of Babies AND Mothers-to-Be

"HOW God has blessed the woman with a baby on her breast!" This was the refrain of a lullaby my mother used to sing to us when we were little. It had been composed by a neighbor ol her own childhood, on the lonely and dangerous Kansas prairie of Civil War days. The neighbor woman had made it up for her own babies, and my grandmother, hearing it, learned and sang it to hers.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

An optimist is a man who puts his household tools away carefully before he goes oft to the wars and expects to find them in place when he returns.

LATE TIPS ON Wartime Living

Some vitamin- and mineral-rich foods are scarce these days. That's why it is especially important when you buy flour to specify enriched flour.

THE DIARY OF A PLAIN DIRT GARDENER

Aug.1 My zinnias are in full bloom. Part of the marigolds are out. Dwarf Unwin and Coltness hybrid dahlias are coming into fine bloom. Early type mums, the undivided plants only, are in full bloom far ahead of schedule. But the pride of the place is the abundant yellow blossoms on the Mrs. Wyman Daylily.

Temporary Is a Long, Long Time

MY WIFE, Ann, who fixes me a very good 30-cent breakfast every morning (slice of bacon, one egg any style, toast, and coffee), was slaving away over the hot stove.

Keep 'Em Growing Thru August

Number-one aid for summer gardens beyond reach of the hese, is a mulch between the rows and about staked plants. Mulches promote steady growth, keep fruit clean, preserve soil moisture, keep down weeds, and help make plant foods available.

Their Garden WAS A Pain in the Back

CAN YOU GROW Bluberries?

IF YOU have an acid soil, you can have blueberries in your garden-- blueberries such as you have never seen before; some three-quarters of an inch in diameter; and better flavored than the best wild fruit you've ever eaten.

Mystery Weapon Today-- Your Servant Tomorrow

BERT DIETER slipped the July 1949 Reader's Digest into his pocket and whistled three shrill blasts when he came out of the Chrysler Building; and in 13 seconds his electronic broom pulled up, and he got on and pushed two buttons and zipped off for home, coattails flying. Nobody gave him a second look.

Not a Year Old

THIS is the story of my own new garden. It belongs to me and to a very small house known as Little Dumbo. Little Dumbo is a renovated bungalow. He has no particular architecture but has considerable character, and he sits quite complacently in a big field.

Spice for Tired Rooms-Thats' Color!

Ten Sparkling Ideas

WHAT Scale and Harmony DO FOR YOUR ROOMS

Patch and Paint Those Dingy Walls

IF THAT room of yours is due to be painted this year, you're probably the chap who'll be wielding the brush. Your painter's soldiering for Uncle Sam, or he's already sewed up with jobs for months ahead. But painting is upkeep, and that can't wait for the duration. So you're it!

3 Repair Jobs You Can Do

DO YOU know how to cure squeaky floors, how to point brick work, how to calk window frames? Time was when minor house casualties like these meant an SOS to your carpenter, mason, or the neighborhood's odd-job man-- and that was that.

How Much Do You Know About Babies?

YOU'D be surprised how many of the problems that perplex parents aren't really problems at all dads and mothers only think they are because they don't know what to expect of babies and children at different ages and stages of development.

Young Mothers' Exchange

HERE'S our first response to this department for mothers of babies, which started last month. Remember the idea? It's to be a clearinghouse for you mothers up against shortages and what not.

Garden Plate Wins

Doff your hats, girls, to Mrs. J. Pressley, of Long Beach, California! She's just walked off with $5 for her winning entry in our Cooks' Contest staged last January. Remember? Canning Specialties and tasty tricks with Midsummer Vegetables headed the bill, and Mrs. P.'s Garden Plate (a beauty any artist would love to paint, any family would go for) took top honors.

HOW TO AVOID Spoilage in Home Canning

How many jars of home-canned food spoiled on you last year? Not a one? Bravo!... Only a few? Let's get a perfect score this year! The food we grow or buy and store this summer mustn't be wasted-- and none will be if we destroy or render powerless the saboteurs that cause food spoilage.

August Outdoor Gardening Guide Mix Your Harvest With Planting

AuGUST is harvest month for most herbs and many flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Herbs grown for their leaves should be cut and dried now. Select good succulent stems just before the flowers open, and dry them in a shady place.

FLOWERS FROM Wayside and Meadow

IT'S NEWS TO ME!