July 1949

You can save by building now

Home-building costs have turned downward for the first time in 11 years.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Sow calendulas-- those gold-plated pot marigolds--July first! Nonsense, most gardeners will say. Yet over a good part of the country where summer weather is hot and dry calendulas sown July 1 are a good bet. They will bloom in the fall when the weather is cool, and they'll bloom beautifully. Calendula buds won't set as a rule until air temperatures average below 60 degrees.

See how to get a better home

The skeleton of a house is an intricate framework of wood of varying sizes and lengths. Assembled, it's a puzzling network of lines and angles. Actually the construction of that framework is a logical step-by-step process that you can complete yourself.

What kind of Career?

That boy or girl of yours will be making one of the major decisions of his life when he chooses his job. If he's like most young people, he'll make it pretty much in the dark-- with at least one chance in four that he'll choose badly and live to regret it.

CERTO

How the job future looks in some fields

Engineers: Three times as many graduates now as before or during the war. May not be jobs enough to go around much longer, although many graduates will be able to use their training in sales or administrative work.

Here's a roasting pit yon can build

The diary of a Plain dirt gardener

July 3 Hot summer has come at last. Ground dry enough-- and weeds coming by the millions. So I wheel-hoed the roses. I also used the hand hoe. I pulled weeds by hand. Great was the execution amid the roses. For good measure, I wheel- hoed the bed of mums crossways.

Garden clinic

It's NEWS to Me!

Air vent for hot-water radiators automatically releases air in heating system, eliminates your chore of venting radiators by hand, and keeps radiators free of air for maximum heat output. Valve replaces vent on present heating system, fits all standard radiators. Taco-Vent valve is about $1.25 each, at dealersonly.

Double your living space

Even the smallest house may be a remodeling possibility. The process of making a livable home from a modest start is not inexpensive, but it can be done.

The miracle of Macclesfield

If you were to turn east this summer off United States Highway 301 just south of the Zam-Zam Club on the northern outskirts of Wilson, North Carolina, and drive 18 miles through the loblolly pines and fields of bright-leaf tobacco, mule-high, you would inevitably come to Macclesfield, a village of 367 people, including 26 women who make it remarkable.

Live all year in a vacation home

Before the war, we used to spend our vacations fishing in Minnesota or Ontario. But when we saw that gasoline would be rationed, we decided to spend our vacations within easy driving distance of home-- Mason City, Iowa.

Give your family a good terrace

Lots of space to live in

Twenty years ago most new houses were two stories high. By the end of the depression a dec ade ago, the story-and-a-half house was at the height of its popularity, and the day of the two- story house was gone.

All out for summer's fresh air meals

We swapped our dream house for a debt-free garage

Article

This is no scoop. There is nothing unusual about our story, probably becausethere is nothing unusual about us.

ABC's of flower arrangement

Newest, most powerful of all vitamins B-12

The most powerful vitamin yet discovered is about to step out of the laboratory and into your life. Though its possibilities are only beginning to be explored, it's a positive treatment for pernicious anemia, a disease marked by the inability of the bone marrow to make enough red blood cells.

How to have shade--and sun too

Remember this jingle?-- "When it's hot, we want it cool; when it's cool, we want it hot-- always wanting what is not!"

A houseful of color

Your recipe may win a prize!

New recipe contest offers $70 for canned or frozen fruit recipes and biscuit variations. Send your favorite recipe before July 31. Then we'll have plenty of time to prepare and judge it carefully in our Tasting-Test Kitchen. The winners will be announced in February.

Do's, don'ts and discipline

at your service

Let's begin our service column this month by asking you a question. Do you know that there is a Better Homes & Gardens book which will help you solve almost any home-making problem?

You can make these Electrical repairs

Keeping your home electrical system in good repair is one of the most sensible jobs you can do. Failure of any part of your system is not only inconvenient but potentially dangerous.

Send us your handy-man ideas

Hot-weather help for your tomatoes

Your dog and mine

Don't attempt cutting a dog's nails unless you have a nail trimmer-- and be sure it's sharp. Best rule is to cut two-thirds of the exposed nail every three months.

how-to helps

There's nothing will perk up lagging summer appetites like eating outdoors. Summer meals take on added zest-- and you'll have as much fun as your guests. For the host with a yen to try his hand, Belter Homes & Gardens Cook Book for Men gives how-to pointers on preparing all kinds of foods-- the way a man likes 'em.

A garden easy to keep

When we planned our new home we made up our minds that it would have to be easy to keep so we could enjoy it to the utmost.

These kitchen cabinet accessories

These shelves, files, holders, and bins keep things in order. They cut down on stacking, searching, reaching, and stooping; eliminate waste cabinet space and unused door panels. Many of them are chrome which resists moisture and stains, stays shining bright. Use them to bring old cabinets up to date and to supplementthe convenience of new cabinets.

JULY GORDEN GUIDE

Spray or dust all roses weekly with a complete spray. Give a light feeding in Lower and Middle South; let roses rest in Lower South. Prune hardy climbers like Dr. Van Fleet and Paul's Scarlet; take out one of the oldest stems at the ground if the plant is several years old.

Garden clinic

Koroseal

Through the Shops

Your own personalized serving tray of beautifully grained walnut is trimmed with silhouette figures and name in white birch for attractive contrast. Top is protected by plate glass. Figures include Mexican (shown), ducks, geese, pheasant, horse, sailboat, dogs, or moose--pick your hobby or special enthusiasm. Serving tray, 9½"x15", $12, ppd.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

No one has ever explained why the air at vacation spots causes clothing to swell. The duds our family takes never seem to go into the the same suitcases for the return trip.