November 1951

This new grass will cut your mowing in half

Having lawn problems? How would you like to find a grass that needs mowing only half as often as ordinary kinds? How would you like one that stays green all summer, fights off crabgrass and other warm-weather weeds, and disease?

Financing a home in '52?

When all's said and done, there are just two basic prerequisites for buying your home: (1) down payment, and (2) good, sound advice.

BIG IDEAS

How to keep from getting false teeth

And now they've discovered that chlorophyll --a chemical substance found in every blade of grass in your lawn-- may well save you the price of a set of "store teeth," heal your sore mouth if your newly acquired dentures give you trouble, or let you indulge your passion for onions without risking social ostracism.

Latest Garden News?

Hotbeds, coldframes, and greenhouse floors that are resistant to disease may result from the work of Dr. William J. Knapp of the University of California at Los Angeles.

Make it yours, truly

This much is important-- the new house you build or buy should be yours. Even if you won't have a clear title for 17 years and 8 months, that house must be yours, in that it expresses as nearly as possible how you want to live, the things that are most important to you and your family.

Deck your table for autumn...

Turkey figurine. (Upper left.) Swing fruit from back to front in a graceful double curve at side of figurine. For best effect, pile fruit high in back and taper to low in front. Slip in a few sprigs of ivy.

Accessories stamp your signature on each room

Accessories are an expression of you and your taste, true. But, when you choose accessories, we assume you also have this goal: to pamper your guests and cater to your family's comfort.

House plants

When you decorate with house plants, your success rests on starting with plants adapted to the spot. If you fail to take the character of your plants into account, you may end by playing nurse to them.

You'll save with a home shop

Some home workshops are so perfect you know the owner must do little but polish and rearrange his tools. At the other extreme are shops so messy you know only occasional slipshod work could be done there.

It's new--it's easy and so smart!

Divided for smoother living

A question that faces every family building a new home is: How can we have and maintain a handsome living area, when our children want and need a rugged place that's built to take the wear and tear they'll give it when they play?

Headboards dress up your bedroom

All you need is a little imagination to convert a mattress and box springs on legs into an attractive bed with an unusual headboard.

Holiday gifts

In an afternoon or evening or two, you can whip up several of these gay, original gifts. Now's the time to start. You'll enjoy doing your Christmas sewing before the last-minute rush of holiday parties and shopping.

Pass a cheese tray

The perfect dessert, the perfect snack-- that's the cheese tray. It's so simple to do, so easy to serve. It's beautiful. It's delicious.

Mother's favorite salads

Every recipe you'll treasure. That's the kind of salads we're talking about. They're salads from a well-thumbed collection of really choice recipes that have been family favorites for years.

Quick pickled beets

Old-fashioned treats with sour cream

All this can happen to an old kitchen!

Golden-brown croquettes

Get the job done in a couple of shakes

Mind your wife--and live longer

Does your wife annoy you on rainy mornings by handing you your umbrella and rubbers? When you sniffle and sneeze, does she urge you to spend the day at home? If her wifely solicitude wounds your masculine pride, just read the next few paragraphs. Statistics prove she's right!

Gifts she'll always use and cherish

CONFESSIONS of good cooks

Add thin slices of banana to your favorite apple pie. Bake as usual. It's a taste treat.-- Ellen Kay, San Francisco, California.

Space saving storage door

The Family Car

Now that the wind has started to whistle in the eaves, we've started to think about winterizing our cars. One of these days, we tell ourselves, we'll drive into the corner service station and add a few quarts of antifreeze. Then we'll sit back and relax until the robins return.

Your right-hand helper for the holidays

Shelve it!

Here's an idea!

Make-believe make obeying fun

When my first child was 4, she began resisting all commands, no matter how politely or subtly they were put. If asked to put away the dishes, open or shut a door, it was "No, I won't." When I suggested a bath, which she had always loved, she shook her head and refused to move.

Take a long look at older homes

"Helen and I didn't know whether we should bother to go in. But what we found surprised us. The house was badly in need of decoration. That was good because it discouraged buyers with more cash than we had. I'd looked at enough houses to know that this one was sound as a rock; that I wouldn't have to tear out any walls; that I could get the effect of a major remodeling job with paint and wallpaper and patching plaster.

Take the guess out of House-plant watering

The best side trip we ever took

If you're traveling on Route 20 across New York, turn south 10 miles on Route 80, along the shores of Lake Otsego (the "Glimmer-glass" of Cooper's novels) until you come to the imposing stone mansion and stone barn that house the two unique museums of the New York State Historical Association.

Y's are wise!

Now and then we come across a fine small home built around a Y-shaped plan, and we wonder why more of you don't take advantage of the desirable features a Y can give. Why a Y? Here are five good reasons:

Small room, but space for . . .

Bulletin boards

Would you flunk

At some time or another you've no doubt wished you could be on a quiz program. But, have you ever taken a quiz and rated yourself on American history? Here's your chance to find out how much you know. Take the test yourself, and then try it on the other members of the family.

How much does it cost to remodel?

Exactly how much does it cost these days to buy an old house and bring it up to date? The answer for you would depend on many variables-- the condition of the old house, the extent of the changes to be made, how firmly you could resist the constant temptation to do just a little more than you had planned.

When your fireplace is too large

How my youngsters became my friends

Six years ago when the war ended and I knew that I would live to return home, I made a promise. "I promise you," I said to the picture of a little boy wearing an Eton cap, his lower lip protruding toward the camera, "I promise you that I will never leave you again."

Big windows broaden your outlook

Whether you build a minimum house or a show house, or something in between, there no longer is any excuse for cramped, boxy rooms with little holes for windows.

Need a hallway?

How to measure your table tops for glass

A PUT-UP JOB!

November Garden Guide

Plant camellias in Lower South using a soil mixture around the roots composed of equal parts peat, sand, and garden soil.

The diary of a Plain dirt gardener

Nov. 1 Summertime is back-- better summer weather, in fact, than we had along in July and August. I mean it-- temperature way up in 80's. And doggone it, anyhow. Here I had to stay at the office until 5 o'clock. Had to go to a committee meeting from 5 to 6 o'clock. By then, it was time to hurry to the monthly dinner meeting of our men's rose club.

Garden Clinic

Family traditions can help your child

Every family has its own little private ways of celebrating special holidays. Over the years, you may come to take for granted the variations your own family has built up. At times, they may even seem more trouble than they're worth. But have you ever thought how much these established family rituals mean to your children?

Your pet and mine

With cold weather ahead, many people who acquired puppies since last spring are in a quandary as to the right thing to do with their pets to keep them comfortable and guard them against sickness due to Exposure to low temperatures.

Help your child control his temper

My 7-year-old son was mad at me the other day. I'd had to say "no" to something he wanted to do. It was dangerous and he knew it; we'd covered that ground before. After he'd gotten a few things off his chest-- you've heard them all, I'm sure-- "It's no fair! You never want me to have any fun! You let the girls do it! Meanie!"-- he simmered down to a grumble and got ready to so to a party in the neighborhood.

Last call for lilies

How-to Helps

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Here it is November, and with only one month to go, I find I have managed to balance the family budget to date. Every penny spent is strictly accounted for-- thanks to "miscellaneous."