January 1954

It's metal yon can whittle

"Not on my power saw, you don't cut metal," said the handyman when the hardware merchant told him about the new soft-alloy aluminum.

Test your TV manners

You have your favorite television programs. But your guests may prefer different ones, or they may visit expressly to see you, not your TV screen! Now that television's no longer a novelty, it's wise to cater to the TV likes and dislikes of your guests.

Let your children talk with you

"Mom," my little daughter said as I rushed about getting dinner for unexpected guests. "Mom, that's a most 'culiar man in the park."

Keep carbon monoxide outside

As the owner of the family car, you must be concerned with anything on the car which contributes to the comfort, safety, and efficiency of its operation. A properly maintained exhaust system is a necessity, yet it is the system most neglected by average motorists. It has been estimated that one out of every four cars on the road has a defective muffler or tail pipe.

No more flat tires, sour milk or wet paint?

The scientists are going to get antibiotics into everything before they're finished. Now they have them in ice! They're using drugs (aureomycin, specifically) to keep fish fresh longer. And of course the implication is that they' 11 be used in all forms of fresh meats. Dr. H. L. J. Tarr and associates, of the Vancouver Pacific Fisheries Experimental Station, have reported that flake ice impregnated with only 1 one-millionth part of aureomycin appreciably lengthens the storage time of fresh fish.

Have you heard the Latest Garden News?

A new way to increase cut-flower life uses maleic hydrazide, the chemical that slows up plant growth. Tests at the University of Missouri show that chrysanthemums can be kept as long as 40 days, in a 40degree temperature, if dipped in a maleic-hydrazide solution first.

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See what you an have this year!

Five Star Home No. 2401 proves--A good house is good anywhere

"Those long, low houses with big window-walls are fine if you happen to own an acre or two in California. But what about those of us who live in a northern climate and have to settle for crowded neighborhoods? A house like that just doesn't make sense!"

Your handiwork can style a room

You're younger than you think!

When classes in adult education began in an Eastern city, those who joined were asked why they did so. A 43-year-old man replied, "Because I don't want to die at 50 and have to wait until I'm 70 or 80 to be buried." He didn't realize it, but he was sounding what ought to be the battle cry of every adult in America.

Now there's more room for living

Back in 1938, the September issue of Better Homes & Gardens had an article on the neat little Cape Cod house shown here. The title was "Every inch a home"-- a description that didn't quite stand the test of time. In years since, the Lincoln Hedlanders of Greenwich, Connecticut, discovered that those "every inches" just wouldn't tally out to the living space they needed.

Your indoor garden tailored to suit

Here's how you can copy a color scheme

LOOK AT the picture below with eyes half-closed, so your lashes filter out details and you can concentrate on seeing colors --lots of pure yellow, a middling amount of white, accents of blue and black. Only pattern is the coral-and-yellow rug. And note how yellow sofa is used against yellow wall, how white and yellow meet in the corner, how coral from the floor jumps up to accent the lampshade.

What's right with a one-bedroom house?

Most families need two or more bedrooms. But what of the family with no children, or the family whose children have grown and gone? And what about the much-dreamed-of "retirement" house?

Smart cook! Take a tip

Set your table in harmony

WHEN you replenish your cupboards and drawers with needed dinnerware, glasses, and silverware, you'll want to select patterns that will give you greatest pleasure. Of course, this means you'll choose those that are in harmony with what you already have so they'll give you efficient use.

Be a sharp shopper-know can sizes, labeling

There's little time these days to chat with your food dealer about the best buys in canned foods or the quality to choose for different uses. And, of course, in a self-service store you're on your own. That's why canned-food labels are more important than ever-- they are your dependable advisers once you head down the long aisle of canned foods.

PINEAPPLE

Have a hearth

Are you looking for ideas to make your fireplace as eye-appealing as it is heart-warming? To help you, we've gathered these pictures of different-looking, good-looking fireplaces.

What's new in home furnishings?

There's moneysaving news in new methods which are holding down the cost of shipping furniture from factory to dealer, then to you.

How to make your Wood joints stronger

Ribbon planting does the trick!

JANUARY GARDEN REMINDERS: Now's the time to . . .

Hurry to set out the last of your spring-flowering bulbs-- glads, amaryllis, daylilies, paper-white narcissus-- along the Gulf Coast and in Florida.

Flowering Shrubs for a long season of color

The diary of a Plain dirt gardener

Jan. 1 Up late on a dismal, cloudy, damp day-- but full of vim and vigor.

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Too young to own a dog or cat?

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Promptly on January 1 Mom and I begin our annual campaign to get the Christmas tree out of the house. We'd probably make it before the 15th, except that Grannie and Grandpa Hillis always side with the kids.