February 1965

YOUR 1965 GUIDE TO FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

Congress reduced income tax rates for 1964, and has scheduled a further reduction for 1965. The actual tax rate for 1964 runs from 16 per cent for the lowest bracket to 77 per cent for the top bracket; compare this with the old 20 per cent to 91 per cent scale.

HOW MUCH CAN A CREDIT BUREAU FIND OUT ABOUT YOU?

Credit granters are eager to lend you money; after all, that's their business. But they want to be sure they will be repaid within the contractual period-- and without persistent, expensive pressure. Therefore, they have to know a lot about you. And they do.

HOW DO YOU FIND A GOOD LIFE INSURANCE AGENT?

Buying life insurance isn't just a matter of names and numbers on a policy. It really means buying a lifelong service in individualized family financial planning.

WHY DO STOCKS GO UP AND DOWN SO MUCH?

Mainly because of the old law of supply and demand. If more people want to buy a certain stock than want to sell, the price starts going up. Conversely, when sellers outnumber the prospective buyers, then the sellers are willing to come down on price to make a sale. The New York Stock Exchange and other exchanges serve as giant auction markets to provide a meeting ground for these buyers and sellers.

MORE FOR YOUR TRAVEL DOLLAR!

The travel industry is cooperating with Better Homes & Gardens in providing additional information on tours highlighted here. Indicate on the coupon, Page 24, which travel ideas interest you. Then paste the coupon on a post card or slip it into an envelope and mail to Better Homes & Gardens, Travel Bureau F, Des Moines, Iowa. Be sure to use the code name for each tour and print your complete return address clearly on the coupon.

WHEN A FRIEND IS HOSPITALIZED

When a patient was admitted to an American hospital 25 years ago, he could anticipate a long confinement-- frequently more than a month. Doctors at that time, without the knowledge and confidence that were later to be instilled in them by the growth of modern medicine, thought it wise to keep patients hospitalized until their recovery was almost complete.

DECORATING WRONGS MADE RIGHT

WHY BUY BRAND NAMES?

Brand names are recognized guideposts to quality-- a simple fact often overlooked by prospective homeowners.

GOOD NEWS FOR MEN!

Safety dictates that you use car stands instead of relying on a bumper jack.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN A CHILD IS HAPPY

First, ask yourself this question: "Who makes a happy child?" And having asked the question, you probably realize at once the answer: "I do!" For parents do indeed have a decisive effect on the happiness of their children. Just about the number one goal for parents should be to create the kind of home where happiness can flourish.

"IS THERE A BEST WAY TO FINANCE A NEW CAR?"

That depends on your own individual situation-- your credit standing and your sources of credit. Also where you live can be a factor since bank rates, finance charges, and other conditions related to borrowing are not the same in all communities. In all cases, it's advisable to shop around.

WHAT RECOURSE DO YOU HAVE IF YOUR NEW CAR HAS BUGS?

No matter what the problem is, the man from whom you bought the new car is your first recourse. It's your local dealer who's supposed to handle your complaints. If you have moved since buying the car or have trouble while on a trip, any authorized factory dealership for your make car can honor your new car warranty.

THE MOST IMAGINATIVE COLOR SCHEMES WE'VE EVER PUBLISHED!

Here are 12 pages of color as it should be used! In creating these settings, we worked with two very gifted people, Designer Emily Malino and Artist Helen Frederico. These exciting schemes, each with its own important color lesson, are reproduced in their full brilliance by our special printing process. For your help in matching the colors, generous swatches appear beneath every picture.

WORKS OF ART TO WALK ON... FELT RUGS

Wide strips, narrow strips, short strips, or long strips of bold colors make an interesting composition when you sew them to a solid felt base. Closely related colors work best. Try several arrangements, using variations in width of bands and spaces. When desired arrangement is found, pin and baste before sewing. To avoid wrinkles, sew in same direction. Top-stitch fringe to rug.

THREE FAMILY VACATION HOUSES--ALL WITHIN REACH

A vacation home is a one-of-a-kind house. It's designed expressly to relax you and your family, to give you an easygoing retreat from daily routine-- for a weekend, a summer, or a winter holiday. Among the three fine examples here, you'll find vacation ideas to fit your family, your favorite site-- and your budget.

MAKE A PLACE FOR HOUSE PLANTS

FRENCH PROVINCIAL WITH A GREAT PLAN!

Good styling of any kind-- French Provincial, traditional, contemporary-- must have an excellent floor plan, or the home will be a failure, no matter how good-looking it is.

WHAT A GOOD MIXING CENTER SHOULD HAVE

IF IT'S OUT OF DATE THEN STREAMLINE IT

HOW MUCH STEREO IS ENOUGH?

Whatever it takes for your listening pleasure! The greater your demand for perfection in the high-low ranges of music, the greater your need for good stereo.

SHOULD YOU BUY A SIX OR A V-8?

Excessive power most of the time sits unused under the hood, but adequate power is essential for safe driving. In a special comparison for Better Homes and Gardens, one manufacturer tested two cars that were identical except for the engine.

FIRST-CLASS CLEANUP CENTER!

THE MOST POPULAR HOUSE PLANTS AND HOW TO GROW THEM

One of the most frequent questions we receive from our readers is, "Why don't my house plants look like those you picture in Better Homes and, Gardens?" To help you get peak performance from your house plants, here are cultural directions of basic importance to the growing of all house plants, with specific information on the most popular ones.

THIS SUN SHELTER IS SIMPLE TO BUILD

This smartly styled and simple-to-build sun shelter provides seclusion where you need it. Also, it's inexpensive and blends with any style architecture. Its plans can be adjusted to fit any yard. The one shown is at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Goldsmith, Lake Oswego, Oregon.

GREAT VACATIONS IN THE SOUTH

Start your 1965 travel planning right now with these ten great Southern vacation ideas, all tested by the Editors of Better Homes & Gardens. You can reach these spots easily by car, plane, train, or bus-- and they offer everything from relaxing on sun-swept beaches to hiking through mountain meadows in the glory of spring. Our next several issues will cover the best of the American West, East, and Midwest-- plus Canada and a potpourri of Europe, too!

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOUSES AND PROJECTS

You can order plans for any of the three vacation houses shown in "Three Family Vacation Houses-- All Within Reach," page 62, and for the house shown in "French Provincial With A Great Plan," page 98. The house is also available as a manufactured home that you can buy from any of the dealers for Pease Woodwork Company, 900 Forest Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio.

SHOPPING BY MAIL

Discover the ease of shopping by mail! Order with complete confidence. Each firm will refund your money if you're not thoroughly pleased.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Sally Pomfret, the kindergarten teacher, says that the other noon she ended up with an extra snow suit after she had zipped all the children in. The only thing she can figure out is that it came to school empty.