March 1974

Where does your food dollar go?

Commodity markets in this country admittedly seemed to be going berserk at times during the past year. Soybeans, a key ingredient in livestock and poultry feed, soared from $4 a bushel to $13 before tumbling backward to below $6.

How to survive catastrophic medical costs

Suppose someone in your family, through illness or injury, incurs medical expenses totalling $15,000. You discover you can recover only $5,000 through your health insurance program. That means you'll have to pay the other $10,000 out of pocket. Where will the money come from?

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CAR'S HANDLING

Have you ever wished you could swap some of your car's armchair comfort for a little more control-lability? Have you had to back off on the accelerator as you approached a series of highway curves while some other car swept safely through them at undiminished speed?

Some tips for drivers

Having a driver's license testifies to your knowledge of only part of the problems of driving. Accidents happen every day to licensed drivers, so before you can feel really confident you should know everything about your car that can cause an accident.

Storing gasoline can kill you!

Last December a young Pennsylvania man was burned to death when his car, loaded with cans of extra gasoline, skidded off the road and burst into flame. He was carrying more than 15 gallons of reserve fuel, but it would take only one gallon to explode with great fury.

SECOND MORTGAGE: Is it a good way to get money?

Quite likely, the equity you have in your home represents a larger nest egg than you realize. Your equity is the difference between what you owe on your real estate and what it is worth on today's market. Even if you bought quite recently, the combination of home improvements you have made, general inflation, and housing or mortgage money shortages may have created quite a jump in your equity's worth.

Greenhouse in a box

Want a part-time greenhouse to extend your gardening season? It's easy as building a box. The same basic structure can serve as a cold frame or a hotbed. The cold frame is a bottomless box; the hotbed is basically the same thing with a soil-heating cable added.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Last September, 277 students at Harvard who enrolled as freshmen were instantly offered sophomore standings. Those who accepted saved their lucky parents a full year's board and tuition, thanks to AP. Officially, the initials stand for the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board.

Remodeling: How to make a good house better

Anticipating the future-- and planning for it-- is a real challenge, particularly when it comes to predicting demands on living space. Changes in personal taste, family size, and activities can exert unexpected pressures on even the most carefully planned house.

GOOD NEWS

A Sachs-Wankel-powered lawn mower? That's right-- and it's much more than just a novelty. First of all, it really cuts grass down to size. Since the rotary engine is compact, you get more power without excessive weight. The mower comes with a full four-horsepower motor that won't bog down even in high, wet grass.

Keep your furniture looking its best

Whether you have junk-shop modern, heirloom antiques, or land-new furniture, you want to keep it looking its best as long as possible. That calls for regular leaning and the right care. Following these maintenance tips in make the job much easier.

MAKING A PLACE FOR TV AND SOUND

Home entertaining equipment used to pose decorating problems. Supposedly the bigger it was, the better it was. Today miniaturization techniques such as transistorizing and printed circuitry have ushered in a new look in electronic equipment.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PERMANENTS

Changing the natural bent of hair began well before our recorded history. Crude clay curling rods dressed many an ancient head, both male and female. And, with many curious variations and refinements, the heat waving method of curling (or uncurling) hair was all there was until the cold wave came along about 30 years ago.

Mittens and gloves: How to pick a warm pair

No one needs to be told cold hands hurt. But there's really no reason to suffer outdoors while waiting to warm your hands in front of a fire indoors. Gloves and mittens are available to keep your hands really warm. For the little extra time and money you'll spend shopping for quality hand wear, you'll be rewarded tenfold when the temperature drops.

Mediterranean revisited: new looks for an old favorite

Mediterranean is one of the most popular furniture styles in America today, but it's also one of the easiest to fumble. Inundating an average-size room with Mediterranean can make it look dark, heavy, and ornate-- even oppressive. And too much carefully matched Mediterranean almost always results in a sterile showroom setting.

Complete Guide to Roses

Plant one rose this spring. By June, you'll be reveling in color and fragrance outside with plenty of blooms to spare for the house. Or, set out two, three, four, or more-- in the mathematics of new roses, every time you double your plants, you triple your rewards.

Top Choices of 1974

Perfume Delight is all its name implies. A delightful, spicy fragrance escapes when the brilliant pink flowers unfold. Another asset of this All-America award-winning hybrid tea is the purity of color which extends evenly over the petals and doesn't fade --even after the rose is picked.

Sewing for children: another spring fashion exclusive

Storage where there isn't space

Does the storage squeeze have you climbing the wall? Then try building into the wall. Here are three space-making examples.

Choosing a self-cleaning oven

Only a few years ago, cleaning a messy oven headed the list of dreaded kitchen chores. Now, the task is rapidly becoming obsolete because of today's self-cleaning ovens.

How to plant and care for roses

Roses should be planted as soon as possible after you receive them. If you have to delay the planting for a few days, leave on moisture-tight packaging and set plants in a cool, dark spot. The day before you plant, remove the wrapping. Soak roots in a pail of water overnight.

"STAY-PUT" VACATIONS: THE SMART WAY TO SEE EUROPE

The high popularity of skip-around trips to Europe-- tours that give you a glimpse of four countries in two weeks, say-- is proof that for hundreds of thousands of travelers, this is the preferred way to go. Fine and dandy. But '"stay-put" vacations, with just the opposite aim-- to let you settle down snugly in one place and truly savor it-- have attracted a growing number of advocates, too, and the arguments for their choice are compelling.

Teaching your dog who's boss

Dogs are to be cared for, loved, and played with. They are to be walked with, hunted over, trained, exhibited, bragged about, chuckled at and, inevitably, mourned. Primarily they are to be enjoyed. But, between dog and owner there can be only one boss, and the choice is in the hands of the owner.

Pattern back views

Garnish know-how

Garnishing food may sound ... but there are practical ... too. With the right garnish, you can glamorize a sample dish and even coax your family into accepting less-than-favorite fare.

How to order material from the magazine

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

WHO SAYS THIS TRIP ISN'T NECESSARY?

Christine dropped the newspaper on the floor beside her chair, laid her glasses on the table and said: "Some of these gasoline priorities remind me of something George Hall keeps saying."