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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  January, 
  1907 
  

  

  smoke, 
  soot, 
  or 
  ashes 
  spreading 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  room, 
  while 
  the 
  

   cooking 
  smells 
  are 
  drawn 
  up 
  through 
  a 
  ventilator 
  just 
  above 
  

   the 
  range. 
  A 
  whole 
  chicken 
  can 
  be 
  roasted 
  in 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  

   hour 
  and 
  lamb 
  chops 
  can 
  be 
  broiled 
  in 
  three 
  minutes. 
  This 
  

   rapid 
  cooking 
  results 
  in 
  retaining 
  the 
  juices 
  of 
  the 
  meat. 
  

  

  The 
  advantages 
  offered 
  by 
  the 
  kitchen 
  for 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  electric 
  power 
  devices 
  have 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  fully 
  

   realized. 
  The 
  kitchen 
  is 
  the 
  workshop 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  and 
  

   affords 
  a 
  splendid 
  opportunity 
  for 
  labor-saving 
  apparatus. 
  

   A 
  well-ordered 
  kitchen 
  should 
  have 
  its 
  electric 
  fan 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  

   wall 
  to 
  draw 
  off 
  the 
  heated 
  air 
  and 
  odor 
  of 
  cooking 
  from 
  

   the 
  building. 
  Small 
  electric 
  refrigerating 
  plants 
  are 
  provided 
  

   to 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  inconvenience 
  of 
  hauling 
  ice 
  into 
  the 
  

   house. 
  As 
  yet 
  electric 
  labor 
  saving 
  apparatus 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   introduced 
  to 
  any 
  large 
  extent 
  in 
  private 
  houses, 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  accompanying 
  illustrations, 
  which 
  show 
  its 
  uses 
  in 
  hotels, 
  

   will 
  be 
  suggestive 
  of 
  its 
  possibilities 
  in 
  the 
  home. 
  Here 
  may 
  

   be 
  seen 
  the 
  electric 
  dishwasher, 
  the 
  dishes 
  being 
  piled 
  into 
  

   an 
  open 
  wire 
  basket 
  and 
  dipped 
  into 
  boiling 
  water 
  which 
  is 
  

   whirled 
  rapidly 
  against 
  them 
  by 
  an 
  electric 
  motor. 
  The 
  

   same 
  operation 
  repeated 
  in 
  three 
  different 
  vessels 
  will 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  clean 
  the 
  plates, 
  after 
  which 
  an 
  electric 
  fan 
  is 
  used 
  

   for 
  drying 
  them. 
  The 
  entire 
  operation 
  requires 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes. 
  The 
  knives 
  can 
  be 
  scoured 
  and 
  polished 
  by 
  passing 
  

   them 
  between 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  rapidly 
  rotating 
  buff-wheels, 
  and 
  an 
  

   emery 
  wheel 
  is 
  provided 
  for 
  sharpening 
  the 
  steel 
  blades. 
  

   But 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  electric 
  motor 
  in 
  the 
  kitchen 
  is 
  not 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  to 
  cleaning 
  apparatus. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  electrically 
  driven 
  

   machines 
  have 
  been 
  devised 
  for 
  preparing 
  food. 
  Two 
  of 
  

   these 
  are 
  shown 
  herewith. 
  One 
  of 
  them 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  cab- 
  

   bage-chopping 
  machine, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  a 
  potato-paring 
  ma- 
  

   chine. 
  The 
  latter 
  discharges 
  potatoes 
  fully 
  pared 
  except 
  for 
  

   the 
  eyes, 
  which 
  can 
  readily 
  be 
  cut 
  out 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  attend- 
  

   ants. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  evident 
  that 
  these 
  are 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  

   different 
  uses 
  to 
  which 
  electric 
  power 
  can 
  be 
  applied, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   expected 
  that 
  the 
  next 
  few 
  years 
  will 
  add 
  wonderfully 
  to 
  the 
  

   present 
  variety 
  of 
  electric 
  labor-saving 
  devices 
  for 
  kitchen 
  

   use. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  tendency 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  toward 
  the 
  

   increased 
  use 
  of 
  electricity 
  in 
  the 
  household, 
  its 
  general 
  

  

  A 
  Corner 
  in 
  an 
  Electrically 
  Equipped 
  Bathroom 
  

  

  progress 
  is 
  dependent 
  on 
  various 
  conditions. 
  The 
  popular 
  

   prejudice 
  that 
  electricity 
  is 
  expensive 
  in 
  any 
  form 
  is 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  bills 
  which 
  come 
  in 
  for 
  its 
  use 
  for 
  

   light. 
  No 
  general 
  means 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  devised 
  to 
  satisfy 
  

   consumers 
  that 
  the 
  bills 
  for 
  electricity 
  are 
  fair, 
  and 
  correct. 
  

   This 
  prejudice 
  must 
  be 
  overcome 
  before 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  applied 
  to 
  

   miscellaneous 
  household 
  matters. 
  

  

  The 
  Public 
  Value 
  of 
  the 
  Private 
  Garden 
  

  

  HERE 
  is 
  no 
  easier 
  or 
  more 
  delightful 
  way 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  private 
  citizen 
  can 
  contribute 
  to 
  

   the 
  embellishment 
  of 
  his 
  town 
  or 
  city 
  than 
  

   by 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  a 
  flower 
  garden. 
  

   Often 
  enough 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  impossible 
  to 
  do 
  

   this, 
  for 
  land 
  is 
  scarce 
  and 
  valuable 
  in 
  

   crowded 
  places, 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  persons 
  who 
  might 
  be 
  those 
  

   most 
  willing 
  to 
  help 
  local 
  embellishment 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  are 
  pre- 
  

   cluded 
  from 
  doing 
  so 
  from 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  land. 
  The 
  late 
  Mr. 
  

   Cornelius 
  Vanderbilt 
  pulled 
  down 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  costly 
  dwell- 
  

   ings, 
  purchased 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  arrange 
  a 
  

   small 
  garden 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  his 
  great 
  Fifth 
  Avenue 
  palace; 
  

   Mr. 
  Andrew 
  Carnegie 
  followed 
  the 
  same 
  plan 
  in 
  the 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  attached 
  to 
  his 
  New 
  York 
  house; 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  other 
  

   wealthy 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  metropolis 
  have 
  done 
  the 
  same; 
  but 
  

   the 
  results 
  have 
  scarcely 
  compensated 
  for 
  the 
  cost, 
  and 
  the 
  

   expense, 
  in 
  any 
  event, 
  is 
  prohibitive 
  in 
  all 
  except 
  very 
  oc- 
  

   casional 
  instances. 
  

  

  Singularly 
  enough 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  citizen 
  of 
  moderate 
  means 
  who 
  

   can 
  do 
  more 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  than 
  his 
  wealthy 
  fellow 
  towns- 
  

   man 
  on 
  the 
  avenue. 
  The 
  man 
  who 
  does 
  not 
  want 
  to 
  live 
  on 
  

   a 
  costly 
  street, 
  or 
  does 
  not 
  have 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  will 
  occupy 
  a 
  more 
  

  

  modest 
  house, 
  and 
  may 
  perhaps 
  have 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  land 
  before 
  

   his 
  front 
  windows. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  public 
  duty 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  

   every 
  such 
  opportunity. 
  The 
  labor 
  is 
  never 
  great; 
  the 
  cost 
  

   is 
  never 
  large 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  always 
  satisfactory. 
  Even 
  

   a 
  single 
  vase 
  of 
  flowers, 
  or 
  a 
  box 
  of 
  blooming 
  plants 
  over 
  

   the 
  door 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  window 
  sills, 
  will 
  accomplish 
  much 
  

   and 
  be 
  real 
  notes 
  of 
  interest 
  and 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  what 
  might 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  be 
  solid 
  expanses 
  of 
  solemn 
  brown 
  stone 
  or 
  scarcely 
  less 
  

   varied 
  red 
  brick. 
  

  

  Moving 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  suburbs 
  the 
  opportunities 
  for 
  effec- 
  

   tive 
  work 
  become 
  greater. 
  The 
  further 
  we 
  get 
  from 
  the 
  

   high-priced 
  center 
  the 
  more 
  ample 
  the 
  opportunities 
  and 
  

   the 
  greater 
  the 
  responsibilities 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  owner. 
  A 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  of 
  some 
  size 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  some 
  expense 
  ; 
  .its 
  care 
  

   may 
  entail 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  labor, 
  and 
  it 
  may, 
  in 
  short, 
  

   be 
  some 
  "bother." 
  But 
  the 
  duty 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  escaped. 
  If 
  one 
  

   does 
  not 
  care 
  for 
  a 
  garden 
  for 
  one's 
  own 
  sake, 
  one 
  should 
  

   certainly 
  maintain 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  pride 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  duty 
  due 
  

   one's 
  neighborhood. 
  The 
  personal 
  interest 
  will 
  be 
  sure 
  to 
  

   come, 
  and 
  come 
  quickly 
  ; 
  for 
  plants 
  are 
  fascinating 
  things 
  to 
  

   watch 
  grow, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  brilliant 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  

   helpful 
  of 
  all 
  exterior 
  decorations. 
  

  

  