﻿April, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  i$5 
  

  

  Aquilegias, 
  white, 
  red, 
  blue, 
  and 
  yellow 
  

   ought 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  every 
  collection. 
  

   They 
  are 
  early 
  bloomers. 
  They 
  should 
  be 
  

   grown 
  in 
  masses, 
  near 
  the 
  front 
  row. 
  

  

  Iris 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  garden 
  what 
  the 
  orchid 
  is 
  

   to 
  the 
  greenhouse. 
  Its 
  colors 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  

   richest 
  — 
  blue, 
  purple, 
  violet, 
  yellow, 
  white, 
  

   and 
  gray. 
  In 
  many 
  varieties 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  

   of 
  these 
  colors 
  are 
  so 
  combined 
  as 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  most 
  striking 
  results. 
  We 
  have 
  no 
  

   more 
  magnificent 
  flower 
  in 
  the 
  perennial 
  

   list. 
  

  

  Pyrethrum 
  uliginosum 
  is 
  a 
  full 
  bloomer. 
  

   Its 
  common 
  name 
  of 
  "Giant 
  Daisy" 
  gives 
  

   a 
  good 
  description 
  of 
  it. 
  Excellent 
  for 
  

   back 
  rows. 
  

  

  The 
  herbaceous 
  spiraeas 
  are 
  most 
  charm- 
  

   ing 
  plants. 
  Alba, 
  white, 
  and 
  rosea, 
  pink, 
  

   produce 
  great 
  feathery 
  tufts 
  of 
  bloom 
  on 
  

   stalks 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  feet 
  tall. 
  They 
  are 
  ex- 
  

   ceedingly 
  graceful, 
  in 
  an 
  airy, 
  cloud-like 
  

   way, 
  and 
  never 
  fail 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  attention 
  

   of 
  those 
  who 
  would 
  pass 
  by 
  an 
  ordinary 
  

   flower 
  without 
  seeing 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  florists 
  have 
  taken 
  our 
  native 
  asters 
  in 
  hand, 
  and 
  we 
  

   now 
  have 
  several 
  varieties 
  that 
  make 
  themselves 
  perfectly 
  at 
  

   home 
  in 
  the 
  border. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  grow 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  eight 
  

   feet: 
  others 
  are 
  low 
  growers. 
  The 
  rosy-violet 
  sorts 
  are 
  in- 
  

   describably 
  lovely. 
  They 
  bloom 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  Their 
  

   long 
  branches 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  flowers 
  with 
  fringy 
  petals 
  

   and 
  yellow 
  center. 
  The 
  soft, 
  pale 
  blue 
  varieties 
  are 
  exquisite 
  

   in 
  coloring. 
  They 
  bring 
  the 
  charm 
  of 
  Indian 
  summer 
  into 
  

   the 
  garden, 
  and 
  hold 
  it 
  prisoner 
  for 
  several 
  weeks. 
  By 
  all 
  

   means 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  roots 
  of 
  this 
  most 
  delightful 
  plant 
  put 
  into 
  

   your 
  border 
  this 
  spring. 
  

  

  In 
  setting 
  out 
  your 
  plants 
  allow 
  for 
  development. 
  Don't 
  

   crowd 
  them. 
  Don't 
  try 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  everything. 
  Don't 
  

  

  Creeping 
  Phlox 
  

  

  overlook 
  old-fashioned 
  kinds 
  because 
  they 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  old 
  

   kinds. 
  That 
  proves 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  merit, 
  or 
  they 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  dropped 
  from 
  the 
  list 
  long 
  ago. 
  

  

  Keep 
  the 
  ground 
  between 
  them 
  clean 
  and 
  open. 
  In 
  spring 
  

   manure 
  them 
  well, 
  working 
  whatever 
  fertilizer 
  you 
  make 
  use 
  

   of 
  into 
  the 
  soil 
  about 
  them. 
  Stir 
  the 
  soil 
  occasionally 
  during 
  

   the 
  season. 
  Keep 
  them 
  from 
  producing 
  seed, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  for 
  that 
  exhausts 
  their 
  vitality 
  more 
  than 
  anything 
  else. 
  

  

  Once 
  in 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  divide 
  old 
  clumps. 
  Break 
  their 
  

   roots 
  apart, 
  and 
  discard 
  all 
  but 
  the 
  strongest, 
  healthiest 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  them. 
  Reset 
  these 
  in 
  rich, 
  mellow 
  soil, 
  in 
  spring 
  or 
  

   in 
  fall, 
  after 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  is 
  over, 
  and 
  the 
  plants 
  

   are 
  at 
  a 
  standstill. 
  

  

  Sewage 
  Disposal 
  for 
  the 
  House 
  

  

  Contijuted 
  from 
  page 
  152 
  

  

  which 
  permit 
  the 
  outflow 
  of 
  sewage 
  and 
  prevent 
  the 
  inflow 
  

   of 
  water; 
  by 
  discharging 
  the 
  sewage 
  intermittently 
  and 
  only 
  

   during 
  low 
  tide, 
  and 
  by 
  providing 
  constant 
  outflow 
  by 
  steam 
  

   power 
  pressure. 
  

  

  Another 
  simple 
  way 
  of 
  disposal 
  of 
  sewage 
  is 
  to 
  burn 
  it. 
  

   The 
  water 
  waste 
  is 
  permitted 
  to 
  drain 
  off 
  and 
  the 
  solid 
  re- 
  

   sidues 
  are 
  destroyed 
  in 
  suitable 
  crematories. 
  Sewage 
  is 
  also 
  

   disposed 
  of 
  by 
  precipitation, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  liquid 
  is 
  drained 
  off 
  

   and 
  the 
  solids 
  used 
  for 
  commercial 
  purposes. 
  This 
  precipi- 
  

   tation 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  natural 
  process 
  or 
  by 
  chemical 
  means. 
  

  

  In 
  soil 
  filtration 
  the 
  sewage 
  is 
  purified 
  and 
  oxidized 
  by 
  

   being 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  porous 
  soil. 
  The 
  filtration 
  should 
  be 
  

   intermittent 
  and 
  the 
  soil 
  porous 
  and 
  well 
  drained 
  to 
  accom- 
  

   plish 
  good 
  results. 
  Sewage 
  is 
  also 
  utilized 
  for 
  land 
  irriga- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  organic 
  and 
  other 
  useful 
  parts 
  being 
  used 
  for 
  fer- 
  

   tilizing 
  purposes. 
  

  

  Subsurface 
  irrigation 
  is 
  sometimes 
  used 
  by 
  small 
  towns 
  

   and 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  isolated 
  dwellings 
  if 
  ample 
  land 
  is 
  avail- 
  

   able. 
  In 
  this 
  system 
  pipes 
  with 
  open 
  joints 
  are 
  run 
  through 
  

   the 
  grounds, 
  and 
  the 
  sewage 
  allowed 
  to 
  percolate 
  through 
  

   the 
  soil. 
  A 
  flushing 
  tank, 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  sewage 
  to 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  system, 
  is 
  necessary 
  in 
  this 
  method. 
  

  

  The 
  Cameron 
  septic 
  tank 
  system 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  mod- 
  

   ern 
  and 
  most 
  effective 
  methods 
  of 
  sewage 
  disposal. 
  This, 
  says 
  

   Dr. 
  Bergey, 
  is 
  a 
  complicated 
  system 
  which 
  utilizes 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   solving 
  and 
  liquefying 
  system 
  of 
  anarrobic 
  species 
  of 
  bacteria 
  

   in 
  one 
  portion, 
  the 
  so-called 
  septic 
  tank, 
  and 
  the 
  oxidizing 
  

  

  action 
  of 
  arrobic 
  species 
  of 
  bacteria 
  in 
  another 
  portion, 
  the 
  

   filter 
  beds, 
  several 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  arranged 
  in 
  series. 
  The 
  sys- 
  

   tem, 
  in 
  brief, 
  consists 
  of 
  discharging 
  the 
  sewage 
  into 
  

   settling 
  basins, 
  and 
  thence 
  transferring 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  septic 
  tank. 
  

   In 
  some 
  works 
  this 
  is 
  closed; 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  is 
  open. 
  The 
  solid 
  

   matter 
  having 
  undergone 
  solution 
  and 
  liquefaction 
  in 
  the 
  sep- 
  

   tic 
  tank 
  is 
  discharged 
  into 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  series 
  of 
  filters, 
  

   where 
  the 
  anarrobic 
  and 
  arrobic 
  bacteria 
  perform 
  their 
  task 
  

   of 
  breaking 
  down 
  the 
  intermediate 
  dissolved 
  bacteria. 
  The 
  

   filters 
  operate 
  automatically, 
  one 
  after 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  oxi- 
  

   dation 
  process 
  is 
  completed 
  in 
  a 
  secondary 
  series 
  of 
  filters, 
  

   which, 
  however, 
  are 
  omitted 
  in 
  some 
  works. 
  The 
  filters 
  are 
  

   made 
  of 
  clinkers 
  and 
  coke. 
  The 
  pathogenic 
  bacteria 
  do 
  not 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  removed 
  by 
  this 
  process, 
  and 
  further 
  filtration 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  sand 
  filter 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  as 
  a 
  final 
  step 
  in 
  

   the 
  process. 
  

  

  Another 
  method 
  of 
  sewage 
  disposal 
  by 
  bacteria 
  is 
  known 
  

   as 
  the 
  bacteria 
  or 
  contact 
  bed 
  system. 
  In 
  this, 
  says 
  Dr. 
  Ber- 
  

   gey, 
  the 
  sewage 
  is 
  treated 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  tank 
  containing 
  a 
  bed 
  

   of 
  coke, 
  cinders 
  and 
  clay 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  meters. 
  On 
  

   the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  tank 
  are 
  open-jointed 
  collecting 
  pipes. 
  The 
  

   contact 
  beds 
  are 
  usually 
  operated 
  in 
  pairs, 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  primary 
  

   bed 
  acting 
  on 
  the 
  sewage 
  for 
  several 
  hours 
  and 
  then 
  discharg- 
  

   ing 
  its 
  contents 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  bed 
  by 
  gravity, 
  where 
  the 
  

   sewage 
  is 
  treated 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  length 
  of 
  time. 
  The 
  action 
  is 
  

   intermittent. 
  The 
  system 
  has 
  been 
  tried 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  

   England. 
  

  

  