xu 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



March, 191 3 



[ADE in a wide 

 range of weaves and 

 textures, both plain and 

 in designs, to suit all 

 |r styles of decoration. 



I Reproductions of rare 



I old stuffs in Tapestries, 



iy Brocades, Damasks; 



5p copies of old museum 



is pieces in many examples 



If of unusual interest. 



I Guaranteed absolutely 



! color-fast to sun and water, 



even in the most delicate 



shades. 



Every bolt tagged with the guar- 

 antee tag shown below. Insist on i ,j| 

 seeing this tag before purchasing. 

 At leading stores everywhere. 

 Ask your dealer for our book, KJJH 

 "Draping the Home," showing a I 

 variety of practical interiors in ^fl< 

 color, or write to us for it. 



ORINOKA MILLS 



215 Fourth Ave., New York 



Guarantee 



These goods are 



>y, ^- guaranteed ab- 



•/ /jb"^\f i ^N. solutely fadeless. 



I -/^ Cf^ ''^\ ' ^ color changes from 



^> j^L*^ ^Sb*/^jf exposure to the sunlight 



f^Pti^^i^' or from washing, the mer- 



.O-C^!^ 1 chant is hereby authorized to 



%: -- replace them with new goods 



or refund the purchase 



price. 



S6. 



THIS BUNGALOW 



CAN BE BUILT 



FOR $900 



Exclusive of porte-cochere 



This and many others in my new book, Building 

 Plans for Modern Homes, will save you hundreds of 

 dollars. One of the most complete and comprehensive books of 

 plans ever published by any architect. Contains plans of bunga- 

 lows, two-family houses, single houses, in wood and ce- 

 ment. Fifth edition just off the press. One hundred and fifty 

 floor plans and photographs of bungalows, etc., costing fr°m 

 $250 up; gives sizes and cost to build. Sent postpaid for $1 .00. 



FREDERICK H. GOWING, Architect 



18 Tremont Street BOSTON, MASS. 



OWNERS AND BUILDERS 

 OF CEMENT HOUSES 



Write for interesting free 

 book telling how cement 

 buildings can be success- 

 fully painted and water- 

 proofed at slight cost. 



It contains color plates 

 showing how CH1-NAMEL 

 CEMENTONE -vill improve the appearance of new cement 

 buildings, and make the exterior of old buildings look new. 



THE OHIO VARNISH CO. 

 8604 Kinsman Rd. - - Cleveland, O. 



Euonymus VEK<£ff 



AIollIC The Elm City Nursery Co. 



mdlUS New Haven, Dept. M., Conn. 



9 



HOW BIRDS BUILD THEIR NESTS 



PROF. FRANCIS II. HFRRICK, of 

 Cleveland, has given accurate accounts 

 of the way that certain well-known birds 

 carry on their building. The female robin 

 does the work of building; the male keep? 

 guard and cheers his mate by singing. She 

 carries mud and stubble to the selected s'.te 

 and molds it into a cup by pressing the 

 curve of her breast hard against the stuff 

 she has gathered, while she scratched 

 violently with her feet against the limb of 

 the tree in the effort to increase the press- 

 ure. 



When she has firmly pressed down the 

 nest material in one place, she rises, moves 

 a little, and proceeds to m°ld the next part 

 of the nest-cup. Thus she passes several 

 times around the nest. 



Now follows the mysterious part of her 

 conduct. When she brings the next load of 

 building material and molds it into the nest, 

 she goes through exactly the same process, 

 but always circles the nest in the opposite 

 direction. There is nothing about the ap- 

 pearance of the unfinished nest to show in 

 which direction the robin last turned ; but 

 she remembers, and by turning in the op- 

 posite direction the next time, she produces 

 in the end a nest-cup that is even and 

 symmetrical. 



The oriole, on the other hand, is not a 

 molder or potter, but a weaver. Here again 

 the female is the worker, and the male 

 merely oversees and encourages the work. 

 The oriole chooses the fork of a hanging 

 branch, and winds round the two twigs the 

 ends of any long fibers she can find in the 

 neighborhood. The other ends of the fibers 

 are allowed to hang loose. Then she selects 

 several other twigs and fastens fibers to 

 them in the same way until the rim of the 

 nest is outlined. The weaving of other 

 threads into these is done by means of quick 

 shuttle-like movements of the bill. The bill 

 thrusts the bit of string or piece of grass 

 through the mass of fibers, and then catches 

 either the same or a different thread and 

 pulls it back at a point a little farther along. 

 Thus by a very rapid alternate thrust and 

 pull of the bill the weaving is done. 



The ends of the long fibers that hang 

 down remain undisturbed until the nest 

 is well along ; the oriole then gets down 

 inside of it, pulls these ends in, and weaves 

 them into the nest fabric. The bird watched 

 by Professor Herrick took about four and 

 a half days to finish her nest. Her move- 

 ments were often too rapid to follow, and 

 she chattered incessantly at her work. 

 Probably she enjoyed it as much as the 

 male enjoyed his tuneful idleness. 



MILKWEED AS A FOOD 



<</^\NE of the economic triumphs of the 

 v>/ age is the utilization of waste ma- 

 terial, and the use of weeds as food staples 

 is a phase of this triumph," says a writer in 

 Leslie's Weekly. "The most interesting of 

 these new 'weed foods' is milkweed, the 

 common, wild variety, that grows in every 

 rocky pasture, in meadows, and by road- 

 sides in abundance. Its large, thick, 

 smooth leaves are familiar to all, and its 

 deep, dull pink tuft of flowers, and later 

 its seed pods, filled with delicate floss and 

 flat brown seeds. When it is broken off, a 

 thick, white, milky juice exudes. This is 

 rich in nutrition. This common and luxu- 

 riant weed is now being cultivated in gar- 

 dens as a valuable food staple, and makes 

 one of the most delicious of vegetables. It 

 tastes almost exactly like asparagus, and is 

 cooked in much the same way as spinach. 

 It has been found to be rich in natural salts 

 and nutrition, and is easily cultivated." 





Nothing adds greater beauty to 

 a house than a tastefully-ar- 

 ranged garden — and nothing de- 

 tracts more from the appearance 

 of a garden than the barren spots 

 where seeds " refused " to grow. 



It is not always poor soil or im- 

 proper care that makes these blotches; 

 but very often inferior seeds are to 

 blame. Planting poor seeds in a garden 

 always has that air of dubiousness — 

 perhaps they may grow, and then again 

 perhaps they may not. 



Why not make a good garden a 

 certainty by using Good Seeds ? 



"The Most Reliable Seeds 



for over a century — since the days of 

 Washington and Jefferson — have been 

 renowned for their uniform purity 

 and fertility. 



We have extensive trial grounds in Con- 

 necticut and Long Island, as well as in France, 

 and no effort is spared that might possibly 

 lead to the betterment of our seeds. 



Our catalog contains a most complete 

 list of flower and vegetable seeds, and 

 the descriptions it contains are both 

 clear and accurate. Write for a copy 

 now, it is just full of helpful suggestions. 



And while you have your pen in hand, ask for 

 a packet of the seeds of that beautiful new 

 flower, the Hybrid African Daisy — ten cents 

 in coin or stamps will cover the cost. 



J. M. THORBURN & CO. 



33M Barclay St., (M«) New York 



Japan 

 Barberry 



Extensive stock 



Send for Catalog. 

 The Elm City Nursery Co. 

 New Haven, Dept. M., Conn. 



H£ 









U 

 J? 



U 



xm .a $ b.3 f? 



•- i 



£ o 



• -r! 



•o . 



« .5 



2a 



A Little Green Book 

 For the Flower Garden 



(A List of Selected Seeds) 



PAUL DOVE (D), Wellesley, Mass. 



(Copy Free) 



ANDROMEDA 



QHRRPI TDCF The Elm City Nursery Co. 

 3UKKLL 1 KLE. New HaTent Dept . M., Conn. 



Fine specimens 



Send for Catalog. 



9 



