XVI 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



J^y. 1913 



MINERAL WOOL 



The 



Modern 

 House 

 Lining. 



/*ij .1.11 L»t-,ij«0 



Samples 

 and 



Circulars 

 Free. 



U. S. MINERAL WOOL CO. 



140 Cedar Street New York City 



Concrete Pottery and Garden Furniture 



V 



By Ralph C. Davison 



""HIS book describes in detail in a most practical manner 

 the various methods of casting concrete for ornamental 

 and useful purposes. It tells how to make all kinds of con- 

 crete vases, ornamental flower pots, concrete pedestals, con- 

 crete benches, concrete fences, etc. Full practical instruc- 

 tions are given for constructing and finishing the different 

 kinds of molds, making the wire forms or frames, selecting 

 and mixing the ingredients, covering the wire frames, model- 

 ing the cement mortar into form, and casting and finishing 

 the various objects. Directions for inlaying, waterproofing and 

 reinforcing cement are also included The information on 

 color work alone is worth many times the cost of the book. 

 With the information given in this book, any handy man or 

 novice can make many useful and ornamental objects of 

 cement for the adornment of the home or garden. The author has taken for 

 granted that the reader knows nothing whatever about the subject and has ex- 

 plained each progressive step in the various operations throughout in detail. 

 16 mo. (5*4 x 7/ 2 inches) 196 Pages. 140 Illustrations. 



Price $1.50, postpaid 



MUNN & COMPANY, Inc., Publishers 

 361 Broadway New York 



Modern Plumbing 

 Illustrated 



HI 



m 



KM! 



ray 





By R. M. STARBUCK 



400 (10^x7^) Pages 



55 Full Pages of 

 Engravings 



PRICE. 



'.00 



•I A comprehensive 

 and up-to-date work 

 illustrating and de- 

 scribing the Drain- 

 age and Ventilation 

 of Dwellings, Apart- 

 ments and Public 

 Buildings, etc. The 

 very latest and most 

 approved methods in 

 all branches of 

 Sanitary Installation 

 are given. 



•I Many of the subjects treated in the text and 

 illustrated follow in the next column. 



MUNN & CO., Inc., Publishers 

 361 Broadway New York City 



SOME OF THE SUBJECTS TREATED 



Connections, sizes and all working data for Plumb- 

 ing Fixtures and Groups of iixtures 



Traps — Venting 



Connecting and Supporting of Soil Pipe 



House Trap and Fresh-Air Inlet. 



Floor and Yard Drains, etc. 



Rain Leaders 



Sub-soil Drainage 



Floor Connections 



Roof Connections ' 



Local Venting 



Bath Room Connections [etc. 



Automatic Flushing for Factories, School Houses, 



Use of Flushing Valves 



Modern Fixtures for Public Toilet Rooms 



Durham System 



Plumbing Construction without use of Lead 



Automatic Sewage Lift — Sump Tank 



Disposal of Sewage of Underground I loors of 

 High Buildings 



Country Plumbing 



Cesspools 



The Electrolysis of Underground Pipes 



Septic Tanks and Sewage Siphons 



Pneumatic Water Supply, Rams, etc. 



Examples of Poor P' actice 



Roughing— Testing 



Continuous Venting for all classes of Work 



Circuit and Loop Venting 



Use of Special Waste and Vent Fittings 



Cellar Work 



House Drain — House Sewer— Sewer Connections 



Plumbing for Cottage House 



Plumbing for Residence 



Plumbing far Two- Flat House 



Plumbing for Apartment Houses 



Plumbing for Office Building 



Plumbing for Public Toilet Rooms 



Plumbing for Bath Establishment 



Plumbing for Engine Houses 



Plumbing for Stables 



Plumbing for Factories 



Plumbing for School Houses, etc. [by Electricity 



Thawing of Underground Mains and Service Pipes 



SUGGESTIONS FOR RAISING ONIONS 

 IN THE HOME GARDEN 



IF onions fail to thrive in the home gar- 

 den, the reason usually may be found in 

 the fact that they are not kept absolutely 

 free of weeds. It is useless to try to grow 

 onions unless one is willing to cultivate and 

 weed persistently. The ground should be 

 made just as fine as repeated rakings will 

 make it and the best fertilizer is well-rotted 

 cow manure and soot, the latter not being 

 relished by cut worms. The seed should 

 be planted in drills and the soil carefully 

 firmed with the foot in order to press it 

 closely about the seed and hasten germina- 

 tion. 



Cultivation should be begun as soon as 

 the plants show and kept up faithfully. It 

 is particularly necessary to cultivate after 

 a rain. Even in a well-cultivated garden 

 weeds appear close to the plants and must 

 be pulled by hand. 



The new onion culture, so called, re- 

 quires the starting of plants in the hot bed 

 for extra earliness and is all right if the 

 onions are to be eaten when gathered. 

 This plan should not be followed with 

 onions which are to be stored, as they will 

 not keep as well as when the seed is sown 

 in the open grown in April. Good sorts 

 for the home garden are Danvers Yellow, 

 Prizetaker and Australian Brown. The 

 last is particularly valuable because of its 

 excellent keeping qualities. 



SUMMER VERSUS WINTER 

 PRUNING 



FEW amateurs realize how different are 

 the results of pruning fruit trees in 

 Summer from those which follow Winter 

 pruning. Sometimes the use of the saw 

 produces conditions quite different from 

 those which were expected. 



Ordinarily it is better to prune matured 

 trees in Winter or early Spring. Winter 

 pruning tends to produce growth of vegeta- 

 tion, so that it keeps the old trees renew- 

 ing itself and in robust condition. Young 

 trees may well be pruned in Summer, for 

 Summer pruning has a tendency to check 

 growth but to stimulate fruiting. We have 

 this rule then ; Prune in Winter for vegeta- 

 tion and in Summer for fruit. 



Pruning in Summer is not to be 

 practiced, though, except when a tree is 

 making strong growth. When trees are 

 slow to come into bearing, this treatment 

 may be just what is needed. The latter 

 part of June is the best time and the prun- 

 ing should not be overdone. It never 

 should be so severe as in Winter, and the 

 grower should always have in mind the 

 proper shaping of the tree, cutting just 

 above buds which will throw out low-grow- 

 ing, outside branches, and seeking always 

 to keep a low head and an open center. 



Even Winter pruning should not be as 

 drastic as often is the case. It is much bet- 

 ter to do a little each year than to butcher 

 the tree in a single attempt to bring it 

 into subjection. Three years may well be 

 given to the redemption of an old apple tree 

 which has been long neglected. First, all 

 the dead limbs should be cut away. Then 

 those which cross or interlace so as to chafe 

 one against the other should be attacked. 

 After that the higher limbs and those in the 

 center may be thinned so as to let the sun- 

 light penetrate to all parts. And as the 

 work progresses, suckers and superfluous 

 shoots may be removed wherever encount- 

 ered. If the tree is straggling in habit, 

 however, some of the suckers on the main 

 branches may be simply headed in, in 

 which case they will presently developed 

 fruiting spurs. 



