August, 1 9 13 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



XV 



REAL ROOF-GARDENS 



THE log cabins of rural Norway, says 

 an exchange, are built of heavy pine 

 logs, hewed square, and of equal size 

 from end to end. They are usually 

 stained or oiled, and their rich yellow- 

 ish or brownish color is in harmony with 

 almost any surroundings. Their roofs 

 are sodded — a circumstance that adds pic- 

 turesqueness to the general effect. 



"I have come across roofs that were a 

 riot of wild Pansies," says a writer in 

 the Craftsman, "and I have seen wonder- 

 ful roofs where wild roses hung over 

 the eaves, or a daisy roof, the effect of 

 whose white, star-like flowers, topping 

 the dark brown structure, was exquisitely 

 picturesque. 



'"Some roofs produce only pasture 

 grass, and the story runs in Norwegian 

 folk-lore that a lazy man led his cow on 

 the roof — the cabin was built against a 

 hill — instead of taking her to the pasture. 

 I have no doubt that the story is true, 

 for I have often seen a couple of white 

 kidlets gamboling on the soft green 

 housetops while the mother goat, grave 

 and ruminative, was tethered to the chim- 

 ney. 



"Sod roofs are just as water-tight as 

 others, if they are laid correctly. A board 

 is first laid upon a house, and this is 

 covered with a layer of birch bark. On 

 top of this comes a layer of sod with 

 the grass turned down to the roof. Then 

 a rather thick layer of earth, and finally 

 another layer of sod, this time with the 

 grass up. The result is a most exquisite 

 and poetical covering for the house." 



REDUCED POSTAGE RATES IN 

 SOUTH AMERICA 



WITH the inauguration of reduced 

 postage rates between the South 

 American countries on January 1, 1913, as 

 provided for in the action of the First 

 South American Continental Postal Con- 

 gress, which convened at Montevideo, Uru- 

 guay, from January 8 to February 2, 1911, 

 a remarkable forward step has been taken 

 to bring the countries concerned into closer 

 touch with each others, says the Pan-Ameri- 

 can Union. While this reduction may not 

 actually increase the volume of correspon- 

 dence exchanged between the countries, yet 

 it must have a direct and beneficial effect 

 upon the amount of books, magazines, and 

 periodicals circulating through the southern 

 continent. The importance of such a freer 

 interchange of thoughts and ideals through 

 the medium of the press to a group of 

 neighboring countries can hardly be esti- 

 mated. It means that the activities and the 

 progress of the various countries as re- 

 corded in books and magazines will be 

 freely transmitted throughout the length 

 and breadth of the South American conti- 

 nent and will serve to develop those mutual 

 bonds of interest which the noble heroes and 

 historic traditions of South American in- 

 dependence have created. The countries 

 which sent delegates to the Congress were 

 Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, 

 Ecuador, Paraguay. Peru, Uruguay, and 

 Venezuela. The action of the conference 

 was ad referendum, and thus far seven of 

 the ten countries have ratified the conven- 

 tion affecting the change in postage rates. 

 Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela have yet to 

 accept the measure. The non-acceptance, 

 however, will not affect the sending of mail 

 matter to them from other countries, but 

 will prevent their citizens from enjoying 

 the same privilege. 



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