54 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



July, 1906 



„,rA^M^ M 



,|AI 



10/lh 



The Key to 

 ] Artistic 

 I Home Building 



When you build your 

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Get "Sargent's Book of 

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SARGENT'S 



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But get our Book of 

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4 



AMERICAN 

 HOMES and 

 GARDENS 



— a n d — 



SCIENTIFIC 

 AMERICAN 



will be sent to 

 one address for 



$5.00 



Regular Price... #6.00 



The gladiolus is extremely effective for in- 

 terior decorative work. It should be cut with 

 long stalks and these should simply be 

 dropped into the vase and allowed to arrange 

 themselves. With daily change of water the 

 blossoms will expand and develop perfectly. 



While the peony may lack something of 

 the delicacy of the coloring which character- 

 izes the rose, and while its fragrance may not 

 be quite as refined, it is nevertheless as mag- 

 nificent a garden flower. The peony, too, re- 

 quires but a fraction of the care that the rose 

 demands for its perfection and thus it is 

 rapidly superseding the latter for garden dec- 

 oration. All things considered it is entitled to 

 first place, for it is hardier by far than most 

 roses, especially the more desirable varieties, 

 and it can always be depended upon. 



In contrast to the short-lived rose, it lasts 

 for a lifetime when once established and de- 

 mands very little attention. All that need be 

 done is to place over it in the fall some old 

 cow manure and to work this into the soil 

 about its roots in the spring, for the plant 

 thrives exceptionally well with strong food. 



The peony likes a rather heavy soil — one 

 that will be firm and compact about its roots, 

 in mixing the fertilizer with the earth, care 

 must be exercised not to go deep enough to 

 disturb a single root, for probably no other 

 plant so resents interference with its root 

 system as the peony. 



As a border plant nothing is equal to it. 

 Its foliage is attractive and when the blossoms 

 are out in full splendor, every clump is a 

 flower show in itself. As it comes early, it 

 serves excellently to supply the garden with 

 bloom at that period when it is usually still 

 bare. The peony can be effectively used for 

 decoration indoors. If cut with long stalks 

 and as the buds are just about to open, it will 

 last for several days. It does not take kindly 

 to combination with other flowers, nor should 

 too many stalks be placed in one receptacle. 

 For use where strong bits of color are desired, 

 I know of nothing superior to it. Let the 

 stalks be somewhat unequal in length, that 

 there may be no suggestion of primness or 

 formality. Charming results are secured by 

 using flowers of different shades. While we 

 never hear much about the scent of the peony, 

 it nevertheless has fragrance, and that of some 

 varieties is almost as delicious as that of 

 the rose, strong, perhaps, but never over- 

 powering. 



Another merit to which the peony can justly 

 lay claim is its freedom from insects. Anyone 

 who has waged war with the bugs and worms 

 which infest the rose will appreciate this im- 

 munity of the peony. If the flower-loving 

 reader has no collection of peonies let me urge 

 him or her to set about making one this fall. 

 The plants can be put out in September or 

 October, placing them about five inches be- 

 low the soil and at least three feet apart. A 

 well-established plant will have a spread of at 

 least that distance and ought to bear a hundred 

 or more flowers in a season, though it does not 

 reach its prime for several years after the 

 planting. 



The old, very large, double dahlia was, for 

 all its formal arrangement of petal, a very 

 beautiful flower, and it is to-day regaining its 

 former popularity. Recent years, too, have 

 seen the development of distinct new forms — 

 the cactus, the decorative and the single 

 varieties being the most noticeable. These 

 are just at present more popular than the old 

 type, but everything points to a re-establish- 

 ment of such old favorites as fox-hunter, with 

 its ball of fiery scarlet, flamingo, a sphere of 

 vermilion and white, and Hebe, pure glisten- 

 ing rose, which are difficult to find to-day, but 

 which many of us remember with pleasure. 

 I do not believe any of the newer sorts can 



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is the only guaranteed Fencing 



GALVANIZED AFTER WEAVING 



The Wheelock Trellis. Flower-bed Guard, Lawn Fence. Lawn Guard. 



Tree Guard, etc.. are economical and beautiful. 

 If your dealer has it not. send order to us. 



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Large Catalogue on Request 



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380 Page Catalog with close prices FREE. 

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CHARTER 



Statlonaries, Portables, Hoisters, Pumpers, 

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Gasoline, Gas, Kerosene 



Send for Catalogue. State Power Needs 

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WAVY AND CURLY HAIR 



May positively be obtained without the aid of curling irons by the use o 



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Send atamp for interesting booklet on the preservation of the hair. 



MRS. MASON. 36 West 34th St.. New v ork C | ty 



JUST PUBLISHED 



The Scientific 

 American Boy 



By A. Russell Bond 



12mo. 320 Pa^es. 340 Illustrations 

 Price, $2.00, Postpaid 



A STORY OF OUTDOOR BOY LIFE, 

 suggesting a large number of diversions winch, aside from 

 affording entertainment, will stimulate in boys the creative 

 spirit. Complete practical instructions are given for building the 

 various articles. The book contains a large number of miscella- 

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MUNN & COMPANY 



Publishers of Scientific American*' 



361 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 



Van Dorn 

 Iron Works Co. 



Prison, House, 



and Stable Work, 

 Joist Hangers, 

 Lawn Furniture, 

 Fencing, Etc. 



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CLEVELAND. OHIO. 



PATENTED 



Standing Seam 

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Clinch right through the 

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P> H ILADCUPHIA 



