December, 1910 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



CHRISTMAS GREETING 



AT this season of the year it is a good thing for us to 

 thank our friends for the interest which they have 

 shown in American Homes and Gardens. 



The circulation of our magazine has increased with a 

 normal, steady growth. The publishers feel gratified at 

 this result, for it proves to them that American Homes 

 AND Gardens stands on its merits and not on the usual 

 spectacular method so frequently used by publications of 

 this kind. 



The scope of the paper covers every appointment re- 

 quired in the home and the garden. It deals with home 

 building from the design and the construction of a modest 

 house, on a small plot, to the erecting of more pretentious 

 homes on large estates. It treats of the decorating and 

 the furnishing of the home, in every one of its details. It 

 also treats of the best methods to pursue in the appropriate 

 framing of the house by the practical knowledge given in 

 the department of "Landscape Work about the Home," all 

 of which have proven so helpful in the beautifying of the 

 home and the garden. 



BIND YOUR "AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS" 



ANOTHER volume of American Homes and Gar- 

 dens is completed with this issue. We suggest to 

 our readers that they keep and bind their numbers. 

 In order to facilitate the means to this end, the pub- 

 lishers will be very glad to furnish, upon request, title 

 page, index and binding cases (covers), delivered, for one 

 dollar. The binding cases are of silk finish book cloth, 

 and are handsomely stamped in three colors. 

 Why not complete your set? 



W^e can furnish to subscribers a limited number of bound 

 volumes of American Homes and Gardens from 1905 

 to 1909, inclusive, for five dollars per volume. 



THE PACIFIC COAST HOUSE NUMBER FOR 

 JANUARY 



THE January issue of American Homes and Gardens 

 will be devoted to the houses found along the Pacific 

 coast. This is interesting owing to the fact that there 

 is no part of the country where domestic architecture has 

 been more artistically developed. 



That /American architects borrow suggestions from 

 the architecture of other countries is evident. They have 

 come to realize that they can find no better architecture 

 from which to secure assistance in the designing of a house 

 than that which the older civilization has given to us! It is 

 pleasing to note that the western architect has been most 

 successful in molding into form and modernizing the for- 

 eign type to meet American requirements. That they have 

 attained this result is best illustrated by the many hand- 

 some houses which are shown in the engravings presented 

 in this number. 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS' GARDEN 

 COMPETITION 



THE editor of American Homes and Gardens takes 

 pleasure in announcing the results of the Garden 

 Competition which closed on the 15th of September. 

 One year ago, owing to the interest manifested in the 

 Garden Competition held at that time, an announcement was 

 made in American Homes and Gardens that the pub- 

 lishers had decided to institute a second garden competition 

 for 1910. 



The formal announcements were made, and the condi- 

 tions published from month to month in our pages were 

 quite complete and definite in the plan and in the scope of 

 the competition. During the past few weeks a large num- 

 ber of contributions has been sent in to the Garden Com- 

 petition Editor. 



The subjects entered for competition were for the most 

 part individual in character, and the decisions as to the 

 award of prizes were, in consequence, easier than they other- 

 wise would have been, had the gardens presented been laid 

 out under the direction of a landscape architect. The award 

 of prizes for the gardens was readily accomplished. 



The roll of honor in the Garden Competition is as fol- 

 lows: 



ROLL OF HONOR 



First Prize, $50 



Dr. Shiro Miyaki St. Louis. Mo. 



Second Prize, $21; 

 Mr. Jaivies M. Hull Hamilton, Ontario. Can. 



Third Prize, $15 

 Mr. M. F. Ault Indianapolis. Ind. 



Illustrations of the prize gardens are published in this 

 number and a very capable criticism of the decisions ren- 

 dered by the judges is presented in a paper by the well- 

 known landscape architect, Charles Downing Lav. in his 

 department entitled "Garden Notes." 



The sole object of this competition was not to secure ma- 

 terial for American Homes and Gardens, but to further 

 the love of gardening and to stimulate among its readers the 

 desire for the improvement of the home grounds, therebv 

 enhancing the beauty and the value of their surroundings. 



If this is to be accomplished the editor will feel that the 

 work of the publishers has been well rewarded, for he be- 

 lieves that there are endless possibilities in the small plots 

 such as are to be found in the suburbs and in the villages, 

 and that the result of the Garden Competition will be far 

 reaching in the direction of this. movement for the improve- 

 ment of home conditions. 



