XIV 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
October, 1909 
# CORRESPONDENCE © 
The Editor of American Homes and Gardens desires to extend an invitation to all its readers to send to the Correspondence Department inquiries on any matter 
pertaining to the decorating and furnishing of the home and to the developing of the home grounds. 
All letters accompanied by retum postage will be answered promptly by mail. 
Replies that are of general benefit will be published in this Department. 
Problems in Home Furnishing 
By Alice M. Kellogg 
Author of ‘‘Home Furnishing: Practical and Artistic ” 
UTILIZING WICKER FURNITURE 
‘ME PROBLEM this month belongs 
with the changes that moving day 
brings to the home-maker. In our 
new house we have one less sitting-room, with, 
therefore, some extra pieces of wicker furniture 
to place somewhere. ‘These are stained in a 
light green, as they were formerly used in a 
small parlor. Now with our one large living- 
room furnished with mahogany and_ uphol- 
stered furniture the green willow does not fit. 
Yet we need more chairs in this room. Can 
you help us to utilize these pieces by some sug- 
gestion?’—T. R. F., South Carolina. 
If the willow chairs are of a good pattern 
and well made they will answer very well in 
the new living-room if they are restained or 
painted a dull mahogany, and the cushions on 
the seats re-covered to go with the general tone 
of the room. ‘This point is generally deter- 
mined by the wall covering, as the furniture 
shows against it, but the color of the floor coy- 
ering, is also important. If the walls are of 
buff color, the covering for the chairs could be 
a golden brown velvet, with the frames stained 
mahogany red. If the rug or carpet shows 
much green, then the covering could be in 
green or a green and gold. “The wicker fur- 
niture need not be abandoned, as it is capable 
of a good many adaptations to its environment. 
A LONG NARROW PARLOR 
“C..N.,” of Philadelphia, asks about the fur- 
nishing of a long, narrow parlor. ‘Our larg- 
est room is very narrow in proportion to the 
width-—the typical city parlor with two win- 
dows at the front, a wide opening into the hall, 
and another wide opening into the back room, 
which we shall use as a dining-room instead of 
the basement. But how to make this room 
that is too light in the front and too dark at 
the back an agreeable sitting-place is puzzling. 
I would buy new rugs and furniture if I knew 
how to arrange them attractively.” 
As most city parlors are too dark, the gen- 
eral principle to begin on with this room is to 
use a light wall-paper, either buff or deep 
ivory, or a newer tone called champagne. As 
one large rug may accentuate the long, narrow 
lines of the floor, three rugs may be used, one 
for the middle of the room, and one for each 
end. ‘The sizes of these rugs should suit the 
arrangement of the furniture, so that any break 
in the floor will not interfere with the legs of 
sofas or chairs. As the fireplace is probably 
opposite the hall entrance it will not be very 
adaptable for fireside enjoyment, but its ap- 
pearance should be carefully studied so that 
each detail of its appointments will help to 
give character to the room. If there is a gas- 
log there should be a brass fender made of 
pieced work or bars. If there is, instead, a 
basket-grate for burning coal or wood, it 
should be laid ready for lighting, with a spark- 
arrestor at hand. The mantel ornaments will, 
necessarily, be of a formal type, as all personal 
bric-a-brac will be excluded. 
A long sofa with a mahogany frame may be 
placed against the wall in the front part of the 
room, with an armchair and table opposite. 
‘The half-moon table, with a leaf that may be 
placed upright against the wall, is a help in 
furnishing a room of this kind. In the back 
of the parlor a round table may hold a drop 
light, or, if there is no connection for gas or 
electricity, a lamp on a tall standard may be 
used, and a light started in the early evening to 
make this portion of the room cheerful. As 
only general hints may be given at this dis- 
tance, the home-maker will need to watch the 
way in which the family groups itself together 
and follow this natural arrangement with sofas 
and chairs. 
CURTAINS FOR AN OFFICE 
“The solving of house-furnishing problems 
in your magazine has attracted my attention, 
although I am a business man, I am com- 
pelled to attend to certain fittings in my own 
ofice from time to time. Just now my win- 
dows are in need of some kind of curtaining to 
subdue the light yet that will not appear too 
feminine for a man’s place of business. The 
window-shade, when drawn completely down, 
looks gloomy; a lace curtain is obviously too 
fragile. Is there anything on the market that 
is more suitable ?”—D. E. W. 
If the windows in this office are like the 
usual ones in a large business building, they are 
very high and very wide. Under these condi- 
tions, the regular window-shade may be used 
too lighten or darken the upper sash, and a per- 
manent screen made for the lower sash with a 
half curtain. The sockets for the brass rod 
should be fastened to the casing and not-to the 
window itself. The new gauze that resists the 
action of the sun is well adapted for an office 
window, and there is an interesting range of 
colors. “The selection may follow the tone of 
the walls of the room. 
A SUBSTITUTE FOR A DROP LAMP 
A correspondent who has rented a cottage in 
Florida for the fall and early winter months 
writes: “‘We find instead of an electric lamp 
in our living-room that there is only a cord 
with an ordinary bulb at the end. This hangs 
over our center-table and is very unsightly. 
As we shall not keep house when we leave here 
we do not care to purchase an electric lamp if 
there is any way we can fix the bulb to give us 
a proper light for reading and sewing by in the 
evening.” 
A light-weight shade, about twelve inches 
(Continued on page xv) 
Garden Work About the Home 
By Charles Downing Lay 
SMALL SHRUBS FOR A SMALL PLACE 
THINK it is a mistake to plant shrubs 
which will grow very large on a small place. 
Even if the large shrubs are particularly 
beautiful, they soon make the place look over- 
crowded and themselves cramped. My advice 
to E. J. S., who has a lot 50x100 feet, is to use 
only small shrubs, leaving the large things for 
his neighbors who may have more land. 
The smaller broad-leaved evergreens are the 
best shrubs that can be used, and now, un- 
fortunately, they are the most expensive that 
one can buy. 
The most notable of this group are Rhodo- 
dedron punctatum, R. hirsutum, R. ferru- 
gineum, R. Wailsonianum, R. myrtifolum, 
Azalea amoena, Pieris floribunda, Leiophyl- 
lum buxifolium., 
Conifers of small size include Juniperus 
communis, J. sinensis, Retinosporas in variety, 
Pinus mugho and P. cembra and several yews. 
Of the small deciduous shrubs there is a 
considerable variety, many of them not well 
known. Such are Hypericum aureum, H. 
Moserianum, H. densiflorum, all semi-ever- 
green shrubs about three feet high with yellow 
flowers in midsummer. 
The blue Spiraea, Caryopteris mastacanthus 
grows higher but can easily be cut back. It 
has pure blue flowers late in the year and very 
bluish-green leaves. It is a very good thing 
which is not often seen. 
Ceanothus Americanus is a low shrub with 
good foliage and button-like flowers in May. 
It is common along the roadside, but is seldom 
planted in suburban places. 
Spiraea Thunbergi, Thunberg’s Spiraea, is 
well known and desirable. It often grows 
four or five feet high when neglected, but is 
then very straggly. It should be kept under 
three feet. 
Xanthorrhiza apiifolia, yellow root, is a 
native with the most beautiful foliage which 
turns clear yellow in the autumn. It is al- 
ways under two feet high and spreads rapidly 
by underground stems, forming large clumps. 
Dirca palustris, leather wood, with light- 
green foliage, inconspicuous flowers and sym- 
metrical shape, branches like a tree and is good 
even in winter when the leaves are gone. 
Stephanandra flexuosa has feathery foliage 
in great profusion and small white flowers. 
Symphoricarpus racemosus, Indian currant, 
an unappreciated shrub with foliage perfect in 
color and red berries persisting after the leaves. 
It will grow in dense shade. 
Hibiscus moscheutos, the marshmallow and 
peonies, both herbaceous and tree, would 
count as shrubs in such a scheme if used in 
moderation. 
Azaleas, especially the Ghent and Mollis- 
