XII 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



January, 1908 



F^ 



' 





This is where we manufacture our Monarch Porcelain Ware 

 Trenton, New Jersey 



Uniformity gf Design 



Architects DO appreciate the fact that by specifying 

 Wolff Plumbing Material exclusively they are 

 protecting their clients from the annoying con- 

 fusion of design and mechanical standards that 

 is sure to creep into even the most carefully 

 selected line of "assembled" plumbing equipment. 



L. WOLFF 



MANUFACTURING 

 COMPANY 



Established 1855 



Manufacturers of PLUMBING GOODS EXCLUSIVELY 



The Only Complete Line Made by Any One Firm 



Showrooms: 91 Dearborn St. 

 Denver CHICAGO Trenton 



Paint 



That Wears 



is Paint Based on 



Oxide of Zinc 



THE NEW JERSEY ZINC CO. 



?\ Broadway, New York 



We do not grind zir.c in oil. A list of manufacturers of zinc paints sent on application. 



WINDOW-GARDEN WORK 



By Eben E. Rexford 



THE beginning of winter is apt to show 

 increasing activity in the window-gar- 

 den. Plants potted from the outdoor 

 garden in fall should have fully adjusted 

 themselves to the "new order of things'' by 

 this time, and begin to make vigorous growth. 

 If they have not already done so, the proba- 

 bilities are that something is radically wrong 

 with them, and that, whatever the trouble 

 is, it is something not likely to be overcome 

 in time to make the lagging plants valuable 

 for winter use. If a plant is not in shape to 

 begin its winter's work now, do not waste 

 further time and labor on it, but put it aside 

 and concentrate attention on such as show a 

 disposition to do what is expected of them. 



Do not attempt to make healthy plants out 

 of sickly ones by feeding rich food to them. 

 This makes a bad matter worse, for they 

 are not in a condition to digest or assimilate 

 rich food. Fertilizers are for the benefit 

 of plants which are doing active work. 

 Plants at a stand-still need none. 



"A good fertilizer is any kind of plant-food 

 that contains the essential elements of plant- 

 development. Liquid manures, obtained by 

 soaking the nutriment from barnyard matter, 

 bone meal, and the various combinations in 

 which phosphoric acid, potash, and other 

 elements of plant-growth are united ac- 

 cording to the formulas of scientific men, 

 are all good. Bone meal appears to be 

 the basis of most flower-foods on the market. 

 Most plants flourish under its application. 

 Liquid manure, from barnyard soil, is an ideal 

 fertilizer for nearly all plants, but it is not 

 generally available. In order to test the 

 value of any preparation advertised as a fer- 

 tilizer for plants in the window-garden, ex- 

 periment carefully with it, before applying it 

 generally. Try it on a few plants, and watch 

 its effect. Keep note of the quantity used, and 

 the frequency of application, and thus secure 

 data to guide you in its future use. 



The red spider does more damage in the 

 window-garden in the winter than all other 

 insects combined. This, to a large extent, be- 

 cause it is so apparently insignificant that we 

 fail to see how it can accomplish much. But 

 those who think it incapable of doing great 

 harm, because of its size, underrate its ability 

 to do deadly work. Let alone, it will ruin 

 our strongest plants in a short time. Very 

 often its presence is not suspected. But if our 

 plants show yellowing leaves, and take on 

 a sickly appearance generally, it is well to 

 make a thorough examination of them, with 

 a view to determining the cause of the trouble. 

 Take some of the yellow leaves to a strong 

 light, and examine the underside of them 

 with the aid of a magnifying glass. The 

 chances are that you will discover hundreds 

 of tiny creatures, wrapped about with webs 

 hardly visible to the naked eye, and these 

 creatures, looking in their magnified pro- 

 portions like nothing else so much as grains 

 of cayenne pepper, are the insects you have 

 good reason to stand in fear of, if nothing is 

 done to interfere with them. We frequently 

 see tobacco-water and other applications of 

 a similar character advised in fighting this 

 pest, but all the value there is in these prepara- 

 tions, as a remedy for the red-spider, is in the 

 water they contain. Moisture, applied directly 

 to the plant, therefore to the spider, or in the 

 atmosphere, is the only way by which he can 

 be got rid of, or kept in check. Clear water 

 is quite as efficacious as any infusion of drugs. 

 If your plants are badly infested, use this 

 treatment: Heat a tubful of water to 120 

 degrees Fahrenheit, testing it by a reliable 

 thermometer. Immerse the plants in this 



