AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



February, 1908 



FLOORS 



RESIDENCE OF MR. J. GRANT FORBES, DOVER, MASS. 



Mr. James Purdon, Architect, Boston 

 DeLancey A. Cameron, Builder, New York 



THE above is an illustration of the work being done on the NEW 

 house, the house that has come to stay, the house that will not get 

 old, will stand for ages but will not age. 



In this operation the walls and partitions are built with concrete blocks, 

 and capped over the entire area with reinforced concrete floors and roof 

 supported on the concrete walls and partitions. 



This house is fireproof, weatherproof, vermin proof. 



Clinton Wire Cloth Company 



CLINTON, MASS. 



Ceilings 



FIRE PROOFING DEPARTMENT 



ALBERT OLIVER 



1 MADISON AVE., NEW YORK 



WASHINGTON! ROSSLYN SUPPLY CO. 



SYRACUSE, N. Y.: PARAGON PIASTER CO. 



ST. LOU IS : HONKINS- WILLIS LIME & CEMENT CO., SOUTH END 18TH ST. BRIDGE 



SAN FRANCISO: L. A. NORRIS, 835 MONAONOCK BUILDING 



Seattle: l. a. norris, eoe alaska building 



Parti- 

 I ] tions 



HOW ARE THE BEAMS 



HELD 



WHERE THEY ABUT 

 THEIR SUPPORTS? 



Are they Cut Away by 

 Framing ? 



Do You Depend Merely 

 on Spiking? 



The Best Way is to Use 

 Our Joist Hangers. 



LANE BROS. CO. \ Jn&i^ictuTefsj 



434-466 PROSPECT ST. 

 POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. 



make money as a secondary point — he will 

 probably do both. Florida is a happy land, 

 and here among the high lands is the most 

 healthy spot in the United States. I have 

 been here four winters and have known of 

 but one death within a range of several miles ; 

 that was of a negro baby. Where the soil 

 is too light we have legumes, such as velvet 

 bean, cow peas, and beggar weed, which, after 

 being cut two or three times for hay, can be 

 plowed under to add nitrogen to the soil and 

 increase the humus. Florida would have been 

 the richest of all States had it not formed the 

 detestable habit of burning over the wild land 

 once a year in order to furnish fresh grass for 

 the cattle that run loose. The bottom of the 

 lakes is from one to three feet in depth with 

 vegetable deposit. This same deposit would 

 have been all over the State had it not been 

 annually burned away. A stock law is, how- 

 ever, in sight, and will soon be enacted. It is 

 as easy matter to finish our southern garden- 

 ing and orange picking in time to get to our 

 northern farm early in April. Of course this 

 does not cover the case of those who choose to 

 go into peach growing, but the oranges will 

 be practically gone to market by the first of 

 April. We can lock our houses and leave 

 them with entire safety. My next neighbor 

 has locked his house for twelve years, and 

 never had any meddling either indoors nor 

 out. Negroes abound, but they are an honest 

 and reasonably intelligent and thrifty set. 

 With all the rest we escape the wear and tear 

 of zero weather. We are as happy as the 

 birds which sing all winter and the bees that 

 make honey in January. We can bathe in 

 the lake on Christmas, and pick our roses 

 every day in the year. 



GARDEN NOTES 



By Eben E. Rexford 



THOUGH spring is still a long way off 

 at the North, it is not too early to be- 

 gin to get ready for it. Do not arrange 

 to plant your vegetables in the same places, 

 the coming season, that they occupied last 

 year. A rotation of crops should always be 

 planned for, if possible. 



If hotbeds are to be made, get the frames 

 and sashes ready while there is plenty of leis- 

 ure to do the work well. Trellises for to- 

 matoes can be made to better advantage now 

 than when the time comes to use them. 



Look over the list of seeds you planted last 

 year and discard such as failed to give satis- 

 faction. There are so many first-class varie- 

 ties of vegetables catalogued by all leading 

 seedsmen that one is not justified in selecting 

 inferior sorts. A comparison of several cata- 

 logues will show that there are certain varie- 

 ties of standard merit upon which all seeds- 

 men unite. These are the kinds it is safest 

 to invest in. One makes a mistake in buying 

 cheap seed. By that is meant the seed offered 

 by irresponsible dealers at often less than 

 half the prices asked by old reliable firms. It 

 pays to patronize the seedsmen who have repu- 

 tations to live up to. 



If you have no bed of asparagus, do not fail 

 to make a planting this coming spring. No 

 family ought to be without a good supply of 

 this most delicious vegetable. It is easily 

 cared for, and gives generous return for a 

 small amount of attention. 



Asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish and other 

 vegetables of a permanent character should be 

 assigned a place in the garden where they will 

 not be interfered with each season. Grass 

 and weeds should be kept down about them, 

 but their roots ought not to be disturbed by 

 plow or harrow. 



If the currant bushes were not pruned last 



