AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



August, 1908 



This is where we manufacture our Monarch Porcelain Ware 

 Trenton, New Jersey 



Uniformity^ 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 



Plant SOBER PARAGON 



Actual Size 



The only 

 Large, Sweet 



CHESTNUT 



PROFITABLE 



The nuts are large in size, being from 3 to 4 inches or more in circumference, 

 and have a sweetness of flavor equal to the native sweet chestnut. 

 r»RM AMFMT A I ^ or ' awn or park its beautiful, dark, rich, waxy green foliage 



VJK1XA1V1E.PI 1 AL makes it a most stately tree. 



The Sober Paragon Chestnut is a hardy, rapid grower, and 

 begins bearing when two years old. 

 Prof. N. S Davis, of Bucknell University, says: 

 "It is one of the most remarkable discoveries of this 

 decade.'* 



To every Sober Paragon Chestnut Tree, when 

 shipped, is attached a metal seal upon which is impressed the words "SOBER PARAGON " as 

 illustrated herewith. 



For full information, testimonials, etc., address 



GLEN BROTHERS, Sole Agents, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



Copyrighted 1908. 



Ik* SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY 



By A. RUSSELL BOND 



J2mo. 320 Pages. 340 Illustrations. Price, $2.00, Postpaid. 



STOKY OF OUTDOOR BOY LIFE, suggesting a large number of diversions which, 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 miscellaneous devices, 

 such as scows, canoes, windmills, water wheels, etc. 



MUNN £r CO. 



Publishers of 

 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN' 



361 Broadway, New York 



PROBLEMS IN HOME FURNISHING 



{Continued from page 334) 



piece that hangs over the front of the case with 

 a stenciled border in a pine cone design. A 

 narrow silk fringe in tan color may finish the 

 edges. Some readymade piano covers may be 

 found in the first-class Oriental shops in the 

 Bulgarian embroidery, but these are quite ex- 

 pensive. 



WHERE TO USE WICKER FURNITURE 



A Minnesota correspondent, J. F. T., asks: 

 "Would the wicker furniture described in the 

 May number of your magazine ('Furniture 

 for the Bungalow,' by Esther Singleton) be 

 appropriate in a house that is lived in all the 

 year round? I already have some mahogany 

 pieces and some Mission furniture. Could I 

 add the willow chairs? I should also like to 

 know which is preferable, the natural color or 

 a stain or paint?" 



The wicker furniture, although popularly 

 associated with summer furnishings, is also 

 suitable for a home that is occupied during 

 the entire year. Its desirable qualities are ( I ) 

 lightness of construction, (2) good shapes, (3) 

 moderate cost. The natural color being prac- 

 ticaly neutral in effect, is the right choice 

 where there are already several colors in the 

 room, but green, mahogany red, gray or yellow 

 will add to the color charm of a room when 

 they are rightly introduced. As to combining 

 the wicker with Mission and mahogany furni- 

 ture, it would be better not to have three 

 varieties. Wicker with Mission styles or with 

 Colonial designs is satisfactory. 



ON THE HANGING OF CURTAINS 



A Southern subscriber, J. E. S., inquires 

 about the correct length for hanging window 

 curtains. "Should they hang only to the sill, 

 or be carried to the floor? Shall I hold them 

 back at the sides or let them fall straight? 

 Shall I fasten them to hooks to slip into rings, 

 or sew them to the rings? Or shall I make a 

 hem to run the rod into at the top? These 

 details may seem trivial to you, but they are 

 of importance to me, as I notice so many dif- 

 ferent ways of putting up curtains, and do not 

 know which is the best, nor why." The dif- 

 ferent methods for hanging curtains that have 

 been noticed by this correspondent have prob- 

 ably been adopted to suit the special condi- 

 tions. In formal rooms it is the custom to 

 hang a curtain to the floor without looping 

 back. This permits the design to be displayed 

 and adds a decorative element to the room. 

 When several windows are grouped together, 

 as in a bay, the long curtains show too great 

 an aggregation of material, and the rule would 

 not be followed. In rooms of ordinary use 

 the short curtain is more practical. This may 

 hang to the sill or as many inches below as the 

 casing extends. 



In city and suburban homes a thin curtain 

 is usually hung straight across the glass as a 

 screen from neighboring windows. Looping 

 back the curtain permits a freer passage of air, 

 a greater degree of light, and also prevents the 

 blowing of the curtain against the casement. 



A muslin or net that is kept looped back 

 against the casement does not require rings, 

 but may be put up by running a thin brass 

 rod through a loose hem at the top of the ma- 

 terial. If it is desirable to move the curtain 

 back and forth, a flat brass ring may be sewed 

 to the hem. Or, if the curtain is to be taken 

 down for frequent airing and dusting, it may 

 be sewed to brass hooks, which are slipped into 

 the eye of the brass ring. These suggestions, 

 it is understood, apply to unlined curtains of 

 thin materials, scrim, net, muslin or madras. 



FURNISHING AN OLD-TIME PARLOR 

 A correspondent from Illinois, W. D. B., 

 writes : "How should the trim in a parlor that 

 resembles the one illustrated in American 



