September, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



XI 



if you could tell me what to put in their 

 place." 



A more dainty looking curtain for the par- 

 lor can be made of white filet lace, which costs 

 ninety cents a yard in the wide width. This 

 may be edged with linen lace and hung only 

 below the sill, with white cotton loops to hold 

 it back at the sides. At greater expense a 

 white grenadine curtain may be bought by 

 the pair; or, the filet lace may be had in the 

 regular curtains at ten dollars a pair in the 

 wide width, and five dollars in the twenty- 

 eight inch 'width. The distinguishing feature 

 of this lace is the square mesh, which is now 

 more in demand than the old-fashioned round, 

 or bobbinet. 



THE USEFUL TRAY 



M. E., of Delaware, has a unique problem 

 in her first home fitting. She writes : "Among 

 my wedding presents was a check for fifty 

 dollars with a letter saying this was to provide 

 me with trays when I set up housekeeping. 

 I did not appreciate this gift at the time, but 

 now that I am keeping house I want to expend 

 the money to the best advantage. I would 

 like to have some idea of the cost of the trays 

 that I shall need, and whether to buy silver 

 or the plated article." 



The number and kinds of trays that are 

 used in equipping an up-to-date house depend 

 upon the manner of living and the income 

 which keeps the establishment in running 

 order. Sterling silver is an unnecessary luxury 

 for articles of this kind. A first-class plated 

 ware will last, even with hard usage, for a 

 number of years. Of course, the entire wed- 

 ding present may be expended in buying one 

 silver tea tray, but it would seem to be more 

 sensible to distribute the amount over the 

 several trays that are required for real use. 

 In the following list a choice could be made 

 of the ones that suit this especial home: 

 Silver-plated serving tray, 12 inches in 



diameter $12.00 



Silver-plated crumb tray and scraper. 8.00 

 Silver-plated tray for visitors' cards, 6 



inches 5.00 



Mahogany tray for serving tea, oblong, 



with brass handles 20.00 



Breakfast tray in Japanese lacquer (ob- 

 long), bedroom tray in same ma- 

 terial for drinking water (round), 

 china tray for brush, comb and hair- 

 pins for the dressing table and a 

 smokers' tray in copper or brass. . . . 5.00 



$50.00 

 FLOOR COVERING FOR A LIBRARY 



C. A. L. in a letter of inquiry writes: "I re- 

 member reading in one of the spring num- 

 bers of your magazine about some kind of an 

 Indian rug. Would this be a good selection 

 for my library? The room is fifteen feet wide 

 and eighteen feet long, with a large recessed 

 window. I must consider also a small rug 

 for this space. If you should advise this kind 

 of rug kindly give the price and also some sug- 

 gestion for the walls, which are still in the 

 hard white plaster." 



The India drugget mentioned in this de- 

 partment in March is an eastern production 

 that has not been over-used as yet in this 

 country, and is therefore not common. The 

 ground work is the natural color of the hemp, 

 with the pattern worked in with mahogany- 

 red, yellow and black. Both sides are alike. 

 The correct size for the library would cost 

 seventy-eight dollars, and a small size for the 

 recess about eight dollars. The ground color 

 of the rug could be repeated on the walls, 

 preferably with buckram at fifty cents a square 

 yard. Crash, burlap or fiber paper, however, 

 could be substituted. Tapestry in foliage pat- 

 terns and colors could be introduced on the 

 furniture coverings. 



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