vi AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
August, I91I 
Johnson’s Wood Dye 
Endorsed by Architects-—Contractors — 
Painters — and Home Owners Everywhere 
| ey S Wood Dye is not an ordinary stain—but a permanent Wood Finish 
of great beauty and durability for all interior trim and furniture of every character. 
Johnson’s Dye is now extensively used by leading architects and contractors every- 
where for finishing Red Gum—Cypress—and other soft woods as well as the most ex- 
pensive hard woods. It gives the wood a lasting, beautiful finish without raising the 
grain—and when used in connection with Johnson’s Prepared Wax it produces the 
beautiful, dull, artistic finish now so popular. 
Instruction and Specification Book FREE 
Let us furnish you a copy of the latest edition of our beautiful and profusely 
illustrated book on Wood Finishing, together with asample of any shade of dye desired. 
Johnson’s Wood Dye is made in 15 standard shades as listed below, and with it you 
can obtain any desired effect with the most inexpensive woods, 
No. 126 Light Oak No. 131 Brown Weathered Oak 
No. 123 Dark Oak No. 132 Green Weathered Oak 
No. 125 Mission Oak No. 121 Moss Green 
No. 140 Early English No. 122 Forest Green 
No. 110 Bog Oak No. 172 Flemish Oak 
No. 128 Light Mahogany No. 178 Brown 
No. 129 Dark Mahogany Flemish Oak 
No. 180 Weathered Oak No. 120 Fumed Oak 
Talf Gallons—$1.50 each 
Don’t you want this Book—Free—and 
samples of the Dye and Wax? Ask your 
local dealer for them. We have supplied him 
for your use but if he does not furnish you with 
them drop us a postal and we will see that the samples 
and book reach you at once. Ask for Booklet A.H.-8. 
To Sirchitects: yocisnoy inv or interior 
trim will be furnished to you upon request, finished with our Dye 
and Wax. These give the exact effects obtainable by their use. 
S. C. Johnson & Son 
The Wood Finishing Authorities 
Racine, Wis. 
The Scientific American Boy 
By A. RUSSELL BOND 
12mo. :: Three Hundred and Twenty Pages :: 
Three Hundred and Forty Illustrations :: Price, $2.00, Postpaid 
STORY OF OUTDOOR BOY LIFE, suggesting a large number of 
A diversas which, aside from affording entertainment, will stimulate 1 in 
boys the creative spirit. q Complete practical instructions are given 
for building the various articles. The book contains a large number of mis- 
cellaneous devices, such as Scows, Canoes, Windmills, Water Wheels, Etc. 
*WILLOWCRAFT’”’ 
is different from any other willow furniture. There is no ‘‘just as good 
as.’’ The lines are original, cleverly artistic; the material and work- 
manship insure a life time of service and comfort. ‘‘Willowcraft’’ is 
imitated but never equalled. Look for the ‘‘Willowcraft’’ stamp under 
each piece of the genuine. 
If your dealer doesn't carry the genuine, send for names of ‘‘Willow- 
craft’’ dealers, illustrated catalogue and price list. 
THE WILLOWCRAFT SHOPS 
North Cambridge, Mass. 
AN ELECTRICALLY-HEATED 
STEAM BOILER 
STEAM generator is made by a New 
York firm for use on trains running 
over sections of line in which electric 
locomotives are used. The generator con- 
sists of a cylindrical boiler arranged with 
its axis vertical and having tubes extend- 
ing between tube plates at the top and bot- 
tom. Into each tube, which is closed at 
the bottom by a screw plug, there is slipped 
an electric heating element. This com- 
prises a number of steatite tubes threaded 
on a metal rod with special stellate porcelain 
insulators of larger diameter between them. 
These porcelain insulators fit into a thin 
brass tube and serve to keep the resistance 
wire, which is wound on the steatite tubes, 
out of contact with the brass tube. Fine 
siliceous sand is used to fill up the space 
between the resistance wire and the interior 
of the brass tube. All the elements are con- 
nected in parallel to bus-bars through fuses 
which blow when the current rises to 60 
per cent. above normal. A boiler 3 feet 
10 inches in diameter and 4 feet 6 inches 
long (between tube plates), with 148 2-inch 
diameter tubes, has a maximum evapora- 
ting capacity of 850 pounds of steam per 
hour at 110 pounds per square inch, with 
current at 666 volts. It gave an efficiency 
of 91.9 per cent. at 653 volts and 470 am- 
peres in a New York Central locomotive. 
THE ATMOSPHERE OF CITIES 
HE German scientists are studying the 
atmospheric conditions of their 
cities. The fact that sunshine 
lessens as population becomes more dense, 
and especially when the activity of indus- 
trial centers expands superficially and in- 
creases in intensity, has long been noted. 
An increasing tendency to fog has also been 
observed, and both are effects of the imper- 
fect and incomplete combustion of coal. 
Modern industry pays toll for this in the 
injury of delicate fabrics, the general de- 
preciation in the value of many articles of 
trade and household use, and the increased 
cost of cleansing. Since the battle is waged 
with growing energy against tuberculosis, 
physicians and students of social science 
feel that the problem of purer air for the 
dwellers in cities has become one of the 
first importance. 
Statistics have been collected for some 
time past. They demonstrate that little 
sunshine falls to the lot of the residents of 
industrial cities even when the sun is ob- 
scured by smoke particles. In no German 
city has the loss of sunshine, due to fogs, 
equaled that of London, where the foggy 
days during the three months of December, 
January and February increased from 18 
to 31 during the last half of the last century. 
INCREASING USE OF AUTOMOBILES 
BY FARMERS 
CCORDING to the Bureau of Sta- 
tistics at Washington, a careful com- 
pilation of all available returns has 
shown that last year the farmers of this 
country purchased 26,000 automobiles—an 
increase of 85 per cent. over the previous 
year and more than 400 per cent. over the 
number of cars purchased by them in 1909. 
The farmers of the South and West espe- 
cially have come to realize that the mod- 
ern auto cars save both time and money 
for them, besides being put to use in vari- 
ous ways upon the farm. It is no longer 
a luxury, but a necessity, and consequently 
all who can possibly afford it are investing 
in machines, 
