Rustic pergola and seat make an attractive entrance to the garden 
tunate enough to have a number of trees in his own yard, 
getting material for rustic furniture will be an easy matter. 
A limb cut off here and there from thick-foliaged trees will 
never be missed, and will, most likely, benefit rather than in- 
jure the tree. Brittle wood should be avoided for making 
furniture. Oak wood, with its shaggy curves and knots and 
twists is especially desirable, for with it can be made odd 
and original, as well as the strongest and most durable furni- 
ture. Sycamore, pepper, manzanita, cottonwood, alder, 
evergreen, eucalyptus and many other woods make substan- 
tial seats for the garden or veranda. Placed under a rustic, 
vine-covered pergola they are charming, and when ensconced 
in some secluded corner of the garden, with a quaint little 
palm-thatched roof above them, they are irresistible. A rus- 
tic bench may also be made into a delightful swing for the 
children, by attaching iron chains and hanging it to a rustic 
frame, which may, or may not be roofed or thatched. If 
any thought is given to dainty summer gowns or white flan- 
nel trousers, the seats of benches and chairs should not be of 
rustic, but of milled lumber, either in wide boards or narrow 
slats. Of the two, slats are much more attractive. Care 
should also be taken to see that the backs of the seats are 
smooth and free of splinters and rough places that will tear 
the clothing. 
With rustic wood, some ingenuity and a little dexterity 
with tools, any number of interesting things may be made 
tor the home garden, from chairs, swings, benches, tables, 
stools, flower baskets and bridges, to drinking fountains and 
sun-dials. While crude, and in many respects rough, there 
is a fascinating element about home-made garden and porch 
furniture. It has decided individuality, a quality that can 
not be found in manufactured goods. ‘True, there are many 
beautiful examples to be found of shop-made rustic furni- 
ture, like old hickory, willow, etc., but at first glance you 
can tell that machinery has had a hand in their manufacture, 
and somehow they do not have the same restful message for 
you that one of your own creations would have. 
It has been said that few practical suggestions can be 
given for producing rustic work, but one may be indicated 
with some chance of profit to the amateur, in the woodwork 
seen in the photographs. These will serve as studies of the 
effects produced in rustic structures and furniture. Their 
range shows types so varied and unexpected that one must 
conclude that he need neither despair of designing some- 
thing as good nor fear that he cannot conquer, in a short 
time, all the details of the construction he has in view. 
The engravings encourage one to think that, in the absence 
of much experience and skill in designing and putting parts 
well together, he may get attractive and enduring results 
without much stopping to mechanize or to fret about the 
lay of each particular inch, as must be done in classic car- 
pentry. If, at the end of his crude task, flawlessness is not 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
IQII 
Eucalyptus wood effectively used in building a summer-house 
attained, he may count on the free and plentiful aid of 
friendly leaves, boughs, stones, etc., to patch here and there 
some minor defects, which are somewhat apt to happen. 
Rustic flower basket made 
of eucalyptus wood 
