October, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GA 



R D E N S 



XIX 



Do You Want the Best? 



nov*1oYir1 Stoves and Ranges 

 \3CII iCiiiU Gas Ranges and Heaters 



THE WORLD'S BEST 



35 Years the Standard 



Sold by all First-Class Dealers Everywhere. 

 Ranges furnished with the Garland Oven Heat Indicator. Booklets free by mail. 



THE MICHIGAN STOVE COMPANY, 

 Detroit, Mich. ^'"'O'-''' ^"IZtli? m'rlfl ^"""''^ Chicago.Ill. 



mm MANTELS 



are the graceful, artistic and high-grade product of a house, expert in its 

 line, using perfected, up-to-date machinery, located in the hardwood belt 

 and favored by excellent labor conditions. 



IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUILD 



don't you think it is worth while to investigate our claim that KING 

 MANTELS are the best high-grade dependable mantels for the money 

 in the country? FREE: our C4-page proof book called "Evidence." 

 Shows 37 leaders in KING MANTELS and tells what others say. 



A handsome 72-page (12x14 in.) catalogue sent for 12c. to help pay 

 postage (which costs us SOc. to deliver) including our book "Colonial 

 Beauties." If you write, state number of mantels required. 



Do it now I 



KINO MANTEL CO., 519-521 West Jackson Ave., Knoxville, Tenn. 



PLANT BULBS NOW 



ROMAN HYACINTHS Cf 



For house culture nothing is more graceful, sweet, or can he 

 more successfully grown than the white Roman Hyacinths. These 

 bulbs planted now will be in flower before Christmas. 



Price, Dozen. $1. 100, $6 50. Extra Large Size Bulbs. 

 At these prices we cannot prepay cbarjes. excfpt where the name of ihe magazine 

 Is mentioned. 



Send for Rawson's 1907 Bulb Hand Book Free. 



W. W. RAWSON & CO., 5 UNION ST., BOSTON, MASS. 



Specialists of Highest Grade Seeds. Bulbs and Plants. 



DO YOU WANT A HOME LIKE THIS? 



or one equally pleasing. Then buy My Books or write me 

 about special plans. My designs are all artistic, but home, 

 like and comfortable, my plans complete, and estimates 

 careful and honest. Individual Designings A Specialty. 



PICTURESQUE SUBURBAN HOUSES (New 1907). 

 Price by mail, $2.00. New, artistic and original designs 

 for Cement, Stone and Frame houses. Colonial, Spanish 

 and English styles, from $3,000 to $10,000. Estimates and 

 full descriptions. The Best Book of its kind published. 

 NEW PICTURESQUE COTTAGES. Price by niail,$l .00. 

 Containing original and beautiful designs for Suburban Homes, from $2,800 to $6,000. , . , 



BOOK OF BUNGALOWS, (9(»6. Price by mail, $2.00. A unique and artistic book, containing designs for one 

 and one-and-a-half story Bungalows in various styles. $1,000 up. Printed in Sepia tones. 



PICTURESQUE SUMMER COTTAGES. Vol. III. Price by mail, $1.00. New and Revised 1906 Edition. Old favor- 

 ites and new designs for Stone, Shingle and Rustic Summer Cottages. 



E. E. HOLMAN, Room 14, 1020 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



BURLINGTON BLINDS 



SCREENS 



AND 



SCREEN 

 DOORS 



q Equal 500 miles 

 nortkward. Perfect 

 privacy witk doors 

 and windows open. 

 Darkness and breezes 

 in sleeping rooms. 



WRITE FOR OUR CATALOGUE, PRICE-LIST AND PROPOSITION TO YOU 

 BURLINGTON VENETIAN BLIND CO., 975 Lake St., Burlington, Vermont 



without windows opening on all sides so the 

 air can circulate through. Small, low win- 

 dows in a cellar are an abomination. The 

 higher up they can be placed to admit air and 

 sunlight the better will the effect be upon the 

 health of the family. The windows in par- 

 ticular should open on the south and east sides 

 to get the full benefit of the sunlight. A cel- 

 lar with the sunlight streaming half across it 

 in the morning or midday must possess great 

 advantages over another which has no such 

 admission of sunlight. 



The emphasis placed on the Importance of 

 securing perfectly dry cellars and living- 

 rooms Is not overdone, for half the ills from 

 which we suffer are probably directly or In- 

 directly due to the unsanitary condition of the 

 lower part of the house. Rheumatism, fevers 

 and general debility frequently owe their 

 origin to the dampness of our living quarters. 

 But next to this is the condition of the plumb- 

 ing. Here, too, there Is a common tendency 

 to sacrifice health for appearances. A fancy, 

 showy system of plumbing, including nickel- 

 plated piping and faucets, handsome bowls and 

 basins, and all the little e.xtras which go with 

 It, gives no assurance of immunity from sewer 

 gas and leakages. A poorly Installed system 

 of plumbing may give endless trouble and ex- 

 pense, and improper placing of traps and joints 

 may make a pest-house out of a "house beau- 

 tiful." To many the idea of "open plumbing" 

 means perfectly sanitary plumbing. Nothing 

 could be further from the truth. The only 

 advantage of open plumbing Is that any 

 danger point Is exposed to view, and it can 

 thus be immediately corrected. A leak can not 

 go on Indefinitely without attracting attention. 

 The first essential is, therefore, a properly de- 

 signed system installed with true regard to 

 sanitary safeguards. The arrangements of 

 traps, bowls and connections should be made 

 so that the flow is all toward the outlet con- 

 nected with the sewer pipe. Each trap should 

 be sufficiently deep to make the Inflow of gas 

 absolutely impossible. A diagram of the 

 plumbing system should be submitted to the 

 owner before the contract is signed, and then 

 a little study of It will convince even an ama- 

 teur of the value of a perfect Installation. In 

 addition to this, both the water and smoke 

 test should be insisted upon before acceprance 

 of the work. The water test is generally made 

 before the bowls are put in position, and is 

 intended to test joints. When all the fix- 

 tures are put in position the smoke test should 

 be applied to see If any leaks are apparent In 

 any part of the house. In wiping joints often 

 slight pinhole leaks are left, and these can 

 only be discovered by the smoke test. The 

 best plumbers will apply these two tests for 

 their own satisfaction, but It is well to see 

 that they are attended to. If necessary, a pro- 

 vision to this effect should be Inserted in the 

 contract. 



The heating and ventilation of the modern 

 house are special matters of the utmost Im- 

 portance. With the introduction of steam 

 and hot water heating there has disap- 

 peared the old-fashioned open grate In many 

 houses. The abolishment of the latter has In- 

 creased the difficulty of perfect ventilation. 

 The vitiated air of our living-rooms formerly 

 had a good outlet up the open grates to the 

 chimneys, and all that was necessary to keep 

 the atmosphere In good condition was to admit 

 fresh outside air by door or window. Now we 

 may admit pure outside air, but unless we 

 provide an outlet for the impure air we do 

 not get good ventilation. There must be 

 some method of escape for the air which we 

 have breathed. An open transom over a win- 

 dow may do this, but many have permanent 

 ventilators installed above the windows In each 

 room. These ventilators are made incon- 

 spicuous and form a part of the wall decora- 



