homes and gardens 
April, 1914 
ILSON’S 
tside\^netians' 
For Windows and 
Piazzas 
IDEAL Combinalion of Blind 
and Awning for town and 
- country houses. More ar- 
i [i tis'ic and durable thari un- 
■ — ~ fabric awnings. 
Very easily operated ; slats 
open and close to adn^iil 
air, yet exclude sun ra)s: 
can be pulled up out of 
sight if desired. Add 
A unique architectural dis- 
tinction to a house. 
/■<»- iHu'-ttalfdhiioklfl iPf n I 
f 'riif/iitn S" 
Jas. G. Wilson Mfg. Co. 
5 Weit 29lh St.. New York 
Potcnlce and Manufacturet of 
Intide and OuUide Venetiant, 
Porch, Piniza and Veranda 
y Venetian*. Holling Steel Shutter*. 
Burglar and Fireproof Steel Cur- 
5“toin*. Hygienic Wardrobes, Wood 
Blocic Floor*. 
CYCLONE SANITARY FENCE 
makes n iiernianent improvenieiU that 
leml.s loneal.samlary condiUoiis. Bmit 
cliflcrcut from any other — heavy, 
cloBcly-wovirn fabric that's weather proof 
Cyclooe Victor Farm Gale is sturdy, .simple, and durable 
' Easily.<iuickly ami firmly. set 
at any position desired, at either end. Locks itself; slock 
can’t open it. Frame of heavy, hiKh-cnrboii tubular sled, 
fabric larue wire made rustproof; heavy jiialleable iron 
filtines. UncQualled iti other respects. 
All Cyclone Goode arc Guaranteed to the Limit. 
G< i our Free Illustrated Catalog eiving many designs. 
CYCLONE FENCE CO. 
Dept. 103 
WaakegaD. 111. 
Dreer^s Dahlias 
AA/E grew mtire than 5U acres last 
year. Over 8U0 varieties, includ- 
ing the cream of the world’s novelties 
as well as the best of the old favorites. 
As cut flowers for decorating or sending 
to friends, nothing equals Dahlias in the late 
summer and fall. You can cut them by 
the armful every day from even a small bed. 
The newer types are a revelation to most 
people. 
Dreer’s Special Dahlia Catalogue 
is .-ihsoUitely necessary to all wlio wish to keep 
down-tn-date nn the Daldin interest which is 
sweeping over the country. 
Mu 'tleJ free-, please meution this pnhiieation 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 chestnut street, Philadelphia 
Colierette 
Dahlia 
Concrete Pottery and Garden Furniture 
By Ralph C. Davison 
'HIS book describes in detail in a most practical manner 
_ the various methods of casting concrete for ornamental 
and useful purposes. It tells how to make all kinds of con- 
crete vases, ornamental flower pots, concrete pedestals, con- 
crete benches, concrete fences, etc. Full practical instruc- 
tions are given for constructing and finishing the different 
kinds of molds, making the wire forms or frames, selecting 
and mixing the ingredients, covering the wire frames, model- 
ing the cement mortar into form, and casting and finishing 
the various objects. Directions for inlaying, waterproofing and 
reinforcing cement are also included The information on 
color work alone is worth many times the cost of the book. 
With the information given in this book, any handy man or 
novice can make many useful and ornamental objects of 
cement for the adornment of the home or garden. The author has taken for 
granted that the reader knows nothing wha*^ever about the subject and has ex- 
plained each progressive step in the various operations throughout in detail. 
16 mo. (5)4 X 7K inche*) 196 Paget. 140 IlluttraUont. 
Price $1.50, postpaid 
MUNN & COMPANY, Inc,, Publishers 
361 Broadway 
New York 
1ms included in the specifications of battle- 
ships being built two talking 
each ship, it may be seen that the types of 
cabinets used must necessarily not only in 
elude the popular mahogany case with 
carved detail, the one of ornamental Moor- 
ish marquetry. Circassian walinil and n.iU. 
together with the gilded and highly deco- 
rative \ ernis Martin case suitable for the 
elaborately appointed music room, such as 
in the White House, but can be found m 
tlie case with lines of greater seventy tor 
more formidable surroundings. 
THE ANCESTOR OF "SKY- 
SCRAPERS" 
A WRITER in ''L' Illustration points out 
that the “skyscraper" is not American 
in origin and the the first one was planned 
over three centuries ago in a small town of 
the Duchy of Savoy. Tn IfiOI . Jacques Fer- 
ret, an architect living in Lhambery. de- 
signed a building that, although it was never 
erected, may properly claim to be the an- 
cestor of the modern skyscraper. What a 
visionary dreamer must have been the archi- 
tect who three hundred years ago planned 
an eleven-story building 361 feet in height 
—almost half as tall as the Woolworth 
Building in New York! According to Fer- 
ret’s measurements, the building was to 
have been 166 feet long and 140 feet broad. 
And the walls were to have been over 
twelve feet thick! But in 1601 the methods 
of building construction were by no means 
so modem as Ferret's plans; twelve-foot 
walls were none too thick to support eleven 
stories. Here again, however, the ingenuity 
of the archil ?ct showed itself, for he found 
a wav III ir.dang use of the walls without 
weakening .. eir strength. “Tn the thick- 
ness of the walls," he wrote, “are little stair- 
ways. cabinets and cupboards, from the bot- 
toin floor to the to]i floor; thus there is no 
sjiace wasted." Evidently the building was 
designed for a dwelling — perhaps an apart- 
ment house; for in describing his project. 
Ferret wrote, “This great and excellent edi- 
fice can accommodate comfortably five hun- 
dred people.” Considering the date of the 
design, the project of Jacques Ferret was in 
many ways a remarkably prophetic vision 
In ornateness of detail and in fanciful ex- 
aggeration the building suggests the six- 
teenth century, but in its general lines it 
represents a much later period in architec- 
ture. Like the most modern skyscrapers of 
New York, it has a tower above the main 
building. And when he designed the ter- 
raced roof, did Jacques Ferret dream of a 
roof-garden? 
FRENCH ARTIFICIAL WOOD 
T he United States Daily Consular and 
Trade Reports publishes information 
from Mr. Carl Bailey Hurst, Lyons, con- 
cerning the invention in France of an arti- 
ficial wood, which, it is stated, will be of 
great value as a substitute for natural wood. 
The new product has been found after 
years of study and practical experiments, 
the most recent of which have given emi- 
nently satisfactory results. The process 
consists in transforming straw into a solid 
material having the resistance of oak. The 
straw after being cut into small pieces is 
reduced to a paste by boiling, to wliich cer- 
tain chemicals are added. When the paste 
has been reduced to a homogeneous mass it 
is put into presses, and planks, beams, laths, 
and moldings of all sizes are readily made. 
This new material can be sawed like natural 
wood. As a fuel it emits a bright flame and 
little smoke. It is further stated to be 
adaptable to the manufacture of match 
stems. 
