SUGGESTIONS FOR THE MONTH 
Garden 
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It would seem that after having carefully attended 
to the making of repairs and put the house in winter 
order the householder might have a short holiday in 
the month of November. But the experienced are 
aware that the house is a responsibility which never 
lapses and that the housekeeper’s task is never done. 
Perhaps if it were it would lose its interest, and cer¬ 
tainly the stamp of finality would detract from the 
charm of the home. 
In November come the first bleak, wintry days 
when the curtains can be drawn and the crackling 
blaze found truly welcome. Then it is that the 
storm doors and windows must be put up, if they 
have not been already, the wooden guard rails and 
treads placed on outside stone steps, and weather¬ 
strips renewed or readjusted. These things go far 
toward making a house livable in mid-winter, and 
incidentally toward materially lessening the fuel bill. 
It is well also to hunt out the cracks around the 
windows and see that they are filled before the cold 
winds discover them. A drafty floor is a menace to 
health as well as discomforting and can easily be 
prevented by a little care. 
Likewise advisable will it be found to see that the 
little balconies where snow may lie are properly 
protected—to guard against its falling as an ava¬ 
lanche, or dripping in melting, upon the front steps, 
and to make sure that the gutters and down spouts 
have not refilled with dried leaves and rubbish. 
The short days and long evenings come in No¬ 
vember, so it is best at this time to consider the ques¬ 
tion of artificial light—to observe whether the gas 
fixtures, electroliers and lamps are not only in good 
working order but properly placed and pleasantly 
shaded. The illumination of a room by artificial 
light is an art and one too little regarded. The 
entire pleasure of an evening indoors can be marred 
by a misplaced lamp or blazing chandelier. Nothing 
could be more barbarous than the custom which once 
prevailed of swathing the lights in silks and laces and 
yet it is true that almost all illuminating flames should 
he shielded. A formal apartment should, of course, 
be brilliantly illuminated with lights either in the 
ceiling or high on the walls, hut in a living-room they 
should be low and pleasantly in evidence. There 
is nothing better to read by or more conducive to 
family comfort than a good lamp on a center table. 
And let the color of the light be thoughtfully de¬ 
termined—let the shade or shades complement the 
(Continued on page 9, Advertising Section.) 
Don’t neglect to mulch shrubs, rose and border 
plants. Do this before the ground freezes. If not 
well mulched many of the most hardy plants will, in 
the spring, show the effects of the alternate freezing 
and thawing. The bad effects will be very apparent 
on plants where the roots are near the surface. 
In planting bulbs late in the fall, pack the soil well 
after planting and then mulch the bed heavily with 
stable litter. This will prevent the frost from injur¬ 
ing the bulbs, will give them a chance to root well, 
and, at the same time, retard the growth in spring 
until danger from frost is past. 
Get in a liberal supply of potting soil for winter 
use. Nearly all winter plants will need repotting 
before spring, and this should be attended to, like 
all other requirements of plants, at the time when 
needed; to neglect it at that time is to injure the plant. 
The lawn has now practically served its usefulness 
for the year. It is to have an enforced rest during 
the winter months and it needs assistance if it is 
expected to show up in good condition when the frost 
is out of the ground. What it needs is a good mulch¬ 
ing of well-decomposed stable manure. Make a 
liberal application and have the compost so finely 
cut that it will not be unsightly. The finer the ma¬ 
nure, the more readily it will be carried by the rains 
to the roots of the grass for early spring nourishment. 
Look carefully over the windows at which it is 
proposed to keep flowers. If there are cracks be¬ 
tween the sash and frame, they should be closed. 
Cloth, after the manner of “calking,” can be used 
for this purpose; thin strips of molding can be fitted 
to cover the crevices. If the glass is loose in the 
sash, see that it is re-puttied. 
In latitude north of Baltimore it might be well to 
resort to the use of a storm sash fitted closely to the 
outside of the window frame. Where the storm sash 
is used, the plants may be placed, and permitted to 
remain, in close proximity to the inside glass without 
injury provided the inside temperature does not 
fall below the freezing point. Where a storm sash 
is not used, the plants should be removed from the 
glass in cold weather; all leaves that touch the 
glass will be frozen. The initial cost of a sash is not 
much and, by careful storing during the summer 
months, will last for many years. Its use will be 
found satisfactory and economical in the end. 
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