70 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
Grand Rapids Rirniture Company 
34~36 West 32 n -2 Street 
New York City 
That 
“Occasional” 
Piece of 
Furniture 
T 
.here are few of us who 
cannot recall the delight¬ 
ful impression created by 
some particular room. 
The success of that 
room probably was 
not due entirely to the 
harmony between its 
plenishment and decora¬ 
tion. Rather, its great 
charm was to be found in 
some interesting bit of 
Furniture expressive of 
the owner’s personality 
and in perfect attune with 
its surroundings. 
There are many such 
“occasional” pieces in 
this exhibit of well-chosen 
Furniture for the Living 
Room and Library, Din¬ 
ing Room and Hall, Bou¬ 
doir and Chamber. 
Even our more con¬ 
ventional articles of 
Furniture carry in their 
manner of making the 
strong appeal of individu¬ 
ality. 
| The collection includes 
many specially designed 
pieces and importations not 
elsewhere retailed. 
Half-tone Plates, giving 
I views of interesting interi¬ 
ors, sent gratis and without 
obligation, upon request. 
A Row of House and Garden Books 
{Continued from page 68) 
so learns which species do well and 
which do not. Most of the plants 
are perennials, but there are some 
rather unexpected omissions. 
A valuable feature of the book is 
a large .colored key to planting ef¬ 
fects. This gives the names, heights, 
periods of bloom, color and require¬ 
ments of the perennials described in 
the body of the book, and should be 
of especial interest to all discerning 
gardeners with an eye for effects. 
A love of the beautiful, as ex¬ 
pressed in the purest forms of art 
that past centuries have evolved, a 
passion for collecting antique furni¬ 
ture, silver-plate, and porcelains in 
the periods of their highest develop¬ 
ment, the aesthetic delight born of 
surroundings of mellowed art-objects 
carrying with them the intangible but 
permeating atmosphere of by-gone 
years, the charm of living in their 
constant companionship—these influ¬ 
ences formed the mainspring that 
found expression in the Georgian 
House and its original furnishings, as 
described by Eben Howard Gay in 
“A Chippendale Romance.” {Long¬ 
mans, Green & Co.) The book is is¬ 
sued in a limited edition attractively 
illustrated. Mr. Gay, well-known as 
a discriminating collector and con¬ 
noisseur in old furniture, has written 
a pleasing tale under this title filled 
with the atmosphere so dear to the 
collector and lover of the rare. 
The student, the lover of the an¬ 
tique and the lay and professional 
decorator alike will find “Robert 
Adam and His Brothers,” by John 
Swarbrick, an invaluable work. The 
sub-title further describes it as “their 
lives, work and influence on English 
architecture, decoration and furnish¬ 
ing,” which gives in a nutshell the 
contents. The work of the Brothers 
Adam was a significant episode in 
the history of English Renaissance 
architecture. It was an influence so 
definite in its development that both 
its sources and its course are clearly 
marked. In this sumptuous volume 
the author has traced both in a schol¬ 
arly, readable fashion. His text is 
augmented by many excellent illus¬ 
trations which make the volume one 
to be preserved as a rare contribu¬ 
tion to the history of architecture. 
Seldom have we seen a better col¬ 
lection of Colonial house views than 
is contained in “The Colonial 
House,” by Joseph Everett Chand¬ 
ler {Robert M. McBride & Co.). 
Originals built 200 years ago, res¬ 
torations, modern reproductions 
—all are shown in a variety and 
excellence of photographs and draw¬ 
ings that leave little to be desired. 
And yet, though we regret to ac¬ 
knowledge it of a book so well ar¬ 
ranged and attractive in format, the 
text is disappointing. One hesitates 
whether to call it negative or neutral, 
serious or sarcastic. There is much 
of value in the book, of course, much 
that the student or prospective build¬ 
er of a Colonial house may profitably 
take to heart. But it is too indefinite, 
too widely scattered under the sur¬ 
face of generalities. 
Heating the Country House 
{Continued from page 39) 
the fire goes out and k is a simple 
matter to keep a small fire going all 
night so that the pipes and radiators 
do not cool off. Hot water can be 
carried to any room and a uniform 
temperature maintained. 
Modern hot air heaters are made to 
use either hard or soft coal, or even 
wood, and if properly designed and 
installed they are satisfactory. Most 
of the complaints made against these 
systems are traceable to cheap fur¬ 
naces or poor installation. It is harder 
to drive hot air against a cold wind 
than it is steam or hot water. Con¬ 
sequently, unless the hot air pipes 
run direct and along the shortest line 
to the cold rooms, the heat will go to 
other parts of the house. 
The initial cost of a hot air plant 
is less than that of steam or hot 
water, and the yearly repairs expense 
is slight. The amount of coal con¬ 
sumed in giving a certain temperature 
does not differ much in either system, 
provided the plants are properly con¬ 
structed and designed for the house. 
Some prefer the hot air system be¬ 
cause of the ventilation. Fresh air is 
constantly being drawn in from the 
exterior and heated from the rooms, 
but if the fresh air box or intake is 
located in the cellar or some damp 
place all the benefits of this ventila¬ 
tion are neutralized. A common 
trouble with hot air furnaces comes 
from defective or inadequate flues. 
A generous size flue is essential to 
good drawing, but a fact not so gen¬ 
erally appreciated is that a flue can 
be made too large. A large flue with 
a small furnace means smoking and 
trouble in starting the fire and keep¬ 
ing it going. A flue must be heated 
up before it draws well, and if the 
size is too great the amount of heat 
wasted in retaining the temperature 
in the chimney is so much loss. Many 
a poorly drawing furnace has been 
converted into a good one simply by 
changing the size of the flue, making 
it either larger or smaller. 
The Whys and Wherefores of Mulching 
(Continued from page 39) 
is taken off in the spring. With the 
approach of winter ,the branches 
which can be most conveniently 
bound together are prepared like 
nursery bundles, and when finished 
are secured by cords to the central 
post. In addition to this straw bind¬ 
ing, earth from beyond the branches 
is banked up around the stem. This 
mode of protection is especially 
adapted to the fruit-yard. It would 
not do to have permanent posts or 
stakes in the embellished parts of 
grounds; but a similar mode of pro¬ 
tection can be employed by the use of 
strong stakes to be driven when 
wanted, and removed in the spring. 
Tender vines and plMble-wooded 
bushes may be turned down on the 
approach of winter and laid flat on 
the ground or lawn, where there is 
room. If in cultivated ground, there 
is no better protection than a cover¬ 
ing of several inches of earth If 
standing upon a lawn they may be 
either covered with earth in the same 
way, if it can be brought from a 
convenient distance, or pinned down 
and covered from 4" to 12" deep with 
evergreen boughs or twigs. Very 
tender plants must, of course, be cov¬ 
ered more deeply than hardier ones, 
and the cover should be removed 
gradually in the spring. It is advis¬ 
able to mark the exact place where 
each vine or branch is laid so that in 
uncovering in the spring it may not 
be injured by the spade. 
Planning 
to Build ? 
Then Get This Valuable 
Country House Number 
FREE 
riFTY or more recent Coun- 
* try Houses—the work of 
leading architects in the 
East, in the Middle West, 
and on the Pacific Coast— 
will be illustrated in the Oc¬ 
tober Number of The Ar¬ 
chitectural Record—m ore 
than 100 illustrations and 
floor plans, showing houses 
of all sizes and types. 
F ROM this number you are 
sure to get ideas and sug¬ 
gestions which will help you 
to determine the best type 
of house to be erected; the 
most convenient arrange¬ 
ment of rooms; the most 
desirable materials, furnish¬ 
ings and conveniences. 
E ACH month The Archi¬ 
tectural Record presents a 
careful selection of the best 
current work with an aver¬ 
age of 100 or more illustra¬ 
tions ; while in the business 
section are described the 
latest and best building ma¬ 
terials, as well as the fur¬ 
nishings and specialties 
which add so much of com¬ 
fort, convenience and value. 
SPECIAL OFFER 
This valuable Country 
House Number will be sent 
free — also the November 
and December issues — if 
you subscribe now for 1917. 
You will thus receive 15 at¬ 
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price. 
To accept this offer, please mail the 
coupon promptly. 
The 
Architectural Record 
H. G. 10-16 
The Architectural Record 
119 W. 40th St., New York. 
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