68 
House & Garden 
FURNITURE OF EXCLUSIVE 
DESIGNS 
In the arrangement of our spacious ex¬ 
hibits we have assembled our patterns for 
convenient and thorough inspection on all 
sides—suggesting, wherever possible, re¬ 
lated groups of furniture with Fabrics and 
Wall Papers of harmonious design. 
While such exhibits may not always 
solve your particular needs, one receives at 
least the stimulus of a good idea. The 
visitor at FLINT & HORNER'S always 
carries away a wealth of practical sugges¬ 
tions for artistic effects. 
PRICES UNIFORMLY LOW 
ORIENTAL AND DOMESTIC RUGS 
AND DRAPERIES 
FLINT & HORNER CO., inc. 
20-26 WEST 36th STREET 
NEW YORK 
STANDS FOR THE FINEST IN IMPORTED 
WALL PAPERS 
THE EFFECT SHOWN A1SOVE IS ACHIEVED WITH ONE OF EMMERICH’S 
IMPORTED SCENIC WALL PAPERS. ASK YOUR DECORATOR TO SHOW 
YOU THE EMMERICH COLLECTION OF DISTINCTIVE IMPORTED WALL 
PAPERS. OR VISIT OUR STUDIOS. CONSULTING SERVICE. 
F. J. EMMERICH COMPANY, 36 West 37th Street, 
New York 
The Stair Wall and Its Treatment 
( Continued, from page 66) 
ate. If the stair railing is exceedingly 
simple, the use of a tapestry with its 
mellow coloring gives the necessary 
wealth of interest. 
Wall Hangings 
As to hangings for the adornment of 
stair walls, two things must be always 
kept in mind. The use of wall hangings, 
such as tapestries or some of the Renais¬ 
sance applique work on velvet, presup¬ 
poses a large hall with a large stair wall 
space to be covered and enlivened. It 
also presupposes the intent to create some 
measurable degree of formality and state¬ 
liness compatible with the character of 
the motifs in the hangings. To hang 
a tapestry or other hanging of inherently 
formal and stately character on a stair 
wall of cramped dimensions or where all 
the surroundings are of an altogether in¬ 
formal quality is a serious mistake. The 
hanging will suffer the disadvantage of 
being in a wrong atmosphere and will 
avenge itself for the indignity put upon 
it by killing all the lesser things near it 
and making them appear trivial and 
ridiculous. For the stair wall where lack 
of space and the generally heterogeneous 
quality of the immediate environment 
make it undesirable to consider tapes¬ 
tries or kindred hangings, it is often both 
possible and highly desirable to use old 
Chinese embroideries or Japanese bro¬ 
cades if one is fortunate enough to be 
able to find them. Even these hangings 
need a stair wall of considerable expanse, 
although they are less exacting than 
tapestries or the large applique velvet 
hangings of Renaissance Italian or 
Spanish type, in the matter of architec¬ 
tural setting, and more adaptable to a 
diversity of objects in proximity. Of 
course, their effect will always be en¬ 
hanced by not crowding them. One 
might suggest also, in the category of less 
pretentious hangings, some of the old 
Italian and other embroideries of inter¬ 
esting color and design that one may 
occasionally chance upon. It should go 
without saying that any stair wall upon 
which hangings, whether large or small, 
are to be used must be of neutral color. 
Landing Treatments 
The blank wall of a landing that con¬ 
fronts a person whether ascending or de¬ 
scending is one of the awkward features 
encountered in treating many a stair. If 
there is a window on the landing, well 
and good; there is no need to worry. It 
is the wall without break that causes 
trouble. If the landing is wide enough 
it is possible to use some appropriate 
piece of furniture, a chest or cabinet, 
and, if there is still a large unoccupied 
and uninteresting wall space left, a hang¬ 
ing of some description above it. When 
the landing is not wide enough to admit 
of placing a piece of furniture there, 
some one of the lesser hangings just enu¬ 
merated will serve to create the desired 
interest and relief. In case maps or pos¬ 
ters of the type mentioned are used, it 
may be as well to fasten them against the 
wall with a frame .of plain molding and 
then shellac or varnish them. A large 
picture is purposely not suggested for 
such a place for two reasons—the light¬ 
ing is apt to be unfavorable and to do 
the picture an injustice; a great many 
pictures that one might be tempted to 
use demand more than a passing glance 
and a space where the eye never rests for 
more than a moment is not the place for 
them, whereas any of the previously sug¬ 
gested objects are frankly decorative and 
supply the needed color and design. 
Plain Facts About Fall Planting 
( Continued, from page 52) 
done that it can be properly watered by 
hand. Using a watering can on the sur¬ 
face often enough to keep the soil looking 
moist just around the plant or shrub 
amounts to little, and may be worse than 
nothing because, if kept up, it will in¬ 
duce the growth of surface roots that will 
be especially subject to injury by winter 
freezing and thawing. 
If only a few plants are to be set out, 
it is of course not a difficult matter to 
make the soil thoroughly m’oist at the 
time of planting, and to water thoroughly 
two or three times thereafter to keep the 
plants from being checked until the 
autumn rains come to the rescue. The 
method of watering, however, is impor¬ 
tant. Instead of using a sprinkling can, 
make one or more holes 2" in diameter 
well down among the roots. This can be 
done readily with an ordinary dibber or 
a pointed stick in the case of plants or 
small shrubs, or with a small crowbar in 
the case of large shrubs or trees. Fill 
up these holes several times, letting the 
water soak away at each watering. Keep 
the holes covered with pieces of sod, flat 
stones, or something similar between 
waterings, to prevent their getting filled 
up and also to check evaporation. 
Preparatory Work 
While most fall planting may be done 
successfully quite late in the season, nev¬ 
ertheless it must be done in a hurry when 
it is done, because the shorter the time 
elapsing between the taking up of roots, 
shrubs or trees in the nursery, and put¬ 
ting them in place on your lawn, the less 
likelihood there is that you will have 
some of them to replace later. There¬ 
fore it is especially important to have 
everything ready in advance. 
In preparing the soil for fall planting, 
there is one point which should be espe¬ 
cially kept in mind. In spring planting 
we aim deliberately to start a strong new 
growth; for this purpose an abundance 
of available nitrogen is desirable, as was 
explained in an earlier article of this 
series. In fall planting, nitrate of soda, 
liquid manure and similar quick-acting 
nitrogenous fertilizers should be avoided, 
for the reason that if too rapid new 
growth is induced at this time the plants 
will go into winter in a soft, immature 
state, and be much more likely to be 
injured by cold weather than if they had 
matured naturally. Moreover, such avail¬ 
able nitrogen as the plants do not use 
will not remain in storage for them until 
next spring, as will phosphoric acid and 
potash, but will be to a large extent lost. 
Therefore a surplus of nitrogen for fall 
planting is wasteful and dangerous. 
Good Drainage Essential 
Good drainage, however, which is im¬ 
portant in spring planting, is even more 
essential in fall work. So far as possible 
planting should be done only where there 
is good natural drainage. Where this 
cannot be had, the time between the or¬ 
dering of your plants and their being 
received should be utilized to improve 
their particular location in every way 
possible. A few dollars’ worth of drain 
tile may mean the saving of an expensive 
planting. Even where tile draining is 
not necessary, the proper preparation of 
the beds, borders, or holes where the 
plants are to go will accomplish a great 
deal. In most localities coal ashes or 
cinders may be had for the hauling, if 
you have not a home supply at hand, and 
these are excellent for drainage. 
As far in advance of actual planting 
as possible, prepare for it as follows: 
Fork up the bed, border or hole; re- 
fContinued on page 70) 
