March, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
195 
Three quaint pitchers of a shape and design which will readily harmonize with the general decorative scheme 
coating of wax polish. After a half 
hour rub with a soft cloth. If a dark 
tone is desired in the recesses, touch with 
raw umber thinned with turpentine, 
wiping off the high lights. The applica¬ 
tion of raw umber should be made be¬ 
fore the wax is used, and when the coat¬ 
ing of flake-white has dried. 
Reproductions of Old Pitchers 
XCELLENT reproductions of quaint 
old pitchers that will serve both 
for ornament and use are being manu¬ 
factured to a certain extent, and may be 
had at prices that are quite reasonable. 
It is rather to be regretted that more of 
these pitchers are not made, for the 
shapes and designs are far more pictur¬ 
esque than any of recent make, and, 
owing to the high standard of pottery 
manufacture, the copies are wonderfully 
perfect. 
The pitcher in the center with the 
“Courtship of Miles Standish” decora¬ 
tion is particularly adapted to service, 
as well as ornament, for with its broad, 
flat bottom and conveniently shaped 
handle, to say nothing of its capacity, it 
makes an ideal pitcher for milk, or is 
equally useful as a piece of bric-a-brac. 
Of even quainter shape is the pitcher at 
the left, with its wide mouth and the 
queer figure of the old watchman by 
way of decoration, while the third pitcher 
is old-fashioned in color and design 
rather than shape, which is quite modern. 
This last pitcher, although ornamental in 
a certain way, makes a servicable and 
appropriate ice-water pitcher for the bed¬ 
room, as its all-over design is quite sug¬ 
gestive of chintz, and in using it the color 
scheme of the room may be satisfactorily 
carried out. 
Table Novelties 
OMETIMES in striving after the un¬ 
usual in the matter of decoration 
we overlook the possibilities of the com¬ 
mon and neglected things. Not long 
ago I saw as a table center-piece a little, 
shiny-leaved plant about three inches 
high. It was so graceful and attractive 
that I asked what it was, and found to 
my surprise that it was a tiny grape¬ 
fruit tree. 
Not only was there a center-piece, but 
at many of the windows there were 
boxes of the same things, alone and in 
combination with other small plants. The 
effect in every case was pleasing. 
I learned that the seeds were dried for 
a few days after being taken from the 
fruit, then placed in the soil and cov¬ 
ered lightly. The process of germina¬ 
tion was discouragingly slow, and it was 
not until six weeks that any signs of 
growth were noticed, after which the 
progress was rapid. When first sown the 
seeds were placed in the sun and cov¬ 
ered with a sheet of glass. The soil was 
kept moist and the glass was kept on 
until the shoots were noticed coming 
above the ground. After this, the glass 
was raised during the time the sun was 
strongest and replaced during the night. 
Where the seeds came up too close 
they were lifted easily into other recep¬ 
tacles, care being necessary to prevent 
unnecessary exposure of the roots. 
These little plants are not rampant 
growers, and even if they grow beyond 
the desired few inches they can be easily 
controlled by clipping the tops with a 
small scissors. 
As a sort of hastener, I would suggest 
that, after your seeds are sown, the pan 
be taken to a greenhouse and buried in 
the propagating bed, but only leave them 
there until there is a growth one-half 
inch above the soil. Too long a stay will 
make the plants leggy and weak. 
An Inlaid Percolator 
HITE china porcelain inlaid with 
copper, or rather with a copper de¬ 
posit put on in the same way that silver 
deposit is applied to glass, is being used 
for the newest coffee percolators. Only 
the bowl or actual receptacle for the coffee 
is of porcelain, the other parts being of 
burnished copper, and the combination is 
most effective. Two different models are 
made in this style, one the French perco¬ 
lator, with electric or alcohol lamp under¬ 
neath and the glass globe above, the other 
the smaller percolator shaped more like a 
coffee-pot, with spout and handle, and only 
a small section of the top made of glass. 
In both styles there is a delicate tracery of 
the copper deposit on a cream-colored por¬ 
celain, with tops and other parts of copper. 
Glass Top for the Desk 
N excellent idea originally intended 
for office use, but quite adaptable to 
the house as well, is that of placing a 
heavy sheet of glass just the size of the 
ordinary blotting pad on a desk that is 
handsome enough in finish to need protec¬ 
tion. These glass sheets can be had 
mounted and ready for use with a thin pad 
underneath and brass corners that are just 
high enough to keep the glass in place. As 
the pad is dark and very nearly the color of 
the desk, the whole thing is inconspicuous 
and scarcely noticeable, and yet that part 
of the desk top that most needs protection 
is covered, without the necessity of put¬ 
ting glass over the entire top. 
A happy touch of green is secured by this attractive center-piece grown from grape-fruit seeds 
