HOUSE AND GARDEN 
May, 1911 
365 
too warm. This closet saves many jour¬ 
neys on the cellar stairs, accommodating 
practically everything in the way of food, 
except what is kept in the preserve closet 
in the cellar. A small window insures 
ventilation. 
The special value of the other section of 
the porch is that it contains a shelf reserved 
especially for all incoming and outgoing 
packages. This arrangement does away 
with the “slavery” so often complained of 
by suburban housekeepers. There is no 
need to give up an outing because the 
“grocer hasn't come,” for the outer porch 
door is left unlocked, the refrigerator 
closet and kitchen securely fastened, and 
the shelf does the rest. Nothing has ever 
been stolen, and the shelf is out of the 
reach of animals. Ice man, grocer, laun- 
dryman, baker — too often with muddy 
boots — never need cross the threshold of 
the kitchen door, which is no small help in 
keeping the kitchen clean. This section of 
the porch contains, also, over twenty feet 
of shelving, used for numberless odds and 
ends that are not wanted in the kitchen, 
where space is valuable. Many needful 
but unsightly articles, such as oil cans, 
kindling, garbage pails, etc., are practically 
as handy as they would be in the kitchen, 
but having a separate place for them 
makes it possible to have an attractive 
kitchen. 
In freezing weather, when the porch is 
too cold for some sorts of provisions, both 
sections are useful as storage places for 
various articles, saving numerous trips to 
the cellar. The upper part of the outer 
door is of glass, a better plan than to have 
a regulation window in this part of the 
porch, which would have resulted in more 
expense, wasted space and exposure to 
cold. This outer door, in addition to the 
kitchen door, provides sufficient protec¬ 
tion from the weather, so that a storm door 
is not needed. 
Even the space under the back porch is 
not wasted. The grade leaves a vacancy 
two feet in depth. This, closed in, is used 
to keep firewood out of sight and pro¬ 
tected from storms until it is sawed up. 
A special step was built outside the 
door, eighteen inches in width by the full 
nine feet of the porch. The part not re¬ 
quired as a step is put to excellent use as 
a shelf for outdoor utensils. To prevent 
neighbors’ cats from sampling the milk, 
sometimes found on the tops of the bottles, 
a deep tin receptacle is used for both full 
and empty bottles; this has the further ad¬ 
vantage of preventing breakage of bot¬ 
tles, sometimes caused by a high wind. A 
disused wash boiler is kept for soapy water 
from the laundry, which is put there to 
await the evening watering of tomatoes 
and cucumbers. In winter this receptacle 
is useful for sand to sprinkle on the icy 
Careful planning has made this small porch a 
useful part of the bungalow 
walks. The cover keeps the sand dry, 
when that in the neighborhood sand bank 
is frozen solid. A covered garbage can is 
A useful garden basket which is fitted with 
a spool of wire and garden shears, and pro¬ 
vided with a permanent support 
kept purposely for empty tin cans and 
other unburnable rubbish, till a convenient 
time arrives to bury them, so that even the 
smallest detail is well provided for. 
Garden Baskets 
OME of the new garden baskets for 
holding freshly cut flowers are not 
only fitted with scissors and a spool of wire 
thread, but have a tripod on which they 
are placed when not in use. They are sub¬ 
stantially made of brown wicker and some 
are lined throughout with leather, while 
others have only a wide strip of the leather 
that extends from side to side directly un¬ 
der the handle. 
In shape they are broad and shallow and 
the handles are straight across the top with 
rounded corners, making them particularly 
easy to carry. On one side is a pair of scis¬ 
sors in a little pocket made of the leather, 
and on the other is the spool holder with 
the spool of wire thread for tying up the 
flowers. The tripod which is also of 
wicker, matches the basket in color, and is 
an important item, as it raises the humble 
garden basket to the dignity of a piece of 
furniture instead of just an ordinary flat 
basket that is thrown on the floor when 
finished with, and that usually lives tucked 
awav in the hall closet. 
Care for the Range Connections 
HE washers which are used in the con¬ 
nections between the range water- 
back, and also at the connections at the top 
and bottom of the hot water boiler, usual¬ 
ly give out in a short time, this being 
caused by the heat they are subjected to 
from the hot water, and also from the evil 
effects of expansion and contraction. If 
they are soaked in linseed oil for an hour 
or two before they are placed in position 
the user will be astonished at their in¬ 
creased length of life. 
The extension porch serves for several rooms. It keeps tradesmen from the kitchen and the 
refrigerator closet makes a good storage cellar 
