THE EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT 
T HE ambition and intention of the Editorial Department of 
House and Garden for 1907 is, that the magazine shall 
prove itself the most helpful and practical monthly in 
America. Nothing short of this will satisfy us. The high stand¬ 
ard of artistic merit will be equaled by the entirely practical and 
serviceable suggestions offered. 
The man who is about to build himself a home will find in these 
pages a selection of plans, with photographs of the completed 
house and general estimate of cost. This applies equally to the 
mansion and to the simplest cottage. The proper and suitable setting 
of these houses will be considered by leading authorities on Land¬ 
scape Gardening and Garden Culture. The needs of the woman 
with little money to spend on her house will be as fully canvassed 
as the requisites for the decoration of the most costly residence. 
Among other good things, the February number will contain 
the following articles: 
A CALIFORNIA HOME AND ITS GARDEN 
Mr. Charles Frederick Holder, author of “Life in the Open,” 
“Among the Florida Reefs,” “Isle of Summer,” and many 
other delightful books, supplies an article descriptive of a char¬ 
acteristic Southern California home and its surroundings. Since 
California has evolved an architectural style of its own in the past 
few years, which is being largely copied (though in modified form) 
in other parts of the country, the text and illustrations of this will 
be especially timely. The houses in this semi-tropic land are 
necessarily of a style which compose well with the beautiful setting 
of flowers and shrubs and also meet the climatic conditions of the 
country though adaptable to other localities. 
A ROLAND PARK MANSION 
The stately Ellicott House, Roland Park, Baltimore, Maryland, 
will appear in this number beautifully illustrated as to the house 
and its formal gardens. This will be the first number of a series 
presenting residences of leading architects in America which will 
appear from time to time in the magazine. The home of Mr. 
William Ellicott, of the firm of Ellicott & Emmart, Architects, 
Baltimore, is in Roland Park, and in offering it, we feel it rep¬ 
resents the best type of its kind. 
AN ECONOMICAL SUMMER HOUSE 
Mabel Tuke Priestman will tell interestingly of “ A F arm House 
Economically Furnished for a Summer Home.” In this article 
she describes that which has been actually accomplished and 
supplies interesting photographs, together with practical directions 
as to how the attractive results have been obtained. 
WALL DECORATION 
In compliance with many requests, it has been decided to 
publish in full an address delivered in September at the Conference 
on Home Economics held at the Lake Placid Club. This paper 
treats of wall decoration in all it means to a successful house. As 
presented at the Conference, this was illustrated with samples of 
wall covering harmoniously combined. An attractive plan of a 
small house was shown and the wall covering and wood finish for 
each room fully illustrated by the combined materials to be used. 
The proper sequence of color used in adjoining apartments was 
carefully considered. Reproductions of these schemes with full 
description of each will be given in the F ebruary number. 
QUAINT SOUTHERN HOUSES 
Throughout our Southern States in sections often out of the 
beaten track of travel, are very many beautiful old homes of ante¬ 
bellum days. Under the caption of “ Quaint Homes in the 
South,” fully illustrated descriptions of the choicest of these will 
be published. Many will have historic interest and all present a 
type of architecture peculiar to that time, and the Southern States; 
these will be of extreme interest. 
PLANNING A COUNTRY HOUSE 
To the man interested in the planning and laying out of a private 
country estate, the article from Richard Schermerhorn, Jr., Civil 
Engineer and Landscape Architect, will be of inestimable value. 
The entire work on the estate from the beginning to its completion 
is covered in this article which is written in a style entirely free 
from technicalities. In concluding his paper Mr. Schermerhorn 
says: “It has been the writer’s object to describe as briefly as 
possible the most important of actual conditions encountered in 
the development of the average country estate, and the practical 
considerations to bear in mind.” 
AN ENGLISH CASTLE 
Fanny Acland Hood contributes a description of “ Dunster 
Castle,” one of the most beautifully and romantically situated 
places in England. “There are few places in England which con¬ 
tain so much of antique material with so much natural beauty of 
situation and scenery and where the old and new are so harmo¬ 
niously brought together.” 
GARDEN CORRESPONDENCE 
We feel that our readers will be pleased to know that W. C. Egan 
will have charge of the Garden Correspondence. Mr. Egan’s 
articles, which have appeared from time to time in these pages, 
have aroused very general interest. He will answer fully and 
practically all questions as to the planning, planting and successful 
growing of a garden, together with all that pertains to the cultiva¬ 
tion of flowers, shrubs and trees. A correspondent writes from 
Wyoming in regard to the help he has received from Mr. Egan: 
“In trenching this fall, I followed Mr. Egan’s method and have 
found it easier than any way I have ever tried before, and I want 
to say right here that his letters have been of more use and value 
to me than anything I have been able to get from books, and I 
have a great many on the subject of gardening. I have always 
been able to read between the lines of his letters and they give 
me those little things which in the total make successful gardening 
knowledge. The books tell all about the big things which have 
no place in the small property. The rich man of the large estate 
can afford a competent person to lay out and maintain his premises. 
Therefore, I think I am of the great class who need such help 
as Mr. Egan gives. ” 
All correspondence concerning architectural matters, the interior 
decoration and furnishing of the house or of gardening will be 
answered fully in the Correspondence column. Address all such 
communications to the Editor. These letters and the solving of the 
problems they offer will make interesting reading for all. 
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