auty favor waxed floors. Ordinarily the floor must he rewaxed about
every three months, but a pound of wax, that will cover two ordinary
sized rooms, costs only 50 cents, and it may be applied by anyone. To
keep the floors in best condition the wax brush should be passed over
them every fortnight.

Varnish floors scratch but are not affected by water, and on the whole
are rather more popular than oil or wax. They cost something less to
maintain, and are less conducive to embarrassing gyratics on the part
of dignified persons wearing slippery shoes.

If we may not demand oak or maple floors, well-laid Georgia pine,
carefully oiled or varnished, would be our next choice. There is a
large saving in initial expense, and perhaps some one else will be
using them five years from now! Though we cannot expect to get
anything like equal satisfaction from the cheaper wood as compared with
oak, if we do feel bound to adopt it we shall have less cause for
complaint later if we view very carefully the material and the
operations of laying and finishing. Poor workmanship can spoil the
best of materials; what it can do with cheaper stuff is absolutely
unmentionable. Paint may be used on the upper floors and even limited
to a border in the bedrooms.

CARPETS

The floors would not be quite so important if we were planning to
entirely cover up their beauties or their uglinesses with another kind
of beauty or ugliness in the form of carpets. But experience has long
since made it clear to all of us that rugs are not only more healthful
and in better taste, but, taken by and large, give less trouble to the
housekeeper than carpets. Owing to the fixed position of the latter
they are, too, quality for quality, less durable. It is true that in
some parts of the house a rug or carpet fastened down may be desirable,
but with good floors no such thing will suggest itself in the living
rooms at least.

LINOLEUM AND MATS

Where a very small vestibule is substituted for the reception hall a
parquetry or tile flooring would be left uncovered. Over a cheap floor
a good quality of linoleum, costing about 50 cents per square yard, may
he placed. A small mat of neat design, if such can be found, will take
care of those persons who have the foot-scraping habit, regardless of
what they scrape upon, though the mat outside should do the important
work. Serviceable mats are seldom things of beauty. As they come
under the head of f