240 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



some of the ripening seeds and, if you 

 will follow these instructions, by the 

 middle of another summer you will 

 have the joy of seeing some nicely de- 



OUR NORTHERN MAGNOLAS ARE FAIRY-LIKE 

 IN FORM. 



veloped treelets that, with a little care 

 and watchfulness, will in time make 

 beautiful trees that in their turn will 

 gladden the heart of those that may be 

 fortunate enough to see them. 



The magnolia seed is impatient of 

 much drying. By imitating nature's 

 way as closely as possible, the reward 

 will be yours. When the seeds fall in a 

 natural way, those that start to grow 

 in another season have been fortunate 

 in finding lodgment in mellow soil 

 where they have been protected by 

 autumn leaves from drying and from 

 destruction by rodents, birds, etc., 

 which are ever on the lookout for their 

 own welfare. 



If you wish to experiment in a small 

 way, gather a few of the seeds, secure 

 a small tin box with a tight cover, make 

 small punctures on all sides, put the 

 seeds in this box and fill it with clean, 

 moist sand. Secure the cover tightly 

 and bury the box either in the earth 

 where it will remain moist or in a sim- 

 ilar place where it will freeze during 

 the winter but where it will not be wet 

 for any length of time. In the early 

 spring take the seeds from the box, 

 plant them about half an inch deep in 

 the garden and cover them with a flat 

 stone or other similar protection. Lift 

 this cover from time to time to see if 

 the young plants are showing above the 

 soil. If so, then remove the cover per- 

 manently. The two little seed leaves 



first appear and are soon followed by 

 the normal type of leaf. Before the 

 summer is over the plants will have 

 become, in many instances, several in- 

 ches high. During the first winter, 

 they should be protected by leaves or 

 other suitable covering, but after that 

 time, if the location is favorable, they 

 will begin to grow more rapidly and 

 after three or four years will be nice 

 little plants ready to be transplanted 

 to their permanent location. 



To have successfully reared at least 

 one magnolia from a seed, will mean 

 that you have learned intimately the 

 life history of at least one tree. This 

 acquaintance will lead to a keener ap- 

 preciation of some of the mysteries of 

 nature's ways, and this wonderful 

 world will possess a newer and keener 

 interest. 



The magnolia is not the only tree 

 that can be raised this way from the 

 seed. Practically all the trees that so- 

 abundantly adorn our landscape and 

 make up our woodlands grow primarily 

 from seeds sown by nature. To watch 

 the development from the time of col- 

 lecting the seed through the earliest 

 stages of the seedlings, is a privilege 

 that every one can enjoy. 



The Porch Hen. 



Stamford, Connecticut. 

 To the Editor : 



The old hen has just sought the porch 

 so that we shall not have to go far for 

 our fresh eggs on these cool autumn 

 mornings. That is from our viewpoint. 

 She has more likely "reasoned" (do I 



THE HEN ON THE NEWSPAPERS AMONG THE 

 TOYS. 



