2010. 
1096 
THE RURAL* NEW-YORKER 
THE UMBRELLA TREE. 
In Fig. 468 the flourishing field of 
Alabama corn forms a background for 
a symmetrical umbrella tree. Mag¬ 
nolia tripetala, formerly known to bot¬ 
anists as M. Umbrella, is a native tree 
attaining a height of 40 feet; the spread¬ 
ing branches form an open head, and the 
individual leaves are very large, from 
12 to 24 inches long. The handsome 
white flowers are eight to 10 inches 
across, with a somewhat unpleasant 
odor. The umbrella tree is a native of 
the United States, extending from Penn¬ 
sylvania south and west to Mississippi 
and Arkansas. It grows with greatest 
luxuriance in the South, but is, we be¬ 
lieve, quite hardy in New York. Our 
native Magnolias are all very interesting, 
though the Chinese or Japanese varieties 
receive more attention in the garden. 
THE NEW FERTILIZER—CYANAMID. 
How does the new form of nitrogen, 
known as cyanamld, compare with sul¬ 
phate of ammonia or nitrate of soda? Can 
we use it in mixed fertilizers, as we do 
the other forms? 
Cyanatnid contains nitrogen taken di¬ 
rectly from the air. There are two ways 
of doing this—one by using a strong 
electric current, the other by passing air 
I over red-hot copper or a few other 
metals. The latter process is used in 
making cyanatnid. The air is passed over 
will show its value as compared with 
nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia. 
We should use it only in experimenting 
until its value has been decided. We 
learn of one manufacturer who mixes 
the cyanatnid with dried peat. The lime 
in the cyanatnid acts upon the peat to 
break it up and make its nitrogen more 
available, while the cyanatnid is im¬ 
proved for drilling or mixing. 
Wintering Layer Plants. —A writer in 
the English publication, “Gardening Illus¬ 
trated,’’ gives this method of propagating 
strawberry plants: “Ilis plan is as fol¬ 
lows : In the Autumn, when clearing the 
beds of weeds, etc., he goes over the plants 
and selects as many runners as he wants 
for making new plantations, and detaches 
them from the parent. lie then lays run¬ 
ners into good soil on a border, where they 
are allowed to stay until this Spring, when 
they are transplanted to form the perma¬ 
nent beds. This Mr. Allan considers the 
better way, as it saves all the trouble of 
preparing the pots and watering the run¬ 
ners should the Autumn be dry.” 
Wintering Cabbage. —I have seen arti¬ 
cles on how to store cabbage for the Win¬ 
ter. I have tried all different ways, but 
an old man who farmed many years told 
me the following way, which I have found 
the best and easiest. Cut the cabbage stalk 
just at top of ground; build a square or 
rectangular pen of rough boards two feet 
high on the ground (high ground or a 
knoll) so that water will not settle under 
them. Then cover the inside of pen with 
forest leaves to the depth of four or five 
inches. Place the cabbage heads down as 
close together as possible until pen is full, 
UMBRELLA TREE. Fig. 468. 
hot copper, and the resulting nitrogen gas 
driven through iron tubes which are 
filled with calcium carbide. This is the 
substance used in making acetylene gas. 
The result is a chemical product contain¬ 
ing about 20 per cent of nitrogen, and 
also about 20 per cent of free lime. This 
nitrogen is about as available for plants 
as that in sulphate of ammonia. Ex¬ 
periments in England showed that it was 
not quite equal to the sulphate, but on 
soils poor in lime it would probably 
prove superior. 
There are several objections to its use. 
It is very light and dusty, and when 
used alone blows away too freely. This 
is overcome in England by mixing crude 
oil with it, or steaming It so as to slake 
the lime which it contains. It also has 
an injurious effect upon germinating 
seeds when first put in the ground, 
though this is not considered serious. 
This is due to gases which are given off 
by it. Thus it is used a week or so be¬ 
fore seed is sown and thoroughly mixed 
with the soil. It contains considerable 
lime, and thus like basic slag is not fitted 
to be mixed with organic nitrogen, since 
the lime might drive off ammonia. In 
England farmers have been advised to 
mix the cyanamid with superphosphates 
to give both a better mechanical condi¬ 
tion. 
There is no doubt as to the fertilizing 
value of this new substance. The manu¬ 
facturers will no doubt find means of 
improving its mechanical condition. 
Very few experiments have been made 
with it in this country, but several are 
now planned and under way and they 
not getting nearer than 18 to 20 inches to 
edge of pen; then fill in leaves on top 
of stumps of cabbage until stumps are out 
of sight at least 8 to 12 inches on top; on 
this place brush or coarse litter to keep 
leaves from blowing away. I have kept 
cabbage until April, and it is as fresh as 
though it was just pulled from the field; 
have dug it out under the leaves and 18 
inches of snow on top of all, and it is 
never frozen under eight or 10 inches of 
leaves even with zero weather, w. f. b. 
Hartford, Conn. 
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HEALTH AND INCOME 
Both Kept Up on Scientific Pood. 
Good sturdy health helps one a lot to 
make money. 
With the loss of health one's income is 
liable to shrink, if not entirely dwindle 
away. 
When a young lady has to make her 
own living, good health is her best asset. 
“I am alone in the world,” writes a 
Chicago girl, “dependent on my own ef¬ 
forts for my living. I am a clerk, and 
about two years ago through close appli¬ 
cation to work and a boarding-house diet 
I became a nervous invalid, and got so 
bad off it was almost impossible for me 
to stay in the office a half day at a time. 
“A friend suggested to me the idea 
of trying Grape-Nuts food which I did, 
making it a large part of at least two 
meals a day. 
"To-day I am free from brain-tire, 
dyspepsia, and all the ills of an over¬ 
worked and improperly nourished brain 
and body. To Grape-Nuts I owe the 
recovery of my health, and the ability 
to retain my position and income.” 
Read “The Road to Wellville,” in 
pkgs. “There’s a Reason.” 
Ever read the above letter ? A new 
one appears from time to time. They 
are genuine, true, and full of human 
interest. 
'OOi, 
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