From Local Ag Teachers:
Keeping Polnsettlas
Beautiful
By Jennifer Brown
Brownstown Vo-toch
By this time you’ve
probably already gotten
your “Christmas flower”.
Today polnsettlas are being
sold through many retail
outlets, from flower shops to
supermarkets.
The poinsettia was in
troduced to the United
States, from Mexico, in 1825
by Joel Poinsett, who was
Thoughts
in Passing
then the United States
ambassador to Mexico. The
poinsettia’s botanical name
was aptly given; it means
“most beautiful”. Did you
know that all poinsettia
flowers are yellow? The red,
pink or white portions of the
plant are actually colorful
bracts which surround the
flowers.
By following a few simple
rules this holiday plant can
bring you year round
pleasure. Poinsettlas need
full sun, a good moisture
supply, and warm tem
peratures of about 60-75
degrees F. They should be
watered when the soil sur
face is dry to the touch.
When watering, drench the
pot thoroughly so that some
water drams through the
holes in the bottom of the pot.
This assures that you have
moistened the entire soil
volume, right down to those
important lower roots. This
practice also helps to leach
out any salts which build up
in the soil from fertilizers.
After watering, empty any
excess water from the
saucer. Allowing the poin
settia to get “wet feet” can
lead to root rot. Even though
your poinsettia will thrive in
a sunny window, don’t let the
bracts or leaves touch the
cold panes. This could cause
them to blacken or even
drop. Avoid putting the plant
in direct hot or cold drafts.
Most of the improved
varieties being grown today
will last well into February
with proper care.
If you plan to keep your
poinsettia after the flower
buds have fallen off,
withhold water for three to
four weeks. This will cause
the plant to go dormant. In
March or April cut the plant
back to six inches above the
pot rim. You should start
watering again at this point.
New shoots will begin to
appear in about one month.,
Keep your poinsettia in a
sunny location. You may
need to transplant it to a
larger pot to give it more room
to grow. When transplanting,
handle the roots with care as
they will break easily.
easily.
Fertilize once a month for
optimum growth. Pinch oat
the new growing tips in late
August. This will produce
branching, giving you a
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Leadership workshops slated
Faculty from Penn State
University, regional
educational institutions, and
responsible, government and
organizational represen
tatives will lead public af
fairs leadership workshops
at the Berks County
Agricultural Center,
Leesport, beginning Jan. 24
and lasting through Mar. 24.
The classes will be held
Saturdays (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
and Wednesdays (7 p.m. to
10 p.m.).
Session topics include:
The Public Problem-
Solving Process.
Improving Personal and
Group Communications.
Community Resource
Analysis.
Priority Setf.ig
Processes.
Local Government and
Public Finance.
Land Use, Environmental
Quality and Other Local
Issues.
Cost of the program is $35
per person.
Each participant is ex
pected to attend all the
workshop sessions. Par
ticipants are also en
couraged to become involved
in community problem
solving activities. Interested
persons should mail an
application form to either
the Berks, Lebanon, or
Schuylkill Cooperative
Extension Service office.
Their addresses and phone
numbers are:
Cooperative Extension
Service, Berks County Ag
bushier, more rounded plant.
Start giving your poinsettia
long nights on October 1.
This means making sure it
gets a 14 hour period of
complete darkness each day.
Putting it in a closet from
sp.m. to 7a.m., away from
all light whether natural or
artificial, will cause flower
buds to form. When these
buds are visible discontinue
the long nights. Your
poinsettia will be in full
bloom for the holidays.
If you’ve never had a
poinsettia, try one this year.
If you haven’t had much luck
with them perhaps now you
know what you’ve been doing
wrong. Give them another
try, they can certainly add
color to your Christmas!
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oist MOSES K. LAPP
310 Groffdale Road
GordonviUe, PA 17529
Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Dec 13,1975
Center, Leesport, Pa. 19533 Phone 717-273-3748.
Phone 215-378-1327. Cooperative Extension
Cooperative Extension Service, P.O. Box 404,
Service. 400 South Eighth Schuylkill Haven, Pa. 17971
Street, Lebanon, Pa. 17042 Phone 717-385-3431
Open house
recommended
Housing an animal may
hurt rather than help it. Most
animals may be healthier
roughing it, reminds Joseph
H. Way, county agricultural
agent at Penn State
University.
Most farm animals may be
more comfortable in an
open-front shed than in
closed housing. While
animals need shelter from
the wind, rain and snow, they
also need freedom to move, a
dry bed, and plenty of fresh
air.
Often closed housing is
primarily for the benefit of
human caretakers rather
than the livestock. The wind
chill index is a measure of
human rather than animal
discomfort, Joseph H. Way
explains.
Birds must
HARRISBURG - Backyard
bird pets have become a
favorite among Penn
sylvanians, but there is
always the question of where
to get a healthy fowl of good
stock.
The answer, according to
Dr. Edward T. Mallmson,
chief of the Pennsylvania
Agriculture Department’s
Poultry Health Division, is at
the Farm Show and other
state fairs and shows.
All birds exhibited at the
Farm Show, which this year
runs from Jan. 5-9, are
required by Department
regulation to be from flocks
tested and certified as
pullorum-free. Pullorum,
Mallison explained, is a
fatal, bacterially caused
disease that especially af
fects young poultry.
“I can think of no better
way for people to locate
In a closed structure,
ventilation is sometimes
inadequate, resulting in
damp humid conditions.
Odors also build up, creating
an unhealthy environment.
During the winter, snow
blow-in can be a problem
with small, open sheds, but
front adjustable doors may
be the answer.
Even in severe winter
weather, livestock should not
be cooped up for long periods
of time.
When moisture collects on
the walls, floors and win
dows of closed buildings,
ventilation is inadequate.
The animals or birds in the
building are sure to be
suffering respiratory stress.
be tested
good, healthy birds than at
the Farm Show,” said
Mallison. “There is always a
wide assortment of breeds,
including Polish, Araucanas,
Andalusian and Golden
Sebright chickens, Runner
ducks and many other types
of chickens, ducks, geese
and turkeys.”
Mallinson contended that
Pennsylvania is a leader in
poultry breeding and disease
control. “Many of the
exhibitors will be available
during the Farm Show and
people, reassured that the
birds they view are healthy
and of good stock, can often
negotiate purchases right on
the spot,” said Mallinson.
Assembly
instruction
needed
The Carroll County Farm
Museum at Westminister,
Md. is attempting to restore
to authentic and operative
conditions and old circular
horse power unit which it has
in its possession
But there’s a problem The
unit, which was used ap
proximately 100 years ago, is
disassembled and no one
knows for sure how to put the
contraption together.
“I would be greatly in
debted to your organization
(Lancaster Farming) if you
could in some way put me in
touch with someone who has
such a unit that I might look
at one which is set up for
operating.” v”.tes John H.
T Hullside Farm,
•''-ifnimsier.
He asks to be contacted at
his home address: 1078
Sullivan Rd., Westminister,
Md. zip code 2115' 7 .
TRY A
CLASSIFIED
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