Weeds BELTSVILLE, Md. Weeds all over the world are telling their story to the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). They are telling where they grow and under what con ditions they thrive. Dr. Thomas C. Davidson, (agway) A BULK METERED SERVICE AGWAY PETROLEUM CORP. Box 1197, thllerville Road, Lancaster, Pa. Ph. 717-397-4954 don’t talk, hut they ARS botanist, and Dr. James A. Duke, chief of the ARS Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, here, are using the information as a basis for recommending crops for remote areas of the world. No, weeds haven’t learned to talk. The scientists are finances tons? learning about them through responses to ARS questionnaires which were sent to people at agricultural experiment stations, farms, botanical gardens and similar places, a total of 1000 locations, on six continents. “Weeds tell man a lot about a particular en vironment’s potential for agriculture”, explains Dr. Davidson. “By knowing as few as 30 weeds for a given area, we get a good idea of soil conditions, annual temperature range, annual precipitation and other factors.” Requests reach the Plant Taxonomy Lab almost daily from other parts of the world, asking scientists to recommend additional crops for a particular area. who we do FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY OFFICE. do tell To help make accurate suggestions, Dr. Davidson and Dr. Duke used a com puter to determine the general ecology of over 2000 weeds native or exotic to the U.S. If a request includes an extensive list of weeds, the scientists project the climate of the area by computerized analysis of the combination of weeds listed. Then, they compare the projected climate with 10 to 50 years of recorded weather data for the area before returning a final recommendation to the sender. The idea of using weeds for crop recommendations is a direct extension of a com puterized crop information system set up originally by Dr. Duke. We do. The Farm Credit System, Millions of tons of meat, grain, fruits, melons, berries, other crops that move from the farm, ranch, or orchard into storage, processing and marketing by farmer cooperatives. We're the Production Credit Associations, and Federal Land Banks. Owned by and operated for the benefit of farmers ">nd growers. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 29,1977 Also based on question- conditions affecting naire responses from marginal agricultural land, correspondents located « Weeds that have survived around the world, the crop for generations under cir system keeps data on the cumstances that cultivated locality, latitude, elevation, crops could not tolerate pH range, growing season, become valuable tools for temperature range, rainfall agricultural planning, ac and other environmental cording to Dr. Duke. They factors for 1000 economically act as ageless weather useful plants. The sytem stations. Using weeds is a lot helps scientists and fanners less expensive than putting a identify those crops which real weather station in a will thrive in salty soil, remote area to monitor drought conditions, ex- conditions and is possibly tremes of temperature, air more accurate than short pollution and other adverse term climatic monitoring. School plans auction MORGANTOWN - The Conestoga Christian School cordially invites all area residents to the Fourth Annual Auction Sale, and Open House, to be held on Saturday, November 5,1977, starting at 9:30 a.m. on the school grounds. This is a special year for the school because it marks the 25th year of service to Eastern Lancaster, Berks, and Chester Counties. During the sale the events will be broadcasted live over WBYO-FM in Boyertown from 2-4 P.M. There will be interviews with students, teachers, and patrons. Singing by different musical groups from the school will also be broadcast according to Dean Landis, principal. Open house set WENONAH, N.J. - An open house of the Lively Leaders 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Club will be held November 1, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Gloucester County Office Building, Clayton, New Jersey. The program includes the film “Man and Dog”, which tells the story of America’s oldest and largest dog guide school. A slide presentation showing what the club and families of the 4-H’ers are doing in the club will also be shown. There will also be displays of different aspects of the club’s activities and what is being done at the Seeing Eye School. Members of the club and their dogs will be there to answer any questions. NEW! Model F-30...the workshop warmer. KNIPC® portable heaters A low-cost heater that delivers fast, efficient heat Economical to operate Ideal for small areas, spot jobs, supple mental heat Quiet, dependable performance The same top quality features as the professional models FARMERSVIUE EQUIPMENT, INC. 99
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