84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 24,1990
Ida’s
Notebook
Ida Kisser
With several quite warm days
in a row, spring seems to have
arrived with a bang. Crocuses are
popping up all over the front yard.
Some are yellow, some violet and
some a deep purple. Even the for
sythia bushes behind the barn
have burst into bloom. Those near
our house have had all of their
buds eaten off by the sparrows.
Last week was the Philadelphia
Flower Show and my daughter-in
law, Lisa, and I went with a bus
tour. Many people attended and it
was difficult to get close to the
beautiful exhibits. Some had
names like, “Harmony in Design”
or “Perennial Garden.” These
included herb gardens, wildflower
gardens and rose gardens. There
were lectures that could be
attended. Some exhibits included
waterfalls, old buildings and lots
of statues. Many miniature bou
quets were displayed in addition
to pretty table settings.
Egg salad makes a versatile,
yet easy, recipe for young chefs to
try. Kids can use an egg slicer to
safely chop the cooked eggs. They
simply slice the eggs one way,
then turn them around and slice
the other way. Imaginations can
SPRING VALUE DAYS
SAVE ON MOWERS AND TRIMMERS
Ooobfc LAWN & GARDEN CENTER
•i
QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICE *l33* Main St„ Imi Earl, PA
717-354-4026 Mon., W«d., Thur*., Fri. 9-9; Tuos. A Sat. 9*S p.m.
After a lunch in the nearby
crowded cafeteria, we boarded our
bus for a trip to downtown Phi
ladelphia to do some shopping.
You can have your choice of large
department stores or small spe
cialty shops. So whether you want
shoes, books or another bite to eat,
they can accommodate you.
Later in the afternoon, as we sat
in the sun to wait for our bus, we
simply watched the people hurry
ing by. Well dressed men and
women who hopped into nearby
taxis and poorly dressed ones who
dug through trash barrels. As we
listened to the loud sirens of police
cars and fire engines whizzing
past us, I couldn’t help but com
pare it to our relatively quiet life
on the farm. One of the pleasures
of living here is being able to hear
yourself think. And, another plus
is the river gently flowing down
stream to the mill dam. It was
quite a contrast.
run wild with stir-in possibilities.
The final concoction can be
scooped into baked potato skins,
or cooked large pasta shells, or
spread onto mini bagels, English
muffin halves or even toasted
waffles!
During March 19-31, 1990
Blossoming
Alternatives
(Continued from Page B 2)
being raised by Maryland fanners.
Healy continues developing
field cut flower production prac
tices that require minimal amounts
of labor and pesticide applica
tions, concentrating on asters,
snapdragons and Celosia, as well
as larkspur and other members of
the Delphinium genus. He also
focuses on water, nutrient and pes
ticide management.
Precise water application is crit
ical to maximizing stem elonga
tion of developing flowers,” Hea
ly said. "This is important, since
cut flowers are sold based on stem
length.”
Working with researchers at the
Maryland Agricultural Experi
ment Station’s Salisbury and
Upper Marlboro facilities, Healy
conducts herbicide trials to deter
mine the best weed and insect con
trol methods. This portion of his
project aims to minimize pesticide
applications through the use of
targeted spraying and beneficial
insect predators.
One final production-related
effort involves evaluating peak
harvesting times using a heat unit
technique. This method measures
the number of degree days - a unit
based on the standard average dai
ly temperature - that pass before
flowering occurs.
“Once peak flowering dates are
known,” Healy said, “growers can
develop a marketing strategy that
allows them to offer cut flowers
throughout the growing season.”
CHIMNEY PROD LEMS?
Inflated
Pneumi
Supatorm
TIHL
Supal
Suppi
Supaflu
Pumped Ai
Supalorm
Spacers
Although Maryland florists purchase $lOO million of flor
icultural products annually, three-fourths of these pro
ducts are imported. Dr. will Healy, shown here with a clerk
at Behnke Nurseries In Beltsville, believes Maryland far
mers can obtain supplemental Income by filling this supply
niche. Healy, a University of Maryland Agricultural Experi
ment Station horticulturist, has field-tested and evaluated
more than 150 cut flower cultlvars since 1987. Photo EricKieUy.
Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.
Supaflu Fights Hot Chimney
Fires Before They Begin.
Creosote build-up, cracked chimney tiles, decaying
mortar and hot trapped gasses. This is the way
dangerous and damaging chimney fires start. A
trained Supaflu chimney professional can spot these
hazards in a hurry and take care of them almost as
fast. A fast and inexpensive cast-in-place Supaflu in
stallation makes your chimney better than new,
safer than new. A smooth, strong Supaflu lined
chimney fights creosote build-up and eliminates hot
trapped gases, dramatically reducing chimney fire
dangers.
BORDER CONSTRUCTION
RD#l Box 83 • Fawn Grove, PA 17321
Authorized Supaflu Inelallor Serving Southern York
and Southern Lancaster Counties and Cecil County, MD
CALL (717) 382-4985
i
V. *
g Vk> »
V
f
National Supaflu Systems, Inc
r*>. ew«a w« wend w*
mn w imc eennv’Mi
*
stpaflu'