BlfrLancttMr Fanrtno, Saturday, Novambar 13,1M3
WPV
E i I HAPPENING^
Competitive Trail Ride
Winners Announced
UNIVERSITY PARK 4-H
members and leaders from eight
counties recently participated in
the ninth annual Pennsylvania 4-H
Competitive Trail Ride, sponsored
by Penn State’s College of Agri
cultural Sciences.
The event, also known as the
Keystone Ride, took place on Sep
tember 17 and 18 and covered
mote than 30 miles through Roth
rock State Forest in Centre, Mif
flin, and Huntingdon counties.
The 1993 first-place division
winners were Beth Ann Bunnell,
Columbia County, junior riding
pony; Jollcne Shearer, York
County, senior riding pony; Laura
Tumbaugh, Perry County, junior
riding horse; Heather Greenly,
Columbia County, senior riding
horse; Melissa Castriota, York
County, adull/leadcr lightweight;
and Gene Barrett, Columbia
County, adult/Icadcr heavyweight.
The annual competition is or
ganized by Ben Nolt, coordinator
of Penn State’s 4-H Therapeutic
Horseback Riding Program, and
Palricia Comerford, instructor in
dairy and animal science. Richard
Ely, 4-H leader in Somerset Coun
ty, served as this year’s volunteer
leader.
“Competitive trail riding en
courages teamwork between the
rider and horse,” said Nolt.
Make Topiaries
For Holiday Giving
NEWARK, Del, Too early
to think about holiday gift-giving?
' Not if you plan to grow your
gifts. Training a plant over a frame
to shape into an ornamental topi
ary is an inexpensive and easy
way to make a gift people will tre
asure, according to Jo Mercer,
University of Delaware Coopera
tive Extension horticulture agent
“Simple indoor topiaries are
easy to create from semi-woody
plants such as rosemary and
thyme. Both are very fragrant and
adapt well to indoor culture,” says
Mercer. “Elfin herb is also a good
choice because it trains easily and
blooms most of the year.”
Any of the ivy varieties are also
a good choice for shaping topiar
ies. She suggests buying a plant
that is growing in a pot only
slightly smaller than the container
you plan to use. Choose a healthy
looking, not-too-full specimen
that is already starting to vine.
“For your topiary, use a clay or
“4-H’ers leant to select a good
trail horse and properly condition
the animal. They develop riding
skills and come to know what to
expect of themselves and the
horse. The experience also teaches
youth how to treat woodlands and
take care of champ sites and trails.
They develop a greater apprecia
tion for nature.”
Participants spend months con
ditioning themselves and their
horses for the event. They must
complete the ride within a speci
fied time and are judged on their
horsemanship, trail manners and
the condition of their horse before,
during and after the ride.
This year's event was supported
by the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Resources Bur
eau of Forestry, the Nittany Ama
teur Radio Club, the Penn State
Pre-Vet Club, Centre Equine
Practice, the State College Air Na
tional Guard Unit, the Patton
Township Lions Club, Houser
Vending Company of State Col
lege, Happy Valley Motor Inn of
State College and local volun
teers.
The 4-H Competitive Trail Ride
is open to all 4-H horse and pony
club members in the state. For
more information, contact your
county’s Penn State Cooperative
Extension office or contact Ben
Nolt, 323 Agricultural Adminis
tration Building, University Park,
PA 16802; (814) 863-3824.
stoneware pot,” the agent advises.
“The frame structure has a high
center of gravity, making light
weight plastic pots a poor choice
they will tip over. A good prop
ortion ratio for frame height to pot
height is one to one. Keep the
widths equal.”
The frame should be medium
weight wire, about the gauge of a
coat hanger. In fact, a coat hanger
is about the right size for the prop
ortions of a 6-inch pot. The
straightened hook can be inserted
into the soil near the trunk of the
plant. The remainder of the coat
hanger is then bent into the desired
shape a simple circle, a heart or
a diamond shape that suggests an
evergreen tree.
“You don’t want to crush or
abrade the tender stems of the
plant,” Mercer says. “So use soft
cotton twine or yam to gently tie
the branches onto the frame. Snip
off stray side branches only and let
the tips grow to reach around the
Trees Need Fertilizer
Like other plants, trees must
have essential mineral elements to
grow well and remain healthy.
Since, trees thrive in natural
areas for decades, it’s often hard
to understand the need to fertilize
them in human-made landscapes.
The reason is simply that soil and
environmental conditions are
changed when trees are trans
planted to home grounds, making
periodic fertilizing necessary.
If a tree is growing in fertile,
loamy soil, it will have less need
for added fertilizer. Most trees are
not planted in optimum soil condi
tions however. The following
recommendations apply to trees in
the home landscape.
First, get the soil tested to deter
mine exact fertilizer needs of the
areas where trees are to be
planted. Soil test kits can be pur
chased in the extension office. The
cost is $6 per kit Office hours are
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday. The results of the
test will include fertilizer
recommendations.
Any complete fertilizer is good
for trees. The ratio of nitrogen
phosphorus- potassium should be
1-1-1,1- 2- 2, or 1- 2-1. Recom-
luumal
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MAAKETMQ ASSOCIATION. INC
entire wire frame.”
She recommends checking the
ties frequently to prevent girdling.
Remove ties that are too tight.
Gradually, the plant will become
self-supporting and ties can be
removed altogether.
After the entire length of the
frame has been covered, snip off
the tips to encourage side shoots to
grow. This will add the fullness
that camouflages the structure.
“Once your topiary takes shape,
it can be dressed up for the sea
son,” Mercer suggests. “A circular
topiary lends itself well to becom
ing a wreath. Just add miniature
lights powered by batteries and a
bright red or plaid bow to com
plete the traditional holiday
symbol.”
IMMBMAN
1 MFG. CORP.
380 SERIES FOR
A versatile, economical
Bales and Ear Corn.
WELL BALANCED, RUGGEDLY
BUILT FOR MANY YEARS
OF TROUBLE-FREE
SERVICE
390 Series
A FULL LINE OF EXHAUST FANS
Including Efficient
Belt Drive Units
J With Housing
W a wf And Shutter
30”, 36” And 48”
mended fertilizers include 10-10-
10,5-10-10 or 5-10- 5. You can
substitute such fertilizer types as
20- 20- 20,10- 20- 20, or 10- 20-
10. However, remember to ,apply
just half as much because these
contain twice as much fertilizer.
The best timedo apply fertilizer
every year, or at least every other
year, is late September through
November. The next best time is
in early spring before buds break.
Avoid July through mid-
September applications because
new growth, forced out at this
time, will not harden before the
onset of winter. As a result, the
new growth will die.
Ideally, you should apply fertil
izer just before a gentle rain. This
will help the material dissolve and
move into the soil. When a dry
spell persists, irrigate the fertilized
area with 1/2 to 1 inch of water.
The simplest and fastest way to
apply fertilizer is called broadcast
ing - or surface fertilizer applica
tion. This method requires little
labor and no special equipment.
You amply spread fertilizer even
ly over the soil surface under tree
branches and at least 5 to 10 feet
beyond the drip line. Trees that are
planted in regularly fertilized
lawns probably will not require
more fertilizer applications.
The second fertilization method
is called the hole or punch-bar
method. With this method, you
use a punch-bar or similar device
to make holes six to twelve inches
deep. Make holes five to ten feet
beyond the drip line of the tree.
This method is advantageous if
the soil is compacted or contains a
lot of clay. The holes, which con
tain fertilizer, aerate the soil and
provide nutrients to the trees.
With the hole method, you
should spread evenly the recom
mended fertilizer rate in the holes
using a funnel and a small cup as a
measuring device. After placing
fertilizer in each hole, finish fill
ing the hole with sand, crushed
stone, perlite, peat moss or loam
soil.
eMUL IT DOES A BODY GOOD.
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION, INC.
125 King Court/
Hollander Rd.
New Holland, PA 17557
(717) 364-9611
This Is
A Rugged
High Speed
'or Ear Corn,
Bulk Feeds,
re or Bales.
Cracks
In Trees?
Large cracks that develop in
trees are often blamed on one of
two causes • the freezing and
thawing of the trunk during the
winter, or the effect of direct sun
light on the trunk dunng any pan
of the year. Traditionally, cracks
have been thought to develop on
the outside of the trunk and move
inward. However, Arbortopics
(2371 S. Foster Avenue, Wheel
ing, IL 60090) reports that
research on tree growth and func
tion suggests this may not be true.
Studies by Dr. Alex Shigo, a
respected plant pathologist who
has done endless research on the
internal functions and care of
trees, indicate that cracks begin to
form inside the tree and move
toward the surface. Cracks may
originate from wounds, improper
pruning cuts, root injury, branch
stubs, or weak crotches. The
important point to realize is that
the crack originates inside the tree
completely out of view from
the outside.
Freeze/thaw cycles, drought,
wind, and heat all can cause swell
ing and contraction of tree stems.
These actions may serve to force
the internal cracks toward the sur
face. The environmental condi
tions did not create the crack; they
stimulated an existing crack to
move to the surface.
Crack formation can be pre
vented with proper tree care. Eli
minating weak crotches, proper
pruning cuts, and wound preven
tion are the keys. Tree wraps and
pruning paints do little, if any
thing, to prevent cracks. Cracks
can form beneath tree wrap as if it
wasn’t there. A growing number
of researchers and nurserymen are.
recommending not using tree
wraps. As we leant more about'
trees, old ideas continue to give
way to new procedures.
Contact Us
T" ot
Literature
& Prices!