824-Umcast»r Farming, Saturday, June 24, 1995
LOIS SZYMANSKI
Maryland Correspondent
WESTMINSTER. Md.
Christina Harper, a junior at
Francis Scott Key High School, in
Union Bridge. Maryland was
crowned the 1995 Carroll County
Dairy Princess recently at a cere
mony held at the Carroll County
Agricultural Center in Westmin
ster. As a part of the contest she
had to give a short biographical
speech, answer a “fish-bowl”
question about the importance of
the dairy industry in Carroll Coun
ty, and perfonp a short, creative
skit about the dairy industry.
Dressed in a lab coat, bifocal
glasses and a name tag that read
“Cow-Tech University,” Harper
acted out the skit she had written.
In it she was a science professor in
search of the ultimate beverage.
But, by the end of the skit she dis
covered that nature has already
provided the best drink of all in the
form of milk.
Harper is an intelligent young
woman who is concerned about the
future of the dairy industry. She
worries that people do not realize
how much milk and other dairy
products have to offer.
“Over twenty-seven million
people in America suffer from
osteoporosis,” said the new Carroll
County Dairy Princess. “It is a cri
sis...a bone crippling disease that
can immobilize its victims.” Har
per believes that the calcium milk
provides will reduce those num-
Alloway
BETH MILLER
Cumberland Co. Correspondent
LITTLESTOWN (Adams Co.)
—The Alloway Gardens and Herb
Farm is going to be getting a spe
cial guest today.
That guest is Sharon Lovejoy,
the author of the best-selling books
“Sunflower Houses” and “Holly
hock Days.” who will come to the
garden center on June 24 to present
the program “Herbs as Ornamen
tals.”
Lovejoy, who is a Californian, is
known nationally for her own gar
den and is a contributing editor of
“Country Living Gardener Maga
zine.”
But, while Lovejoy can be con
sidered a special guest, every visi
tor to Alloway, which is located
just west of Littlestown on Mud
College Road, gets special
treatment
It has been that way since own
ers Barbara Steele and Marlene
Students work at making an Old English Lavender potpourri during their mornlna
workshop at Alloway Gardens. w
Princess Comes From Cow-Tech University
bers, and that the answer lies in
educating our youth. “I believe in
promoting the dairy industry.
There is a real need for agricultural
education, especially in elemen
tary age children,” she said.
Christina Harper works with her
parents. Bill and Jean Coshun, to
keep their 200-acre Union Bridge
farm running smoothly. They milk
about SO head of cattle, mostly
Hosteins. Harper says that she
helps milk in the evenings during
the school year, and mornings and
evenings during the summer and
on weekends. She has three Brown
Swiss cows and a Brown Swiss
heifer that are hers to show. She
loves the Brown Swiss breed and
believes they have a lot of potential
as an up-and-coming breed.”
Harper is a member of the Mary
land Brown Swiss Association, her
school’s chapter of Future Farmers
of America (FFA), and of the Car
roll County 4-H Dairy Club. She
was on the 1994 FFA Dairy Judg
ing Team that won first place at the
Eastern States Dairy Expo in
Springfield, Massachusetts, and
placed second at the Maryland
State Fair Dairy Judging Contest
Christina Harper’s dark eyes
turned serious when she talked
about how important it is to pre
serve the dairy industry. “Even if
you are not a dairy farmer, so many
jobs are created by the dairy indus
try. There are the milk truck haul
ers, farm hands, the salesmen of
sanitary equipment...all the way
down to the stores that sell the
milk. Did you know that Carroll
Gardens Blooms With I
simply as “friends doing some
thing together that they both really
liked.”
“We started out with herbs for
sale and some classes,” said Mar
lene. “For a while we were doing a
lot with dried herbs and flowers,
making bouquets, wreaths and
such, but the interest is not quite as
high as it used to be.
“But now a lot of attention has
turned toward the medicinal use of
plants,” she said.
Alloway’s offerings have grown
considerably over the last 19 years.
The list of classes the center
offers is especially impressive.
In addition to Lovejoy’s prog
ram, other summer programs
include “Fragrance Fantasy” on
July 7 and 8, “Majolica Decorated
Tiles or Trivets,” on July 11,
“Flower Pressing with Violet” on
July 12. “Mud College Mud Earth
enware,” on July 18, “The Cutting
Garden,” on July 22, “Herbal Fla-
County alone produces more than
250 million pounds of milk annu
ally?” she asked.
“I guess I’m just a farm girl. I
love working on the farm," Harper
said, “and I like milking the most!”
But milking cows isn’t the only
thing this 17 year-old does on the
farm.
Christian Harper’s family’s
home is surrounded by pine trees
and perched on top of a hill over
looking the farm buildings and
fields below. With 28 acres of their
farm planted in Christmas trees,
winter finds Harper helping with
the daily chores of a choose-and
cut Christmas tree farm. Her duties
include helping run a baler that
wraps the trees into easy-to-haul
packages, or making some of the
hundreds of Christmas wreaths
and decorations the family sells
each winter. Their house is a beau
tifully decorated, magnificent log
structure that welcomes visitors
with the warmth and strength of
home. Harper confided that build
ing the house was a family effort,
and she helped too.
Harper hopes to become a large
animal vet, and she already has
several colleges in mind out...
“Virginia Tech or the University of
Maryland.”
She said. “I want a strong educa
tion, but I also want to work out
side. I enjoy physical work as well
as the sciences.”
Christina Harper will represent
Carroll County at the Maryland
State Dairy Princess Contest to be
held on July 25.
vors and Savors,” on Aug. 11,
“Botanical Wreath” on Aug. 12,
and “Nosegay of Dried Flowers”
on Aug. 16.
Alloway’s offerings of plants
also have grown considerably. The
center specializes in all sorts of
herbs, perennials, and annuals,
roses, ferns, ornamental grasses,
vines, small trees and hostas, many
of which are hard to find.
“We try to offer the unusual
plants that you can’t find at the loc
al greenhouse,” Marlene said.
Not only does Alloway supply
the plants, the staff there shows
customers how to plant them and
combine herbs and flowers for suc
cessful gardens, like the kind that
abound at Alloway.
Steele and Lufriu make a point
of field testing plants before they
offer them. They grow a new plant
in their display garden for at least a
year before they offer it for sale to
examine its hardiness and charac
teristics. If it passes the test, they
* '
Carroll County Dairy Princess Christina Harper holds her
baby brother. The Harpers live In a log home that Christina
helped to build.
eas And Plants
One of the gardens at
proceed to propagate the plant or
find cuttings from the same source
to grow in their outdoor beds or
greenhouse.
One of the newest additions at
Alloway is a greenhouse which,
like all the greenhouses there, is
used as a cold house to hold and
grow perennials until they can be
acclimated to the out of doors.
All the growing at Alloway,
which is open from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sun
days. is done on three very busy
acres.
Marlene said the aim at Alloway
> I
rdens.
iway
is not only to sell plants, but to fer
tilize the enthusiasm of area
gardeners.
“What we really want to do ia
educate—that is the basis for what
we do,” she said.
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