Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Dec. 23, 1982, edition 1 / Page 34
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Bob and Lillian Hendrix's decorations at their home at 206 W. Fifth A ve. Christmas trimmings hang over Raeford Post Office customers. May the radiance of love and friendship brighten each day of the Yuietide Season. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. Edenborough Pharmacy Edmborough C?nt?r Getting down to brass tacks, we want to wish you every joy of this bright season. Our business is built on your patronage and we thank you for it! McLauchlin Lock & Hardware Company MAIN ST. OHOIY NIGHT May your Christmas be blessed with peace and happiness! Raeford Variety Main St. Raaford Jane Andrews, owner It's our favorite time of year ? whan wa hava tha opportunity to wish all our good friands a vary Marry Christ maal Raeford Kindergarten & Day School Eleonor Scull, Ero? Tlllett, Frances Hawkins, Connie Ferguson Poinsettias Blooming In NC State Greenhouses If it weren't for the efforts of researcher* tike Dr. Roy Larson of the North Carolina Sute Univeni ty Department of Horticultural Science, your Christinas poinsettia might be a spindly, 10-foot shrub * with a single, sparse flower cluster. Like most poinsettias grown before 1970, it would probably die a few days after blooming. Could this be the plant that spawned a multi-million -dollar commercial industry-the same 1 plant that inspired North Carolina growers to produce almost three million poinsettias this year, rank ing N.C. in the top 10 states for pointsettia production? Actually, this lackluster shrub resembles the natural poinsettia growing wild in its native country, Mexico. If "poinsettia" sounds more French than Mexican, the credit goes to the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Jod Poinsett, who sent the curious red and green plant to his greenhouses in Greenville, S.C., in 1825. By 1899, the poinsettia had gain ed a reputation as "the Christmas flower," competing with the holly sprig--an early Christian Christmas | decoration symbolizing the Virgin Mary. The first commercially produced poinsettias, however, were a far cry from the bushy 18-inch "Glory" poinsettias gracing the NCSU greenhouses today. In search of the perfect poinset tia, Larson and his associates have spent 27 years experimenting with fertilization techniques, planting and watering timetables and chemical treatment. By treating the plants with growth retardant, they have produced shorter stems, more brilliant colors and longer life spans. The persnickety poinsettia, which normally blooms only after a series of long, cool autumn nights, unperturbed by light or heat, can now be made to bloom in any season and can be kept in bloom for as long as a year. Experiments to discover the pro per times to "pinch" new growth have enabled the NCSU floriculturists to increase the number of flower clusters from Based on his research. Larson makes the following recommenda -l i ?void draft^JbeS^venis end diy bctt nutted by television sets; phct in sunny loctdooi; water when the soil feels dry; and keep in i cool aoh> place at night. Every sprint and fall. Larson, editor tor the "N.C. Flower Orowcn Bulletin." and his NCSU colleagues |Ne abort courses oo | potnsettias, azaleas and other 1 flowers, shark* their findinas with commercial growers. In addition to their eapeitbe, they offer sur prising tidbits about pointsettias. The red poinsetila "flower," for example, is not a flower at all, but a cluster of modified leaves known as bracts. A red pigment blocks out the green chlorophyll in the bracts, giving the appearance of blooming flowers. The true d flowers are the tiny yellow ovoids at the tip of the stem, Larson said. If the average of 26 bracts per duster holds true, you win end on an unhappy note when playing "Santa love me... Santa loves me not." If your "Christmas flower" has fewer than 10 bracts, it is defi cient by today's standards. To impress friends with your knowledge of floriculture, point ( out the drop of hooey-sweet nectar secreted by the small yellow gland attached to the ovoids. You may fool them into believing the nectar is an aphrodisiac, but claiming the poinsettia is poison would only bolster a common myth. "White rates have been force fed potnsettias without developing so much as an upset stomach," Larson said. Still, he emphasizes that poinscttias are meant to be ad- * mired, not eaten. Creating poinscttias to specifica tion is one of the specialties at the NCSU greenhouses. As the poinsettia's popularity spreads to Europe and Japan, the demand for "Glory" (a German variety), "An nette Hegg" (a long-lasting Norwegian plant) and other hybrids is increasing. "We are trying to grow more beautiful poinscttias more effi ciently to lower the expense for the consumer," Larson said. Joel Poinsett would be pleased &J? HeAsaRM1" ^rW^ff^niiri hhjTft "IB greenhouse "raft the 'Tomtrterrial market. May songs of happiness fill your Holiday Ssason. Tidings of joy to all . Thank you for your patronage. Raeford Plumbing 6 Beating Company SEASON'S CBEST We wish you mi old fashioned Christmas full of good cheer. Sincere thanks for yowr patronage. Raeford Cleaners and Launderers U0msr'
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Dec. 23, 1982, edition 1
34
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