Newspapers / The Warren Record (Warrenton, … / Jan. 23, 1985, edition 1 / Page 8
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Planter Available Cost Can Be Saved By No-Till Farming Bv MIKE HARRIETT Soil Conservation Technician USDA, Soil Conservation Service Do you really need to turn under that cover crop or last year's residue? If you are planning to plant corn or soybeans, using no-till can save you time, soil and money. No-till involves planting in a narrow slot without disturbing the residue or mulch that's on the ground and using herbicides to control weeds. Residue covering 50 percent of the surface or more is needed for the best results. No-till can cut soil erosion by half in some cases. The residue and mulch slow down runoff. This keeps topsoil in place, allows moisture to enter the soil, and keeps fertilizer and chemicals in the field where they're needed. In a dry year, the mulch protects the ground from overheating and losing moisture. Fields planted by no-till will show moistuure stress later than conventionally tilled fields. This could allow you to irrigate later and less often. Other advantages of no-till include less labor and lower production costs (fuel, time, and equipment). Double cropping is more effective with no-till. The next crop can be planted while the combine is still in the field. This gives the crop full advantage of the growing season. No-till double cropping is usually thought of with small grain-soybeans, but is also very effective with silage crops. One problem you must face before planting no-till is weeds. Most weeds can be effectively controlled with herbicides and good crop rotations. Perennial weeds, Bermuda grass and Johnson grass, primari ly, should be controlled in a field before beginning no-till. Modern herbicides do a good job when used properly and safely. Cost-sharing is available for no-till planting through the Agricultural Stabilization and Conser vation Service (ASCS) Office in Warrenton. It is limited to no more than three years on a farm. Farmers must apply and receive approval before they begin planting. The Warren Soil and Water Conservation District has a two-row no-till planter available for farmers who are interested in trying no-till. The planter is rented for $2 an acre and can be reserved by calling the Soil Conservation Service in Warrenton The Warren County Cattleman's Association has a no-till grain drill that can be used to interseed pastures, seed silage or hay crops, and can handle soybean seed. To rent the no-till drill, contact Chet Maxey at the County Extension Office. No-till offers many benefits and can be an impor tant part of your crop rotation. For more informa tion, contact the Soil Conservation Service, Warren ton, at 257-3836. In The Garden This Mimosa Plant Is Very Sensitive This plant is so sensitive that when touched, the leaves will immediately close up. It is easily started from seed and is a slow growing plant. After several leaves form on the seedlings, pinch the stem tip to promote branching and to prevent the plant from becomming leggy. This species of mimosa re quires warmth, good light, moist soil, good drainage and plant food only in the spring and summer months. At least 4 hours of filtered sunlight from any direction except north light is essential. Water the plant thoroughly but remove all drainage. Lightly clip or prune the plant to maintain the desired height and shape. Transplant to a larger pot whenever neces sary. The most common prob lems that occur with the Mimosa plant are over-water ing and poor drainage. The plant will grow weak and leggy if the light is not bright enough and the leaves will scorch if placed in a draft or theairistoodry. r 1 Ut>.1 No-till corn planted in a small grain cover crop tilled corn. * (SCSPboto) survives a dry summer better than conventional For Better Living Toy Purchase Can Spawn Questions By Margaret J. Woods Assoc. Home Economics Extension Agent The after-holiday sales may be a good time to add to or replace your toys. Before you buy, however, ask yourself a few questions. Why do children need toys? Play is natural to all children. It's the way they get acquainted with the world around them. Properly chosen toys aid in a child's mental, social, emotional and physical development. For whom am I buy ing? As children grow and develop, their toy needs change. How old are the children in your care? What is each one working on develop mentally? How wide is the age range in your group? Playthings appropriate for the child's age level interests encourage play for which the toys were designed and thus reduce potential accidents. In a group setting, however, you must consider whether a toy safe for an older child is unsafe for a younger one. A child's favorite kinds of play become evident at an early age and tend to be favored throughout his childhood. There are, however, general de velopmental charac teristics that suggest the types of toys suitable for children of different ages. What toys are suitable for each age? A child's interest will usually carry through more than one age period. For ex ample, a youngster who enjoys riding a tricycle when very young will likely continue to be in terested in wheel toys right into the teens. This is true of such playthings as construction toys and sets, board games, books, paint sets, in struments and sports equipment. In the follow ing tables, therefore, particular types of toys are initially listed within the age group in which interest in them is first apt to occur. Under 18 months: Rat tles, nursery mobiles, soft animals, squeak toys, crib-gym exercises, strings of big beads, pic ture blocks, nestled boxes or cups, books with rhymes, pictures, jingles, push-pull toys, floating tub toys, musical and chime toys, pounding toys, stacking toys, small light wagon to pull, simple take apart-and-assemble toys. 18 months to 3 years: First tricycle, wagon to get into, small low gym and seesaw, hobby horse, sandbox and sand >• \ toys, balls of all sizes, child-size play furniture, play appliances and utensils, blocks of dif ferent shapes and sizes, simple dress-up clothes, dolls and doll furniture, simple puzzles, stuffed animals, take-apart-and put together toys with large parts, clay, model ing dough, simple musical instruments. 3 years to 6 years: Addi tional dress-up outfits, puppets, larger tricycle and other wheel toys, storekeeping toys, cash register, toy phone and toy clock, housekeeping toys, farm, village and other play sets, items for bathing/feeding dolls, small trucks, cars, planes and boats, books and records, easy con struction sets, coloring books, puzzles, trains and auto racing layouts. 6 years to 9 years:Board and tabletop sports games, fashion dolls and paper dolls, doll houses, toy typewriter, printing set, racing cars, construction sets, handicrafts, sports equipment, larger bikes, skates, scooter, electric trains, books, tops, and kits Do you have a good variety of toys? Just as every child requires a balanced diet, so it is that every child needs a well-balanced assort ment of toys that will contribute to his all around development and implement the four main kinds of play: Active/physical play to help build a strong, healthy body; Manipulative, con structive, creative and scientific play to stimulate observation and encourage imitative and self expression; Imitative, im aginative, and dramatic play to help a child stretch his mind and im prove his understanding of the adult world; Social play to help him learn how to get along with other children, and to instill in him an ap preciation of sportsman ship and the value of con centrating and thinking quickly and accurately. More tips: Think before you buy. Don't impulse buy. Don't buy it if a homemade one will do. Read and keep in formed of developments in toy safety. Teach children safe play with toys. Set good examples. Supervise toy play accor ding to situation. Con sider the child's age, per sonality, surroundings, and experience. There are two ac tivities you might want to try with your children for winter. In the first, give them a ruler, yardstick, or tape measure and ask them to find an item in the room or house three inches long, six inches long, etc. Later when the children are familiar with measuring, they can measure various items to determine their length. Let them measure in inches, feet, yards as well as metrics. Several children can work together when measuring large items. If you like, you can record the measure ments on a chart so the children can see how the see how the measurements are written. In the second game, let the children weigh various items on the bathroom or kitchen scales. It is fun to record these measurements, too. You are invited: To a conference on day care issues, "Meeting the Challenges of the '80's Child" on March 28-30 in Raleigh. Special features plan ned are general and small group sessions allowing participants to hear and discuss major day care issues; keynote addresses by newly elected and appointed of ficials; display of day care exhibits and resources, and a forum on proposals recom mended by Day Care Legislative Study Com mittee, some of which af fect day care homes. For more information, call Kelly Vick, Office of Child Day Care Licens ing in Raleigh at 733-4801. Multinational Cars Most cars now built in the United States have some foreign parts in them, usually about 10 to 15 percent of the total, according to several automotive organizations. A bill pending in Congress would set limits on the "for eign content" in cars made in the United States. Weather Severity Is Planting Factor From (all to early spring is the recom mended time for plant ing trees and shrubs in North Carolina. If you warn to identify the best time more narrowly, you will have to take location into considera tion. Ideally, shrubs and trees should be planted as early in the dormant season as possible. Down east this would mean fall. In the higher elevations of the moun tains, it might mean early spring. The severity of the winter is an important factor. In the higher elevations where the temperatures average much lower than down east, North Carolina State University agricultural extension specialists suggest waiting until early spring to make new plantings. Where winter weather is less severe, fall or early winter plantings have advantages. First, it allows plants to estab lish a root system in the new soil long before the hot weather of summer approaches. There is root activity although the top of the plant is not growing. The long term perform ance of the plant is heavily dependent on how good a start it gets. If it can be planted early and develop a strong root system, next sum mer's heat and drought stresses will have less of an adverse effect. Another advantage of planting as early as possible is the plant's need for supplemental water. Usually, you won't have to water as often, if the plant is planted in late fall or early winter as com pared to spring and summer planting. To prevent food poisoning, field dress, clean and chill the car cass of any game as soon as possible after killing.
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.)
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Jan. 23, 1985, edition 1
8
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