Dogwoods are good choice
for landscaping of homes
ly Wilt Futtinlow, Jr.
Hoke Extension Chilnui
The dogwood, no matter what
color its flowers, is always a good
choice for the home landscape,
and planting time is the dormant
season.
When grown as a lawn tree, the
dogwood often reaches 12 to IS
feet in height and has a low, broad
head and tiers of horizontal bran
dies. The dogwood can be trained
to have several trunks, making it a
distinct landscape accent,
somewhat like dump birch.
Dogwood adapts to various ex
posures and soil types. The most
favorable soil is moist, fertile
loam, slightly add to neutral. You
can improve the soil for dogwoods
by mixing peat moss or leafmold
with the soil in the planting hole.
Dogwoods also benefit from a
mulch of leaves or other coarse
organic material. This keeps the
soil moist near the surface where
its shallow root system is most ac
tive and protect the trunk from
lawnmower damage.
The best time to transplant
dogwood is in the fall and winter,
although container-grown plants
can be moved anytime. Nursery
grown trees that have been root
pruned and grown in full sunlight
are far superior to those
transplanted from the woods.
Root prune at least a full season
before moving. Root prune by
spading just beneath the tips of
outer branches to cut rangy roots.
This causes the tree to form a more
compact root system.
Often, while the tree is in a
weakened condition after
transplanting, insects called borers
can cause damage. Borer damage
can be reduced or prevented by
wrapping the trunk with burlap or
heavy paper strips.
Should rainfall be scant the first
season, soak the soil around the
dogwood once a week. Fertilize
each year when growth has just
begun in the spring. Use one
pound of 8-8-8 fertilizer per inch
of trunk diameter.
Preventing wood rot in homes
Warm, moist weather makes a
lot of things grow faster. One that
most people don't think about un
til it's too late is wood rot.
Most homeowners are quite
familiar with termites and the
damage they cause. However,
wqod rotting fungi are more likely
to damage homes in Hoke County
than termites.
Fungi can occur in any part of
the house that stays moist, and
especially in floors, door frames,
porches, roof trim and decks.
To control rot, a person must
get rid of the moisture and allow
the wood to dry. Pressure treated
wood should be used where
moisture can't be eliminated, such
as on a deck or fence. Spraying
wood with preservative chemicals
will not control rot when the wood
stays moist.
Extension News
Rot commonly occurs when the
crawl space under the house is
poorly drained and ventilated. A
iot of people don't realize the im
portance of the small vents around
the house at ground level. They
must be open from spring through
fall, otherwise water can condense
on the wood joists causing rot.
In addition to good ventilation,
a plastic sheet placed on the soil is
a relatively cheap and effective
way of keeping moisture in the soil
and out of the house.
Four mil polyethylene can be us
ed to cover about 70% of the soil.
Check the plastic after a heavy
rain to make sure that water
doesn't drain on top of the plastic.
If that happens, you may have at
least one vent about every 15 feet
around the house. Without the
polyethylene, there should be a
vent about every 8 feet.
The exact spacing depends on
the size of the house and the free
air space through the vents.
Many homeowners are installing
automatic vents. According to
N.C. State University specialists,
these are a convenience because
you don't have to worry about
opening and closing the vents.
However, regular vents will do
just as good a job providing they
are opened.
Other suggestions are to keep
gutters and downspouts clear, and
have the house inspected at least
once a year for plumbing leaks,
evidence of rot, as well as for ter
mites and other insects.
CHANGES IN TOBACCO PRO
GRAM
There have been three major
amendments to the tobacco pro
gram within the last two years. The
No Net Cost Tobacco Program of
1982 provided that price support
activity be operated without cost to
the taxpayer.
USDA was authorized to limit
the change in supports to 65% of
the formula increase. Also, volun
tary sale of flue-cured quotas was
permitted within county lines.
In mid- 1983 amendments froze
the support rate at the 1982 level
and allowed greater discretion in
the setting of burley quotas. With
little time for farmers to adjust to
these changes, the Tobacco Ad
justment Act of 1983 was signed
into law extending the freeze of
supports and providing for major
changes in rental arrangements.
A major point of debate leading
to the 1982-83 amendments
centered on the nature of demand
for tobacco.
Most studies indicate that a
change in price is not likely to alter
cigarette consumption to the same
degree.
Such inelastic demand might be
expected to translate into higher
farm prices when the quantity of
U.S. -produced tobacco is
restricted through a government
program. But, imported leaf can
be partially substituted into
domestic cigarettes. Also, a pro
gram of supply controls and price
supports may be more limiting on
volume of exports than on
domestic use.
A second issue deals with financ
ing the program. In the past,
government loans on a
nonrecourse basis were available to
tobacco cooperatives to implement
the price support system.
The federal government will not
absorb losses on tobacco beginning
with the 1982 crop. The limit on
government outlays for tobacco is
in sharp contrast to some other
commodity programs that had
record expenditures in 1983, e.g.,
the PIK programs for feed grains,
wheat and cotton.
The short-run administrative
choices under the "No Net Cost
Tobacco Program" are limited:
either quota size must be severely
restricted in order to minimize
Stabilization losses or farmers
must incur increased assessments.
Another issue visible in recent
legislation involves access to
quota. Previously one interested in
growing tobacco had to purchase
farmland with an assigned quota
or engage in a rental or leasing ar
rangement.
Authority for annual Lease-and
Transfer is scheduled to expire
after 1986.
A new option is now authorized
-i.e., to buy (or sell) quota, as a
separate asset, within county lines.
Consequently, potential buyers
and sellers will be trying to assess
the worth of quota.
The impact of recent amend
ments is to reduce long-run returns
expected from quota. Since price
supports are frozen (probably
through 1985) and increased
thereafter at less than the inflation
rate, the margin above production
costs are likely to narrow.
In contrast, the formula rate,
which had been in effect from 1960
through 1981, essentially preserved
the share of tobacco price going in
to rent by increasing price supports
in direct proportion to changes in
farm costs.
What implications can be drawn
from recent amendments to the
tobacco program?
?The commodity program will
not provide as much price protec
tion as in the past.
?Differences in the economic
stake of various sectors of the
tobacco industry (growers, quota
owners, farm supply and tobacco
purchasers recently have become
evident.
?All factors that affect the
market for tobacco are not direct
results of the commodity legisla
tion for tobacco, e.g., the
Smoking-and-Health controversy,
increased cigarette taxes, and the
recent strength of the U.S. dollar,
are significant but independent
events.
June hire-the-vet month in county
June has been designated by the
Department of Labor as "Hire a
Vet Month" by the National
Department of Labor (DOL), ac
cording to George Jones, local Job
Service representative.
Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill
has also signed a proclaimation
saying the same thing, said Jones.
The labor department is pro
moting an emergency job training
program into which only veterans
of the Korean and Vietnam Wars
can be admitted, Jones said.
These vets must have been
unemployed for 15 of the last 20
weeks, he added.
The DOL will pay half the salary
for training a disabled veteran for
up to 15 months and up to
S 10,000, Jones said.
For a non-disabled vet, DOL
will pay half the salary for nine
months, not to exceed $10,000.
The DOL has set aside $150
million for the program in
J. H. Austin
Insurance Agency, Inc.
Is Pleased To Announce That
Franklin R. Teal
Has Joined Our Staff
We Invite You To
Come In Soon To Talk
To Us About Your Insurance Needs.
J. H. Austin
Insurance Agency, Inc.
112 Edinborough Ave.
SINCE 1962
875-3867
Howr. MO - S p.m. Monday thru Friday
1
J : H. Austin - Tony Austin - Franklin R. Ts&i
1984-85, he said.
According to Jones, salary
money will be paid directly to the
employer and Job Service will take
care of the paper work to begin the
program.
The size of the industry is of no
matter as long as it is expanding
and employment must be full time
and not commissioned, said Jones.
Presently, The House of
Raeford is the only local industry
using the plan.
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Talking about fish
Fishery biologist Lacy Nichols and assistant
biologist Bobby Buff explain the types of fish found
in GatUn's Pond during an Environmental Field
Day conducted for Hoke County students by the
Hoke Soil and Water Conservation District. These
students joined approximately 450 others from the
Turlington School during the two-day event to learn
about everything from beekeeping to forest fire
fighting.
Scraps putting dog off feed
DEAR DOCTOR: My dog has
gotten to the point where he just
won't eat regular dog food. I'm
afraid we have spoiled him with
table scraps to the point that he
just refuses anything else. How can
I get him to go back to dog food?
Do I just let him starve until he
eats what he is supposed to?
ANSWER: When a dog is allow
ed to eat table food for a period of
time, it is often tough to get a
regular diet re-established. There is
no one answer to your question
because pets vary in their response
to foods. If you have tried to give
only commercial food and he
refuses to eat, try to mix a small
portion of the dog food with the
table food. Once he eats that mix
ture, try to slowly increase the
amount of commercial food until
that is the only food offered.
You must expect some rebellion.
It probably will take a little time to
make the change and perhaps he
will go without eating for a time.
Give him vitamin tablets during
this period so that we know he is
getting the essentials. Feed only the
mixture of food described and
stick with it. Don't give up because
good quality commercial food is
better than home-made diets in
nutrition and ease of feeding.
DEAR DOCTOR: I don't want
to have my dog spayed until it has
had a litter of pups. What can I do
to prevent the dog from coming in
to heat until I am ready for her to
have a litter?
ANSWER: There are drugs
available from your veterinarian
that can stop your pet from com
ing into heat and being attractive
to the males in the neighborhood.
These drugs have very specific in
structions for their use and should
be given only as your veterinarian
directs.
They have the effect of stopping
the ovaries from producing the
hormones that attract males and
also stop the ovaries from releasing
eggs. Most veterinarians suggest
that they be used only on an inter -
mittant basis. That is, don't keep
your female on the drug for years
without letting her body go
through a normal cycle.
The drugs permit you and your
You And Your Pet
pet to have a normal existence until
you are ready for her to have a lit
ter. After you are sure that you
don't want your dog to have any
more pups, have her neutered.
Removal of the uterus and ovaries
not only stops the heat but also
makes certain that she will not
develop serious uterus infections
later in life when surgery is more
likely to be life threatening.
DEAR DOCTOR: Why does my
cat get tapeworms so often? My
vet gives her a shot that is suppos
ed to be very good, but a month or
two later I see the little worm
segments again.
ANSWER: Tapeworms are ac
quired by dogs and cats in two
main "ways. First, they may get
them from fleas and second, they
may get them from catching and
eating small rodents and rabbits.
The type of tapeworm is different
in the two cases, but the effect is
the same.
The flea eats the tapeworm egg
that has passed from the body of
the cat or dog. The egg then
develops partially in the body of
the flea so that when the pet bites
and eats the flea, the pet also gets a
tapeworm. In small rodents such
as ground squirrels, mice and rab
bits, there are other types of
tapeworms that are eaten when the
dog or cat consumes the host.
Both types of worms can be ef
fectively treated by your
veterinarian using drugs we have
had for only a few years. But, if
your dog or cat has fleas or con
tinues to hunt, your pet will get
them again and again. Only by
eliminating the fleas and control
ling the hunting will your pet be
permanently rid of the parasites.
Editor's Note: This column is
provided as a service by the
NORTH CAROLINA VETERI
NARY MEDICAL ASSOCIA
TION. Do you have a question
about pet care? If so, send it to
"YOU AND YOUR PET," P.O.
Box 887, Smittrfield, N.C. 27577.
Hey you , come here
Someone during your
childhood once told you that
dogs cannot talk. I'm here to
tell you that, even though we
may not have the gift of
speech, we can tell you exactly
what we want. We can think
right up there with the best of
them, and I think there Is
somebody out there that wants
a good looking soul like me. /
love people and most especial
ly kids so why don 't you climb
into your automobile and
come out to see me. I'm In the
Raeford-Hoke County Pound,
located at the landfill. Come
check me out. P.S. There are a
bunch of friends in here too.
LOOKING FOR A
? HORSE?
Why not adopt one?
| Writ*
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RAEFORD
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