Perquimans
Gardening
By
Jean Wins low
In a small, more secluded area of our back yard,
are plants which attract hummingbirds. One of the
easiest grown is impatiens. Specialists at State have
iffued some types that grow well here. These shade
loving plants are most attractive in mass plantings.
In our area you can sow some seeds now for late
fUl bloom, and bring some cuttings inside for winter
(tot bloom. Catalogues such as Burpee and Park will
9^11 ship many seeds, so try your luck with Fan
tasia, which grows 12 inches tall, and comes in ten
bright colors. I put in a new one of the Elfin- series,
which grows 8 to 10 inches tall. It is orange, and is
just getting some bloom on it. There is a larger one
called Futura which grows up to a foot tall, but I
hjave never grown it. Impatiens, or sultana, are self
branching, and spreads considerably, so should be
spaced 18 inches apart. The hummingbird's beak is
almost identical to the long extension of the flower
which holds nectar. But let's finish with the
sultanas. These flowers need moisture and organic
matter, such as peat moss, pine bark, or sawdust.
They need more fertilizer more than most flowers,
so put 8-8-8 in when you plant, and if you have
established plants, top dress June 15, then again
about August 1.
_Back to the hummingbird. The ruby-throated hum
King bird, which we have, is only 4 inches long.
Both the male and female have a coat of metallic
green, and the male has a bright red throat. One of
their favorite nesting sites here is the Carolina, or
weeping hemlock. Plant one in a thicket away from
the house if you live on large acreage or a farm.
Mama will come in to feed on impatiens, Virginia
Creeper, honeysuckle, columbine, and sweetpeas.
But she also has a tongue that can be extended in
an instance and capture an insect. A good bird to
have around.
?
Just have to tell you about one more problem in
diseases. Powdery mildew is one of the most com
mon diseases of North Carolina landscape plants. It
is caused by a fungus. You may have seen it on
photinia, crepe myrtle, lilac, euonymus, oaks, roses,
sometimes azaleas, rhododendrons, zennia and
phlox. The disease generally occurs in shady
humidity is relatively high. The characteristic symp
tom of powdery mildew is a fluffy white to light
gray fungus growth on stems, leaves, buds, and
ARPDC
meeting
The next meeting of
the Commission will be
Held at the ARPDC Of
fice in Hertford on Tflurs
evening, June? 21,
^79, at 7:30 p.m. *
jjThe A-95 Clearinghouse
G6mmittee will meet at
ARPDC Office one
hiqur prior to the Com
imssion meeting, at 6:30
rf.m.
IjThe guest speaker for
UK evening will be Mr.
John Wray, Director of
tne Office of Water
Resources.
? A dutch-treat dinner
\f{ll be served.
If
HARRIS
Plumbing
&
Heating
Supplies
206 N. Peny
Hertford
Phone
426-5576
We can help
with that new
dream house, or
spruce up an older
home
I
; For Beauty That Shows
Use
: Benjamin Moore
Paints
WASHOUT ? David Leatherwood inspects cross
drain that has washed out during recent heavy
rains. (SCS photo)
People in news
Dr. Price Monds has
returned to his home in
Gainesville, Fla. after
spending 2 weeks with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
R.S. Monds.
Dr. and Mrs. G.R.
Tucker Jr. of Henderson
were guests of Mr. and
Mrs. G.R. Tucker Sr. on
Sunday.
Mrs. Maurice Rivet
and daughter, Miss Julie
Kay Rivet, of New
Orleans, La. were
weekend guests of Miss
Louise Chalk.
Mrs. Harrell Thach
spent the weekend at St.
Pauls with her parents,
Mr. and Mrs Lewis
McNeill.
flowers. Infected leaves may get dwarfed, curled, or
deformed. It can destroy the blossoms on crepe
myrtle. If plants are highly infected, dig it up. Don't
pull a botanical "Florence Nightengale" and
threaten every other plant in your yard.
Treatment consists of applying Benlate as a foliar
spray. Follow the directions. Another fungicide is
Karathane. Spray every seven days. Follow direc
tions. For light infections apply sulphur ? put some
on an old cloth and shake over plants, just like you
do Sevin, etc. Now that I think about it, that's a
good name for my in color in the winter before I
get a little tan ? early powdery mildew.
John Alphin & son, Gary -Wfedters, Va.
Removal of water from
fields is important objective
By DAVID
LEATHERWOOD
SOIL CONSERV. SERV.
The spring of 1979 has
been one of the wettest
on record. Many farmers
have been unable to plant
their crops on time and
much of the cropland
which was planted has
been damaged by water.
The effects of all our ear
ly rain will be felt right
on through the harvest
season with reduced
yields.
Removal of water from
the fields is an important
objective. However, if it
is done improperly it can
create new problems.
Few people consider ero
sion when working up a
drainage plan for their
crops. Wet weather only
accentuates this relative
ly unnoticed problem.
Moving water can and
will cause erosion over
unprotected soil.
This spring we have
experienced increased
erosion on much of our
cropland. Many of our
smaller streams have
been muddy for the past
two months. This sedi
ment eroding into our
streams carries fertilizer
and pesticides with it and
lowers the streams'
quality for most uses.
One of the largest con
tributors of sediment is
areas where cross drains
run into the drainage dit
ches. These areas not
only contribute sediment,
but they pose a risk of
damage to equipment
when the crops are
harvested. Manyof these
SINCE 1939
482-8579
EDENTON, N.C.
SEE OR CALL RONNIE HOLLAND
919 JOHNSTON ST.
EDENTON N.C. 27932
? Tar and Gravel ?Shingles
? General Repairs ? Metal
cross drains have washed
out to a depth that they
are impassable.
With proper planning, a
farmer can eliminate
most of the erosion pro
blems on his property.
Metal inlets at cross ;
drains and conservation ?
practices such a s :
mminimum tillage, field ,
borders, and crop residue,
can reduce the loss of
soil to erosion.
A peanut fungicide
that works harder for
less money?
DU-TER DOES IT!
Why cut into your profits when you can get
economical, effective leafspot protection with
DU-TER fungicide?
? Used as directed, DU-TER provides outstanding
control of cercospora leafspot.
? DU-TER can save you up to $2.00 an acre . .
EVERY SPRAYING! (Based on a 6 oz./acre rate.)
? DU-TER has produced no known resistance
problems.
? DU-TER goes into suspension quickly, won t clog
sprayers.
? PLUS, ask your county agent or extension service
about suppression of spider mites and sulphur tank
mix recommendations.
If you want effective protection at a cost
that makes sense, DU-TER does it!
DU-TER I
FUNGICIDE I
NORTH AMERICAN PHILIPS ~~ ^
PO Box 2383 ? Kansas City Kansas 66110
OU TER is a Reg TM of Philips Duphar B V Amsterdam Holland
"For abeef farmer,
Perdue can pay off
fwo\*aysT
I'm very careful about my investments. My son Gary and I have
built up a 600-acre beef cattle farm and have planned its growth
every step of the way. So I sure didn't buy my two Perdue broiler
houses on the 'spur of the moment!
I figured the houses would provide year-round cash on a
steady basis. And I figured right. They help solve my cash flow
problems, and that's always a worry on a farm. I also received an
excellent tax rebate when I built the houses.
But equally important to me is the potential of cattle feed
production from our chickens. I'm now working with the county
agent here to develop a chicken litter food supplement. The litter
contains about 18% protein, and the protein supplement I'm now
using costs $190 per ton. So, based on cost of feed per pound of
beef produced, my Perdue houses could be worth an additional
$4800 each. Add that to the value of the actual broiler flocks,
then divide all that by the small amount of time it takes to operate
the houses, and you've got a payback that's hard to beat.
I'll soon be building two more Perdue broiler houses. That
will give me free protein supplement for 700 head of beef. Now
that's a good investment.
Talkchicken with Perdue.
Send to Perdue jj? f 7j& Moikie. NC 27910. ft call our sales office at (919) 332-81 1 1 . Nights call Harold
XfefS 3t Wfffr6!,21- JiTL^licthA<919) 357"1875- 1?* Cnsp at (919) 798-1291. Jay Wfetson at (919)
398-3012, or Dwight ffcnter at (919) 34S-0491.