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Christmas Plant Care (By David Pfocher and Erin Hynes) by Erin Hynes Many of you will receive traditional Christmas plants this holiday season. With proper care, these plants can last throughout the year to remind you of the gift-giver. T h e P o i n s e t t i a , (Euphorbia pulcherrima), is the traditional Christmas favorite. In addition to the popular variety with bright red bracts, poinsettias are also available with white, pink, and mottled bracts. Most new varieties hold their leaves and bracts well under favorable growing conditions. However, poinsettias are sensitive plants which drop leaves readily when conditions are unfavorable. They do best at temperatures between 60-68 degrees and should not be kept above 75 degrees. They like bright light, but shouldn't sit directly in the sun. Studiously avoid drafts and chilling. The soil should be kept slightly moist, neither soggy nor bone-dry. Overwatering will not compensate for low humidity. The best method for maintaining humidity around the poinsettia is to set the plant on a shallow pan filled with gravel and a 1 thin layer of water. If you'd like to get your poinsettia to rebloom next - Christmas, water normally until half the leaves drop. Gradually withhold water until the soil is dry. Store the plant in a cool (60 degrees F), dark, dry place until April or May, watering just enough to keep the stem and roots from drying out ex­ cessively. - In the Spring, prune the stems back to 6 inches and repot the plant. Place it in a warm, well lit spot. After all chance of frost has passed, you can move the poinsettia outside for the summer, if you're sure to acclimate it before moving it indoors in the fall. Fertilize during the active growing season. From the beginning of October until mid- December, give the plant 12- 14 hours of total and unin­ terrupted darkness each night. You can cover it with a cardboard box or stick it in a light-proof closet or unused 'room. Flowering in poin­ settias and many other plants is triggered by a phytocrome pigment system which the slightest light will disrupt. Incidentally, poinsettias are not poisonous. The Christmas Cactus, (Schlumbergeria truncata), is another popular plant for the yuletide. It is not a true cactus and likes slightly moist soil during the Winter, Spring and Summer. In the fall, water thoroughly but let the soil become moderately dry between waterings. Christmas cacti do well with cool temperatures and sunlight, and will lose leaves with low light intensity and h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s . Flowering can be either light or temperature dependent. Like the poinsettia, it will flower with 12-hour nights. Flower buds will also form at 50 degrees night tem­ peratures regardless of day length. At temperatures above 65-68 degrees the Christmas cactus will not flower at all. The cyclamen, (Cyclamen persicum), is an attractive plant for the Winter holidays. Like most flowering plants, it remains colorful longer if kept in cool temperatures, recieves high but not direct light and has adequate humidity. Water when the soil surface ap­ pears dry, but keep water out of the crown to prevent decay. Let the plant dry out after flowering, then repot in June. Grow outdoors in a shady spot, or inside with plenty of light. With luck, it will rebloom the following winter. A popular non-flowering Christmas plant is the Norfolk Island pine, (Araucaria heterophylla). During the holidays, decorate it with red bows, lights, ornaments, and other Christmas paraphernalia. The Norfolk Island pine is a tolerant plant which can survive in warm or cool, low or high light conditions. When light is too limited, however, the branchlets will droop. It grows best with sunlight 0 about 68 degrees. If ydu have questions about your houseplants or other horticultural topics, contact the Cooperative Extension service at 338- 3737. by David G. Plocher S h e e p S y m p o s i u m Scholarships Awarded - The McHenry County Lamb and Wool Producers association has awarded two county youth with scholarships to attend the Illinois Sheep­ man's symposium, Jan. 9-10. Lyn Slater, Cary, and Frank Schaefges, Harvard, will attend the annual educational program and trade show to be held at the Holiday Inn East in Springfield, 111. The meeting is open to the public and will also include a banquet, dance, wool and style show, and an auction of packaged cuts from the 1980 Illinois State Fair Grand Champion Wether. The Illinois Lamb and Wool Producers Annual Business meeting will take place early Saturday morning. F l i e r s i n c l u d i n g registration information are available at the Extension office. A pre-registration discount is available until Dec. 15. The McHenry County Lamb & Wool Producers organization is open to any lamb and wool producer (large or small) and any businesses or individuals interested or associated with the sheep industry. To Sell or Not to Sell Grain - Last year many farmers lost money holding soybeans in hopes of better prices. The same thing could happen this year with both corn and soybeans. The first step in deciding whether or not to hold corn and beans is to determine storage costs. When you rent storage space, the costs are known and must be sub- A Kero-SurT Portable Heater: the gift for times like these. With a Kero-Sun • Portable Heater, like this Radiant 10 model, you can leave your thermostat turned low and save money in the months ahead They burn kerosene with 99.9% fuel efficiency for odorless, smokeless operation. And Kero-Sun Portable Heaters need no chimney. Battery- powered ignition system and auto­ matic shut-off device. Safety tested and U.L listed. There are nine models to choose from Makes a heartwarming, •ft for family and a demonstration today. KER05UN Tb« good omm In horn haadnB- WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL!! "THE HOUSE THAT SERVICE BUILT" George P. Freund, Inc. 4102 W. Crystal Lake Rd. McHenry 3t5-0420 . <n> tracted from the selling price. On-farm storage costs, however, are not as obvious. Many of these costs are fixed - depreciation and interest on investment - whether you use the storage facility or not. Also be sure to include direct, out of pocket, costs such as the costs to put the grain in storage and to take it out of storage. Keeping corn in condition during the spring and summer is also a cost to consider. Another consideration farmers should include in their decision whether to sell now or hold grain for later sale is interest on the money that is tied up in thr grain held in storage. If money borrowed to grow the crop or to finance the storage is costing you 15 to 16 percent, your costs for $3.50 corn could be 4.4 cents a month per bushel on interest alone. Once you have determined your storage costs, the next step in deciding whether to sell is to determine if the market will pay storage costs. The future price is one indication of whether the market is willing to pay for storage. When you look at forward bids, for example, you can see what the market is currently offering as a premium for storage. How much higher is the price for future delivery over today's cash price? If that extra price will pay for storage, you may decide to price your grain now for future delivery and lock in the returns to pay for storage. For example, with corn at $3.50, interest rates at 15 percent and storage costs of 2 cents per month, the price for April delivery would have to be 26 cents higher than the price for immediate delivery, just to break even. This decision to sell now for future delivery depends on what you expect prices to do over the next several months. If you think prices are going to go higher than storage costs, you may want to lock in the current future's price even if it pays you for storage. If you think prices are near the top, or there is some risk that prices will go down, then you may decide to lock in a return. USDA Seeks Public com­ ments - Consumers, dairy farmers and milk handlers have until Jan. 2 to comment on a U.S. Department of A g r i c u l t u r e i m p a c t statement concerning a petition to change the pricing of reconstituted milk under federal milk marketing orders. The petition asks for the removal of commercially recon­ stituted milk from the Class I pricing provisions of milk orders. Reconstituted milk is made by combining nonfat dry milk and butterfat with water. Currently, all milk products used for fluid consumption are priced at the Class I level, the highest- priced class under federal milk orders. The impact study was published in the Nov. 17 Federal Register. Copies of the study may be obtained from the dairy division, AMS, USDA, Washington, D C. 20250. Comments should be sent to the Deputy Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service, 3069-S, USDA, Washington, D.C. 20250 OOOOOflOOOOOO Urge Continued Solicitation PAGE • - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY. DECEMBER It. 1M0 Conclude United Way Drive Safety, By Secretary of State Although feather con­ ditions may/not indicate it, the winter/season officially begins Dec. 21. Here are a few safe dming practices to help you offset the hazards of driving urwinter: 1. Reduce your speed according to conditions. There is no such thing as a "completely safe" driving speed on snow or ice. 2. Use snow tires and-or chains on your drive wheels. 3. Keep your windows clear. Don't start driving until the windshield is defrosted and clean. 4. Get the feel of the roadway. Start out very slowly. Test your brakes gently after the car is in motion, to find out how much traction you will have. 5. Always keep a safe distance. Many rear end collisions occur on icy streets because drivers are following too closely. 6. Watch for danger spots ahead. Bridges and shaded spots on the roadway may be icy when the other portions of the payment may be dry. 7. Take a shovel, a heavy woolen blanket and a few candy bars with you, just in case you're caught in bliz­ zard conditions. If you are stranded, your chances fo^ survival are better if you stay inside your car and wait for someone to find yotf, or until the storm is over. (A copy of the Rules of the Road will be sent to you upon request. Write to Secretary of State, Springfield, IL., 62756). * ft * * * % ft % % ft * * Twcw Tlx Wtzk Before Cbrutmaj (with apologies to Clement Moore) Author of "The Night Before Christmas" 'Twas the week before Christmas And all through the house Not a creature was stirring, Not even a mouse. But soon there resounded A thunderous clatter. 'Twas Mother! And Father! And the kids, for that matter. A ladder was placed By the chimney with care Mom sat on the sofa. Dad climbed in the air. A paint brush he wielded With skill and aplomb, While Mom supervised. (Shewasn'tsodumb!) Sis in the bedroom, "How-to-Hang" was discovering. She'd treated herself To a brand new wallcovering. Brother Bill in the kitchen, His face wore a smile As he deftly installed The new sheet-vinyl tile. A knock at the door! 'Twas the neighbors--all kinds! They'd come to admire The new drapes and the blinds. The neighbors pitched in And joined the good fun. An hour or two more And the job was well done. Quaffed they the wassail, The welkin was rung! "The last of the painting!" "The paper is hung!" The task now completed, All rejoiced because The house was spruced-up To greet old Santa Claus! Secuion 'd Greetings Bob'* foloM % ft * * * * * * * % * * & & * * & * 4720 W. RTE. 120 - McHENRY MEMBER 3f5-lllt * NATIONAL DECORATING W PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION H The United Way-Crusade of Mercy has officially concluded its I960 campaign raising a record of $62,796,161. The amount is 7.8 percent more than the $58,250,000 raised in last year's cam­ paign and is the largest raised among the 2,200 United Way campaigns in any single state in the nation. G e n e r a l C a m p a i g n Chairman Charles Marshall, president and chief executive office of Illinois Bell, announced the results at the final dutchtreat luncheon meeting of the campaign before almost 1,500 campaign volunteers in the International ballroom of the Conrad Hilton hotel. "This is a remarkable achievement", Marshall said. "We have raised $4.5 million more than we did in 1979, even though this has t difficult year for e v e r y o n e . I n f l a t i o n , unemployment and other factors have made it hard to ask people to dig into their pockets - and search their hearts - to provide help for someone else." Funds raised in the annual United Way-Crusade of Mercy campaign go to support more than 300 human service agencies in Chicago and 159 suburbs. "What you have been doing will brighten the tomorrows of many people," the campaign chairman told the volunteers. "And if you ever have felt disheartened, felt that people don't care anymore... just look around you. This room is filled to capacity with big people - big in heart ~ and people like you all through the metropolitan area worked hard to assure that im­ portant human care services will be there when they are needed." Marshall added that the achievement was indicative of the generosity of the people in the Chicago area and that the cooperation of business, labor and government in the campaign reflects the kind of team­ work thai. makes metropolitan Chicago the great area that it is. For his campaign leadership, Chicago Mayor Byrne proclaimed Friday Charles Marshall day in Chicago and Governor James R. Thompson issued a similar proclamation for the State of Illinois. Both p r o c l a m a t i o n s w e r e presented to Marshall at the luncheon. campaign chairman ged that solicitation ef­ forts be continued because the amount announced represents pledges from campaigns already com­ pleted as well as anticipated results of those in progress and some yet to get under way. Employees of 117 organizations, businesses and social service agencies were honored with "You Did It" awards for significantly increased levels of Fair Share giving. Fair Share is defined as one day's pay for those earning less than $15,000; 1 percent between $15,000 and $50,000; 14 percent between $50,000 and $100,000; and 2 percent for those earning $100,000 or more. Slack MOUS arc -me PITS' Star Shrialu to Nothlag Inside the black hole, matter crushes down to greater and greater density. In its rush to oblivion, the star theoretically shrinks past pinpoint size to submicroscopic and finally on down to nearly zero volume. All external evidence of the star -- even light -- disappears, leaving only its disembodied gravity to mark the black hole in space. Hotpoint and Whirlpool MICRO WAVE OVENS ARE NOW j f: suits Whot a superb collection of 2 and 3-piece suits... Johnny Carson, Phoenix, Lucasini, Jeremy Cobb, Hardy Aimes, Clipper Craft and more. Very famous labels assuring you perfect tailoring, great styling and durable good looks. Stripes, solids and plaids in wool, wool blends, polyester and corduroy. originally priced from $145.00 to $255.00 now to s s 108 168 yfi & pre-holiday sale of suits and outerwear That's right...a super sale just before the holidays! Choose from an outstanding collection of the newest ideas in suits and outerwear and be ready with the best. SALE Prices At 285°° Hurry Limited Quantities LEE itfiM {M, Mil on the historic tquar* Woodwork lllmoa 1214 N Green Street MrHenry lllmoi*. Open Monday thru Friday 9 to 9 Saturday 9 to 5 Sunday 12 to 5 outerwear Every item of outerwear in both stores is reduced 30%. Ski jackets, trench coats, vests, leather coats, leather jackets, storm coats and more ...all at savings of 30% from the original price. 30% off RAY ELECTRIC 1005 N. Front St. McHenry 385-0882