Harvest Prospects Bright (Town and Country Tips By Dave Plocher) by David G. Plocher McHenry county farmers are very pleased with the harvesting progress they are making. As of Friday evening, Oct. 10, I estimate SO percent of the 50,000 plus acres of soybeans were harvested. The 120,000 plus acres of corn were just beginning to be harvested. I expect that we will have a record corn crop here in McHenry county this year. The 116.5 bushels per acre corn crop of last year should be togped to reach 120 bushels per acre this year. In soybeans, 37 bushels per acre will also be a record breaking average attainable this year. Black Nightshade--Black nightshade, a tough annual broadleaf weed, is showing up again this harvest season. This nuisance to soybean growers can cause damage to equipment and aggravating delays in harvest. The black night shade is becoming more prominent in soybeans and produces dark berries that HERITQGE NEW6 FORUM IE HERITAGE FOUNDATION • WASHINGTON. D C. A STRANGER IN THE WORKERS' PARADISE By Edwin Feulner HONG KONG -- Just on the other side of the Hong Kong border is a city called Shenzhen. In ?n effort to draw foreign tourists (and currency), the government of Mainland China has instituted one-day trips to Shenzhen from Hong Kong. For a modest fee -- about $35 -- you can see what the other side is like. It was with serious reservations that I decided to make this trip. Close friends like Congressman Ed Derwinski had preceded me in visiting the "workers' paradise", and had found the realities of Chinese life carefully hidden from visitors behind a "Potemkin village" facade. I was afraid that on my own brief foray into the People's Republic of China, I, too, would be treated to an attractive, cheerful -- and wholly artificial -- picture of life on the mainland. Unfortunately, the Chinese leadership know full well that they can count on Western observers to have politely short memories regarding the early days of Communist rule, when daily lists were published of the thousands who were executed on behalf of the "new order." In fact, Shenzhen was no public relations showpiece. Instead, it was both reassuring and depressing. Reassuring, because it showed me very graphically how right I had been over the years in advocating freedom, free markets, and the private ownership of capital; depressing, for reasons which I will discuss. The formalities and intricacies of crossing the border into the P.R.C. reminded me of entry into other bureaucratically dominated countries like East Germany or the Soviet Union. Once in China, we boarded a beautiful air-conditioned bus (which I found out later was made in Japan and registered in Hong Kong, but brought across the border specifically for these trips). The bus took us through a very large city where, instead of my Potemkin village, our group confronted hundreds of men with picks and shovels working on the main road, which was full of rocks and potholes. The road had never been paved, although it was the main thoroughfare in a town of some 30,000 people. We were taken to a major reservoir, which was an impressive engineering site that involved a number of locks and dams to contain and transport a large part of the main water supply to Hong Kong. I could not help but remember what I had just seen on the main highway, and wondered at what cost in human life those dams and reservoirs had been built. We went to a restaurant which was comfortably air-conditioned (with American-made air-conditioners) and had a pleasant meal. I was the only American in the group, but a number of interesting Australians, Englishmen and others from Europe made for a lively discussion around the table. The restaurant was fairly new, and on my way in I noted stacks of steel-reinforcing wire, extra metal window frames and other supplies which were sitting in the yard of the restaurant. It was clear that the owners of this enterprise were not about to yield these commodities to some central distribution point in the provincial capital. Rather, they would hold on to them with the thought that they could either use them in the future or trade them in the local underground economy. Underground economy in Communist China? You had better believe it, but that is the subject of another column. (Feulner is president of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based public policy research institute.) TrueStory [-January, 1979 Mr. X of McHenry bought eyeglasses from someone else costing him $106.00 and waited 6 weeks for delivery. --June, 1980-- Mr. X came to McHenry Opticians, bought glasses costing him $44.00 and waited only 26 minutes! "$M th« diff•r«nc« I Mr. X *ov«d $42 and you'll b* $$$ ah*ad too.' McHENRY OPTICIANS 1301 R ive rs ide Dr . McHenry 18C Q11A Aaoil Irom Fo» Holi) Illinois are about the same size as soybeans. • The berries contain a glue-like material that clogs combine sieves and causes beans to stick together. In some cases, the beans may get so sticky that they don't flow easily from a wagon. The best way to control black nightshade is to go after it early with preemergence or preplant herbicides, and then follow with the proper post- treatments plus cultivation. Unfortunately some of the more popular herbicides, such as trifluralin and metribuzin, have not given good control. Full rates of Amiben or Lasso alone or in combination can help. Dual, which is similar to Lasso, is also likely to be of help. Some nightshade may appear later in the season. Blazer, used as a postemergence, has provided some of the best control in 1980 trials. Blazer may cause some injury to beans, but this probably is not reflected in final yields. Precautions in application can also help avoid the in jury. Plan Herbicides--Now is the final chance to plan for next year's herbicides. Unless your memory is excellent or your clipboard was handy, by next year you will have forgotten which field had which weed problems. Note those problems now as you har vest. Call or bring any weeds by that you are not sure of, and plan for a successful herbicide program next year vtith your findings. Poor Weed Killer--Many farmers are plowing soybean fields in an attempt at better weed control in 1981. But that will not be a big help. Weed seeds will lie in the soil for years, basking in moisture and oxygen, waiting for light to ger minate. When they are turned up and given that light, they will germinate. The only exception to this poor reason for plowing may lie in the fact that some grass seeds only have a 50 percent survival rate when buried and then turned up. This is hardly a reason, though, to spend the time and energy needed to plow. Take Breaks--In farming, a coffee break can save your life. * The peak times for fatigue and accidents are 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m., according to Ordie Hogsett, University of Illinois Ex tension safety specialist. Somewhere during these periods, farmers should take a break to relax and take on nourishment. Hogsett suggests that somebody - either child, spouse or hired hand - be the duty of making breaks are taken and freshments provided, ling the hectic harvest the temptation is to on working. 11 is not always a good idea pack a lunch and thermos the farmer to take along cause he may decide to eat and work, without fng for a break, wouldn't make good set** to go into the field without your body properly i," Hogsett says. "The two ways to combat are rest and proper >t only will breaks the risk of injury, in the long run you'll be more efficient, he adds. By Erin Hynes Fall Colors--Autumn. In this part of the country, it can be the most dazzling time of the year. As you shuffle through fallen leaves along a walk-way, think about the purpose and processes of trees' fall transitions. As the days shorten, leaves, stop producing the chlorophyll responsible for their green color. The existing chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the previously masked Caroline and xanthepbyll pigments responsible for Fall's golden yellows. The pigment anthocyanin causes the fiery reds and scarlets. The intensity of the jeds depends to the amount |of sugar accumulated in the leaves. Sunny days SECTION 2 stimulate sugar-producing photosynthesis and cool nights trap the sugars in the leaves. These conditions create the most impressive autumn show. Take time this Fall to visit Morton's Arboretum in Lisle, one of the Con servation District's parks, or your favorite forest. It will be another year before you get the chance. Recycle Leaves--Once the color show is over, your yard will be carpeted with leaves. Leaves don't fall for the sole purpose of creating more work for the homeowner. They contain nutrients and organic matter which replenish the soil near tender roots. In wooded areas, you can let the leaves decompose after they fall. A blanket of PAGE l-PLAINDBALER - WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER H. Ilt» leaves will saNNiir a lawn, -however. Grind the leaves with a power mower, and the tiny pieces will add nutrients to the soil without harming the grass. You can dig shredded leaves into your garden to improve soil tilth. Leaves also make a good mulch for perennials, although oak leaves tend to mat down and get soggy. Those of you with a compost heap can make good use of this cheap source of organic matter. 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