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PACK * - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 14,11 Winterized Gardens ( B y D a v i d P l o c h e r a n d E r i n H y n e s ) Citizens Aid In Recycling For Education Raise VA Benefits by Erin Hynes Winterizing Your Garden- Part I. By spending a few afternoons in your garden this fall, you'll get a lot of work out of the way that usually waits until spring. Here are a few suggestions for making next year's gardening a bit less hectic. Annual and Vegetable Gardens-Now that harvest is through, go out and remove all dead plant material from the garden. Cut asparagus tops and clean out old rhubarb leaves. Remove old compost as well as defunct plants and add all non- diseased organic debris to your compost pile. Add well rotted manure, compost, peat moss, leaves or other soil conditioners and till into the soil. This added organic matter will improve soil tilth and add a few nutrients. Bear in mind that oak leaves and peat moss will lower your soil's pH, the desirability of which will depend on your present pH. To prevent rodent in­ festations, mulch the cround with leaves, straw, etc. ONLY after it is frozen. Grass clippings and large leaves tend to mat, so avoid using them. If you use straw, make sure it is seed-free or next year your garden will be suitable for grazing cattle only. Mulching in the fall will decrease soil erosion. Next spring, the winter's freezing and thawing cycle will have broken down the blocks of soil you turned up in the fall. A light tilling to further break up the soil and to incorporate the decayed mulch will prepare the garden for planting. If you used straw mulch, however, rake it off before working the gound. The Perennial Bed-Now that we've been thoroughly frosted, you can remove the tops of your perennials and let the plants brown naturally. Cut to the ground and compost the healthy plants. Primroses need not be cut back. Broadcast a general purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10 at a rate of 1- 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet. An easy fertilization method is to fill a one pound coffee can with 10-10-10 and sprinkle evenly over a lO'xlO' area. Mulching is the final step. Mulch when the plants are completely dormant and the ground is frozen. Do not cover the crowns of foxgloves, Canterbury bells, hollyhocks, heuchara, garden pinks, or anchusa, which retain their succulent growth. In the spring, if you've mulched heavily, remove the mulch a little at a time. The final covering should be removed on a cloudy day to avoid frying the young shoots. Don't leave mulch on too long or it will retard growth. Generally, it's safe to remove the mulch from your garden once the crocus are in bloom. by David G. Plocher Farm Accidents Alar­ ming-Reports of farm ac­ cidents during this busy fall season seem overwhelming. I have heard of five people injured in separate in­ cidents. Accidents are usually the result of rushing to complete a job or lack of knowledge about the equipment being run. A Harvard youth stepped out of the corn chopper he was harvesting and left the machine running. He slipped on wet stalks and fell into the head. By some miracle, he was not injured badly. A Huntley youth put his arm over an auger and its drive shaft as he was crawling out of a bin. The auger shaft had a small pin that caught him and quickly had his shirt and coat wrapped up. He ended up luckily, with only a broken arm. A Woodstock man was going to pull some lodged material from the corn picker he was operating when his glove was caught and pulled in. He did lose a finger, but it could have been a lot worse. A Crystal Lake man was oiling chains on his combine when an unshielded sprocket above caught his collar. While trying to keep his twisted clothes from strangling him, he caught his sleeve in the sprocket. It tore the muscle off his right arm and cut his head badly. A fifth injury that I have not gotten many details on in­ volved a farmer from Wonder Lake who is in very serious condition after being caught in a emu picker. Whe the operator climbs out of the driver's seat, the machine should be off. That simple rule would have saved five families from a lot of grief. Think, go slow! You'll save time and maybe your life. Don't Plow Soybean Stubble-Most soybean fields are planted to corn the following year. University of Illinois research shows no advantage in plowing under soybean stubble vs. chiseling, disking, or zero- tillage. So there are no good reasons to be wasting fuel and time by plowing. Some of the bad reasons include potential wind and soil erosion. AG Census Data Out- Preliminary data from the 1978 Census of Agriculture is out. The amount of har­ vested/ cropland increased 16,000 acres since 1974. This land was formerly rangeland and pasture land. The total cropland is now 60.9 percent of the total 390,528 acres making up our county. The number of farms under 50 acres and over 500 acres increased since 1974, while those in between got smaller. The county average is still 212 acres. Farming in our county has changed in the past four years. Beef and dairy cattle numbers have decreased while swine numbers have increased along with cash grain acres farmed. Alcohol Fuels Workshop Set For December At LLCC- An Alcohol Fuels workshop will be held at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield Dec. 4-6. The workshop, offered in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, will give participants an op­ portunity for a hands-on experience in producing ethanol from corn, using LLCC's three-tank farm-size still. Sessions on the economics of still operation will help those attending to assess the feasibility and cost of producing their own alcohol fuels. Persons wishing to register for the workshop or to receive more information about it should call 217-786- 2274 or may write: Alcohol Fuels. Lincoln Land Com­ munity College. Shepherd road, Springfield, Illinois 62708. Take Care la Confinement Baikttags-As land is har­ vested, many of you with confinement buildings will be spreading that valuable fertilizer produced by livestock. Keep in mind the danger of the manure gases produced in pits. Hydrogen sulfide is the most dangerous of the gases. It smells like rotten eggs, is colorless, soluble in water and somewhat heavier than air. Dangerous con­ centrations can be released by vigorous agitation of stored manure. Although hydrogen sulfide has a characteristic odor, it does not give adequate war­ ning because the gas can rapidly fatigue the sense of smell. Also, high con­ centrations do not give out a proportionately stronger odor. Methane is a nontoxic gas, but high concentrations can cause asphyxiation. This colorless, odorless gas is much lighter than air, soluble in water and highly flammable. It is produced by the decomposition of manure. Carbon dioxide also is colorless and odorless, but it is heavier than air. Like methane, carbon dioxide is not toxic but it can lead to oxygen deficiency and asphyxiation. Carbon dioxide is released both by the respiration of pigs and the decomposition of manure. Most of the bubbles in stored manure or lagoons contain carbon dioxide. For safety's sake, if you must enter a pit, ventilate it first and use a self-contained breathing apparatus. Also, neven enter unless you are wearing a safety harness and attached rope with two men standing by. Members of the Citizens Concerned for the En­ vironment and others that worked on the gypsy moth control program for Mc Henry this summer will be working Saturday, Nov 15, at the McHenry Market Place. They will be working along with the McHenry County Defenders from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. as recyclable materials are brought in and prepared for being made into useful products again. Much energy is saved when recycled products are used instead of raw materials. Precious landfill space is saved and the groups working on the drives are able to earn funds for their various projects. The McHenry County Defenders announce that the market for mixed papers (magazines, catalogues, advertising mail, etc.) has opened again. They a c k n o w l e d g e t h e cooperation of citizens who held back on this material and-or disposed of it through their regular trash disposal channels. The following guidelines may be of help to citizens recently becoming involved in recycling. Newspapers-should be bundled separately from all other paper products and should be tied securely into bundles easily handled by the workers. All plastic bags should be removed. Wet paper is not acceptable since the paper is processed dry i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r unloading. Recycled baling twine is available for those who would like to take some home with them. Magazines, catalogues, advertising mail - should be bundled separately from the newspaper. Corrugated boxes - should be broken down and tied in bundles. Glass bottles and jars - should be washed, and have metal and plastic removed. Citizens are asked not to bring light bulbs or crockery o f any sort and not to pre- crush their glass. All-steel cans - should be rinsed, have labels removed, and flattened to conserve space. The easiest way to flatten the can is remove the bottom also and step on the can Aluminum - should be separated from the all-steel cans since they are processed through different plants. Used motor oil - deliver in a container with a secure lid. Certain soup labels - may be brought in and placed in the specially marked con­ tainer that is at all the drives. These are being collected for the Pioneer Center for the Exceptional, which used them toward purchase of equipment for their sheltered workshop. Anyone in need of further information regarding the recycling of materials, please call the McHenry C o u n t y D e f e n d e r s representative at 385-8512. Bigger checks for veterans training under the GI Bill one of the i provisions of a law to increase veterans benefits has been signed by the President. A 10 percent increase in educational allowances was made possible by the "Veterans Rehabilitation and Education Amendments of 1980." Education checks due Nov. 1 for an estimated 600,000 veteran-students and dependents in training will include a five percent boost. The balance of the 10 percent hike will be reflected in checks due Feb. 1. Payment for training taken after Jan. 1 will include the full 10 percent increase. Single veterans who are full-time students will receive a November check of $327 - $16 more than the October check. Beginning February 1981, these students will get $342,or a boost of $31 over their Oc­ tober checks. Monthly payments for veterans with one dependent will be increased from $370 to $389 in November and to $407 in February, and for veterans with two depen­ dents, from $422 to $443 to $464. For each additional ,0 dependent, the extra allowance will rise from $26 to $27 to $29. The legislation also calls for major improvements in V A ' s v o c a t i o n a l rehabilitation program for service connected disabled veterans which include a 17 percent increase in monthly allowance in the November checks of approximately 11,000 trainees and increased job counseling and placement procedures. The new law also in­ creased VA tutorial assistance payments by 10 percent and changed the amount VA can pay under correspondence or flight training for students who enroll in these programs after Sept. 1, 1980. For them, VA can pay 70 percent of the total charges for correspondence training or 60 percent of those for flight training. These changes in rate of payment was effective October 1. Students who enrolled Sept. 1 or earlier will continue to get 90 percent of the total charges throughout the course. For^ the first time, however, flight training students will be eligible for education loans based on need of up to $2,500. Also in the legislation was a change in the way VA will pay veteran-students training while in jail. Veterans imprisoned on a felony conviction will no longer receive monthly educational allowances but will be reimbursed for training expenses. Guideline instructions on these program revisions are now being developed at VA Central Office in Washington. Keepin' Healthy To Your Health A Service of McHenry Hospital By Marion Olsen Health Reporter Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, nutritionists report. We need approximately 20 grams of crude fiber each day. However, you don't have to rush out to buy a package of bran cereal to find fiber. It is present in many of your favorite foods. Beans, both dried and green, contain fiber. The dried variety contains 5 grams of fiber and 384 calories in a four ounce serving. Green beans con­ tain 1.4 grams of fiber in one cup with only 34 calories. High-fiber vegetables include artichokes with 2.7 grams per four ounces; broccoli with 2.4 grams per cup; peas, 3.2 grams per cup; brussel sprouts, 2.5 per cup; and eggplant, 1.8 per cup. Other high fiber v e g e t a b l e s i n c l u d e asparagus, cauliflower, corn, spinach and sweet potatoes. In the fruit category blackberries rate tops in fiber content. One half cup contains 3.0 grams of fiber. Apples, apricots, avocadoes, grapes and strawberries offer fiber in a pleasant form, also. Add coconut, tomatoes and whole wheat bread and you have an assortment of fiber- rich foods to choose from when planning a well- rounded menu. • • • * Rumors are often an effort by one person to destroy the popularity of another. 0ETS CORNER A SINGLE MOTHER A heart grows and breaks • it constantly repeats, "I have love deep inside my heart". A child sleeps in its mother's womb, growing from _ the heartfelt love. Parents share each loving jc Waiting for one magic moftent. But people quarrel, they can't agree Hie child will grow with only mother love. But a mother is special, she can cover the hurt; She will watch her baby - Watch it grow in her. A mother will never not love her child; It doesn't matter if the father cares or not. A mother will love and care forever no matter how much she is torn and hurt inside. Why must love always be so hateful? I always thought love was beautiful... Christine A. Lenz By Mary Richards At one time or another, many of us will have the unwanted task of choosing a nursing home either for ourselves or a relative. Many people have little information on what life is like in a nursing home, and what little they've heard is sometimes discouraging. Everyone fears the loss of independence. Many of these fears can now be alleviated, for the rights of nursing home residents are spelled out in the Nursing Home Care Reform Act of 1979 (Public Act 81-223). The "act guarantees that no resident will be derprived of any rights, benefits or privileges guaranteed by law. The Illinois Department of Public Health recognizes its responsibility to the citizens of Illinois; sftthe state health department, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Public Aid and the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, supported the passage of this act. ACCOUNTING AND TAX SERVICES WARD and WARD 338-4799 HRS. 1:00-9:00 P.M. The new law requires that residents be informed of how much the care will cost. It also requires that nursing homes meet staffing requirements and that nursing aides be trained. Specific rights include the right to retain your own personal physician; to participate in the planning of your medical care; and to refuse any medical treat­ ment unless such refusal would be harmful to the health and safety of others. Furthermore, you or your guardian will be allowed to read and copy all your clinical and medical records. As long as you are able to do so, you will have the control of your financial affairs. The fear of neglect, probably our greatest fear when we become dependent on others for our well-being, has been considered in the new act. Now, it is the duty of any nursing home em­ ployee or agent to report any instance of neglect or abuse to the Division of Long-Term Care, Illinois Department of Public Health, 525 W. Jef­ ferson, Springfield, 111., 62761. Many othter rights of nursing home residents are covered in the new bill. Copies of the act can be obtained from your state senator or representative or by writing to the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate, State Capitol Building, Springfield, IU.r 62706. Ask for a copy of Senate Bill 316 and the Amended Senate BUI 1881.' • * • • No two people think exactly alike and it takes some married couples a lifetime to find that out. • • • * About half of the ills that afflict the human body originate in a pam­ pered, idle mind. * • * * Have you ever noticed that the good things in life are most often inexpensive things? ri wrwrnmssommm American Legion Post 491 - RINGW00D ROW. McHENRY - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FISH FRY EVERY FRIDAY (5:00 - 9:00 P.M.) | •PERCH-ALL V0U CAN EAT *0THER MENU AVAILABLE SAT. NIGHT Swing-n-Tones HALL FOR RENT 30% OFF! 40% OFF! 50% OFF! ALEXANDER LUMBER CO. BEST OF EVERYTHING FOR THE BUILDER" FEATURING COMPLETE LINES OF: •OLYMPIC STAIN •BRAMMER CABINETS •ANDERSEN WINDOWS •PRE-HUNG DOORS •NORD SPINDLES •JIM MARTIN PAINTS •LINCOLN WINDOWS •GAF SHINGLES •BUILDERS HARDWARE •PREFINISHED PANELING •CHAMBERLAIN GARAGE DOOR OPERATORS Phone 385*1424 909 N. FRONT ST.. McHENRY Nov. 14 to 20 Nov. 21 to 26 Nov. 28 to Dec. 8 HOLLAND BULB CLEARANCE! Tulips - Daffodils ~ Crocus Shop Early For lost Soloctlon Sorry Do-- Net Include Amaryllis or Pra-CooM Bulbs ! GARDEN SHOP SALE j All Patio Stono j All Ptorqflw Bogqod Stow .40% OF 1/2 PRIC - LANDSCAPE TIMBERS } Railroad Tios - Reg. $9.50 SALE *7.50 ! Codar Tlas • Reg. $14.75 SALE *10.75 - i Stalnod tIm - Reg. $9.95 SALE *7.95 1 -- si 'Guaranteed Quality Sine* 1946' r owe »• wood "i .• o • Rts. 14 & 176 - Crystal Lake, 111. /> •. V ̂ 818 459 6200 ̂ > V wV\\\\\\\\v///////̂ V/V BEAT THE 1981 PRICE \ INCREASE! W" SAVII SAVEI SAVII Discounts Z ^CONCORDS > MUST SOll l$l 2^ • %•#.: • • • Renault'S JEEPS $ • SR I PRIC! BEFORE! • AVAILABLE At Competitive Rotes IIIIIMIIIIIIO Mon.-Fri MITCHELL AMC-JEEP RENAULT 907 N. FRONT ST. (RTE. 31 McHENRY 3S5-0403 »