Show 1 8A Standard-Examin- Frida er April 30 1982 New pesticide may 'waste' pesky insects with uric acid crete and store uric acid Buckner said By EARL ARONSON If the switch goes out of control he explained an insect pest could die from ofa buildup of higher than normal levels uric acid in its blood A biochemist Buckner has been seeking a control for the switch mechanism at SEA’s Metabolism and Radiation laboratory in Fargo ND There a scientific team is looking for unique characteristics of insects that could be exploited as alternative controls for chemical pesticides Buckner said he had found that at least one hormone called ecdysone had a role in s regulating the switch in tobacco He said the juvenile hormone also might be involved He tied off the tobacco hornworm larvae system in such a way (the that the source ofwasecdysone from separate glands) prothoracic AP Newsfeatures j Can insect pests be induced to poison themselves? Researchers in the US Department of Agriculture’s Science and Education Administration are working on it using one of the insects’ own waste products uric acid Success could mean a new weapon for IPM — Integrated Pest Management Dr James S Buckner of the USDA says poisoning could be a new biolog- uric-aci- d ical control used specifically against insect pests that undergo a metamorphosis from larvae to cocoon Uric acid’s potential as a lethal but depends environmentally safe on whether a “switch mechanism” in these insect species can be disrupted That mechanism dictates when pests ex the fat body where uric acid is produced and stored In the absence of ecdysone the fat body continued to excrete uric acid However when synthetic ecdysone was injected into tied larvae the uric acid’s action was reversed — instead of being excreted it started to be stored and reached levels that could be fatal the scientist said Once studies of the hormone’s role in metabolism are completed uric-aci- d Buckner will undertake research on a specific compound to control the switch mechanism horn-worm- bio-contr- ol instruments may help detect illegal entry of diseased and food and plants that now slip past US customs and agricultural inspectors USDA researchers report studies of sev Odor-sensitiv- e pest-ridde- n eral technologies that would make it possible to discover contraband without even opening travelers’ baggage “We are working on instrumentation that could tell the odor of a lemon from that of a lime aftershave lotion even if the lime is inside the luggage” said Dr James Cavanaugh chemist at the Science and Education center in Philadelphia The aim is instrumentation that will differentiate among the scents of food humans and cosmetics The scientists are also identifying and characterizing odors that will be used as a reference or data Amid the drug traffic and other contraband coming into the country he added the flow of food and plants may seem innocent Actually the agricultury industry faces potential yearly losses of millions of dollars from foreign pests and diseases brought in on fruits vegetables meats and plants More than 7000 diseases and pests were destroyed in 1978 alone after being found on foods and plants confiscated at US airports the USDA reported (Any queries about gardening problems must be accompanied by a stamped envelope) (For Earl Aronson’s "Associated Press self-address- bank for electronic sensing equipment “We can detect the basic differences in odors but further experimenting is ed Guide to House Plants” send $1 to House Plants AP Newsfeatures 50 Rockefeller Plaza New York NY 10020) needed to be sure a false alarm is not sounded when a scent such as perfume is detected” said Cavanaugh s 00 © tp d ® tm Down To Earth K ' Without a strawberry patch vegetable garden incomplete By GRANT P TAYLOR Special to the Standard-Examin- er There is nothing quite as sweet and delicious as a red ripe strawberry picked from your very own strawberry patch No vegetable garden is complete without a strawberry bed Strawberries are grown thoughout the US and Canada Strawberries weren’t cultivated until 1835 when the first American variety was introduced Since then strawberries have become the most important small fruit for commercial production Strawberries are generally planted in the spring as bare root stock They can be transplanted during midsummer if purchased in pots or moved from your own yard Strawberries like full sun (six plus hours of full sun per day) They should be planted in rich sandy loam about 12 inches apart for best results When planting bare root stock make sure to spread out the roots in the hole and plant the crown of the plant above the soil line and all the roots below If the crown is too low or the roots too high the plant will soon die Flowers should be removed from strawberries until July and the June bearing should pinched completely the first year This allows the plant to develop a root and leaf system that will produce large beautiful strawberries If allowed to flower the plants will be weak Strawberry plants will begin to develop runners after 2 months If you are going to grow strawberries in the hill method the runners should be cut off before they have time to root If one runner is allowed to root about 12 inches out from the original plant in a row this is called a “simple hedge row ever-bearin- method” g If you allow several runners to root around the main plant this is termed a “multiple hedge row” If all runners are allowed to root this is a “matted” row cultivation Larger strawberries are produced in the hill method The first crop of berries from a June bearing variety is the largest both in size and production After that they go downhill Usually after 2 years the mother plant is removed Everbearers also produce their largest crops in the first two seasons The runners can be used for new strawberry stock for many years When the runner comes out from the plant put a dirt clod or small stone on the end of the runner and it will root There is a decline in a strawberry’s disease resistance as the years go by if you propagate only by runner For this reason it is important to introduce Mitt pr new plants every few years to maintain disease resistance and high production When the ground has frozen it is adviseable to cover the bed with a clean mulch Straw and hay can have a lot of weed seeds so choose a clean cover for a winter mulch The freezing and thawing can break the roots of the plant It is a good idea to plant more than one variety in the bed That way you have strawberries in June and then again from August to frost Choose from the varieties listed below for plants best suited to the Intermountain area JUNE BEARING — MAIN CROP that adapts well to Berries are conditions many different growing large and very firm with very good flavor HOOD — deep red sweet berry produces vigorous and productive plants Adapts well to many soils n ripening Early RED CHIEF — skin deep red flesh firm flavor subacid good dessert quality Medium to large cone TIOGA — an excellent berry mid-seaso- SvV DOUGLAS — earliest strawberry to ripen Very large size and solid bright red color Good quality Clair Angeles Times Syndicate Q — I have a Victorian bay win- dow alcove which I use for a dining area I love the view from my window but feel frustrated with the space as it offers me no storage area for dishes silverware etc Is there any way to transform my alcove in order to get some storage space? There are many ways to add not only storage but a contemporary flavor to a Victorian bay window by using vertical blinds made from either cloth or vinyl The accompanying photograph shows just such a space Interior designer Barbara Littman transformed this window alcove of a A— turn-of-the-centu- ry townhouse into a delightful and practical contemporary area The space was stripped of its Victorian gingerbread (windowsills and frames) and now plaster board covers the walls and i B EVERBEARING QUINALT — a productive everbearer which as good size fruit FORT LARAMIE — a cold hardy and heavy everbearing variety from Wyoming HECKER — a third generation derivative from a wild strawberry collected at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City Released by the University of California a Experiment Station this variety is very hardy and very hearty producer of large bright red berries with excellent flavor As fruit begins to ripen and the birds come in you will need some sort of netting to stop the loss of berries to birds Strawberries are heavy feeders and like the application of a balanced vegetable garden fertilizer in early spring and then again in July as the ever bearing varieties start to produce Strawberries make a great ground cover with their pretty white flowers and dark green foilage They are a good choice rather than a non-produci- ng ground cover Make sure and pick the fruit in its prime Younger members of the family will probably be your best so pickers Make sure and plant a large enough orbed that some berries make it in the house for pie to be smothered under cream and sugar Beginners can make knickknack shelves By STEVE ELLINGSON Half the fun of owning knick-knack- s is displaying them artfully The other half is displaying them on a shelf you’ve built easy for yourself you Both the projects pictured were designed for the beginning woodworker The patterns are full-siz- e Just lay them onto wood of your choice trace saw We make it Weather-resista- nt Take heed boat and home owners easily cleanable and weather resistant coatings are on the horizon forms clean framing for double-hun- g windows that only come halfdown the walls The plaster way board forms columns from ceiling to floor and helps to recess the windows The center space has become a window visually but is really an area between the pillars that has been shelved to produce storage for dishes and other tableware Another storage space was found under the windows and provides a convenient area to tuck away your morning paper cookbooks or any other items you may want handy ask for No $550 267 is (picture B) ner Shelf Pattern No $300 The spoon rack measures approximately tall and 13” wide Shelf Packet C34 Pattern prices include first class postage and handling Our 1982 Patterns For Better Living catalog picturing almost 700 woodworking and handicraft 18” Collector’s projects with 9 den Standard-Examine- r Dept PO Box California 91409 2383 is mini-plan- s $195 Send check or money der to Steve Ellingson co Spoon Rack Pattern No 112 is $350 For a variety of shelf patterns (not including No 112 or No 267) orOg- Pattern Van Nuys materials developed “In severe tests by the Navy these coatings are performing extremely well” reports Dr James Griffith of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC “The real key to the coatings” Griffith says “is ease of use” Unlike materials of comparably high performance they can be brushed or sprayed on like common consumer coatings Potential consumer uses for the NRL materials are coatings for house sidings marine coatings for pleasure boats automobile coatings that appear to be permanently waxed and aircraft coatings that shed ice as a result of normal vibration The NRL coatings are based on type polyurethanes between the newly constructed pillars you hide the storage area camouflage two short windows and create an illusion of floor to ceiling windows — a truly ingenious device! Griffith and his colleagues have built the element fluorine into the polyurethane molecules to make their coatings which are called rials can be upgraded by adding powdered Teflon to the formulation Teflon is a flourinated polymer of another type it is used for example to provide a nonstick surface in frying pans NRL designed the new coatings in part to cope with fouling of ships’ hulls by barnacles and other marine organisms A fluorinated polyurethane con- taining powdered Teflon is being tested on the hull of a tugboat operating at a naval shipyard The tug has been lifted from the water twice a year and the hull cleaned easily of fouling organisms In October of 1981 the hull was cleaned simply by hosing it down with a standard fire hose “The coating is 100 per cent intact after four years of service” Griffith said Traditional coatings in contrast must be renewed every two years or so fluorinated polyurethanes NRL expects the new materials The coatings have excellent resunand cost more per gallon than tradito to sistance weathering light They release soil readily and tional antifouling coatings but their so are very easy to clean long life and east of cleaning should The properties of the new mate more than offset the difference The blinds are manufactured by Superior Shade and Blind Co and are “Design 200” of Arlyn fabric woven with polyester fiber They come in a textured material called “straw” which provides excellent light control and can stack up easily if you want to tuck the shades away and enjoy a good view The circular table is an old one of heritage which has beefi simply covered in a plain cotton fabric and decorated with simple straw dining accessories The anti-foulin- g FDA issues product warning The Federal Food and Drug Administration warned today against the use of Dr Olbrich’s brand Eyelash and Eyebrow Dyes because they contain coal tars that may cause permanent injury or blindness upon application at chairs are reproductions of a 1930 European chair which is elegant AND one of the most comfortable dining chairs ever designed The seat and back are woven cane which adds to the lightness of the space and the bentwood frames are in a natural beechwood The frames are also available in a black stain if you want an added dash of sophistication to the space An added bonus is that everything and assemble The corner shelf (picture A) is approximately 30” tall and the width is approximately 15” Cor- — long chainlike polymers — of the called molecules By placing the vertical blinds not-too-gre- t and yield better than any other ripening springbearing variety Berry very sweet and conical in shape Vertical blinds create storage modern style By Rita St ' shaped fruit Designing Woman Los A oMXKs'-- '' it addition to creating a sense of contemporary style vertical blinds such as these can be used to mask a storage area In including the window blinds can be scrubbed down with soap and water The result is a practical and elegant alcove for dining entertaining or just pictured (Rita St Clair welcomes letters which she may discuss in future columns She regrets however she cannot personally answer mail Write to her in care of this The black brown grey and blue dyes have been manufactured by W Pauli Vienna Austria and illegally imported into the United States for national distribution The dyes are sold primarily in beauty salons Customers are cautioned to request a look at the container of any eyelash or eyeb-iodye prior to permitting the w operator to apply it to ensure they are not using these dangerous materials beaut Eyelash and eyebrow dyes should not be confused with temporary colorings used around the eyes such as mascara eye shadow eyebrow pencils and eye liners Mervin Reid director of the State Bureau of Sanitation said “The product may also have been sold to consumers on the retail market or through beauty aid promotions Customers and consumers are urged not to use these products and destroy them so that children will not accidentally harm themselves” |