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NEW HAMPSHIRE 



IN 



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THE NEWS 



contracting yard known as Mulch 

 Rite) that is now open for retail busi- 

 ness and is also called Outdoor 

 World on Route 106 in Concord. 



Outdoor World is open seven days 

 a week {Monday-Friday: 7-7; Satur- 

 day: 7-5; Sunday: 8-4) at 4 Pleasant 

 Street, Hooksett 03106; the phone 

 number is 603-485-5505. 



Farm & Forest 



This year's Farm & Forest was no- 

 table for three reasons — all of them 

 positive. This was the first year it 

 was a two-day event and, according 

 to the results of a survey given to 

 participants, people prefer it that 



way. Both days were very busy. 



And the Second Annual Food Fes- 

 tival was brought into the main exhi- 

 bition area and was seen as a strong 

 addition. 



The third reason is FARM-O. A 

 "sort of cross between jeopardy and 

 bingo," it was designed by the Sus- 

 tainable Agriculture Committee to in- 

 crease visitor interaction with the ex- 

 hibitors. Each player was given a 

 card of facts ("we didn't want ques- 

 tions — if they stopped playing or 

 didn't get them right, they'd go 

 home with nothing. At least here 

 they'd have some information"). The 

 idea of the game was to match up 

 each fact with the appropriate booth. 



I got a phone call recently from a reader challenging me on the sub- 

 ject of coil in mixes. The point the grower was making was that soil 

 extends the shelf life of the plant after it leaves his place— something 

 most soilless mixes fail to do 



Which brings me to the subject of shelf life. Most growers are real- 

 izing the value of a controlled-release fertilizer like Osmocote in most 

 pot crops and hanging baskets. They recognize that the vast majority of 

 homeowners and chains don't fertilize their plants after they receive 

 them and that this controlled-release fertilizer insures that the plant will 

 receive at least some feed after it is sold. 



But the biggest factor that affects the health of the plant is water 

 If only we could get the public to water! Thankfully, six-inch hanging 

 baskets are things of the past and eights, tens and twelves are more of- 

 ten today's norm and these, because of the greater soil volume, require 

 watering less often. 



But we still come back to the question of what ingredient added 

 to a soil mix could, without requiring more watering, extend shelf life. 

 Soil's a possibility, but it's no longer readily available— and it has to be 

 sterilized— which is expensive and not practical on a large scale. Poly- 

 mers—those whitish jelly substances that expand with water— were 

 thought to be the answer. But cost came into play and research found 

 that they can sometimes limit plant growth early in the growing cycle. 

 Vermiculite is an old standby that can depended upon for sterility, 

 availability, and water retention. 



The new interest in bark mixes may help find a better answer. If 

 pine bark fines are retained and added to the mix, they act similarly to 

 soil. They look like peat, have great water-holding capacity, and are in- 

 expensive and readily available. 



|im Zablocki, Territory Manager, The Scotls Company. Northeast, can be reached at 

 603-224-5583. 



In order to do so, the person might 

 even have to ask questions ("It was 

 amazing — people talked," said one ex- 

 hibitor) When they got a correct 

 match, a sticker was put by that fact. 

 When each fact on the card had a 

 sticker beside it, the player won ei- 

 ther a T-shirt or a cookbook. And 

 all cards — winner or not — were eli- 

 gible for a Grand Drawing — for a bas- 

 ket of New Hampshire food products 

 worth $100.00. (Everyone entering got 

 some small object — a packet of 

 seeds, a paint stick — there were no 

 losers.) Five hundred people partici- 

 pated — a great success: FARM-O will 

 be back next year. 



Honors Noted 



from The "Weekly Market Bulletin, January 24 



At the annual Awards Breakfast on 

 January 27, the Farm & Forest Expo 

 Board recognized this year's winners 

 of several awards. 



The Andrew L. Felker Award, rec- 

 ognizing distinguished achievement 

 in fostering the economic advance- 

 ment of agriculture in New Hamp- 

 shire, was given to the Huntingtons 

 of Loudon. "The Huntington family 

 exemplifies commitment to the agri- 

 culture industry by their continuing 

 and generous support for educational 

 programs, public information efforts, 

 and outreach to many of the con- 

 stituencies affected by the horticul- 

 ture industry. They host innumerable 

 tours, field days, twilight meetings, 

 and other activities which strengthen 

 our plant products industry. The Hunt- 

 ingtons also serve on many trade com- 

 mittees and strive to have their agri- 

 cultural enterprise be a model envi- 

 ronmental citizen." Congratulations. 



Orchid Show Visits Nashua 



This year's New Hampshire Orchid 

 Society (NHOS) Show— its fifth an- 

 nual — will be held in the Nashua Ar- 

 mory on Daniel Webster Highway on 

 April 26-28. Chuck Wingate (Nashua) 

 and Wayne Wiegand (Tyngsboro. MA) 

 are show co-chairmen. 



THE PLANTSMAN 



