11

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

...for discerning weeders

February, 2014 An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

A COOL WEATHER HERB By Lee V.

Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, also known as

coriander or Chinese parsley is an annual herb.

Cilantro is native to regions from southern Eu-

rope and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It

begins life as a flat rosette of leaves and, after

overwintering, sends up a tall, 10-12 inch, flower

stalk. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly

lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and

feathery higher on the flowering stems. The

flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very

pale pink with the petals pointing away from the

center of the umbel. The flowers, although tiny,

are regularly visited by honeybees and other

pollinators. The fruit, known as coriander, is a

globular, hard, dry seedpod containing two

brown seeds. Although sometimes eaten alone,

the seeds often are used as a spice or an added

ingredient in other foods. Every part of the

plant is edible.

Since this herb is a cool weather plant, it should

be planted in August or September in northern

Florida and used throughout the winter in sal-

ads, salsas and noodle dishes. Seedpods should

be lightly rolled with a rolling pin or smooth jar

to break them into individual seeds. The seeds

need to be soaked overnight in warm water to

hydrate then planted very shallowly, 1/4-1/2

inch deep, in rich, deeply cultivated soil. It

grows well in pots and may be used as a potted

patio plant throughout the cool seasons. Germi-

nation should take less than a week and the

leaves may be harvested beginning when three

mature leaves are present. The leaves should be

harvested by pinching individual stems thus

allowing the plant to continue producing new

leaves.

At first frost, cilantro leaves turn a bronze color

but, when a few warm days occur, new, green

leaves will appear. Harvest may continue all

winter as long as the plant is growing. The first

warm days of spring will stimulate the flower

stalk to begin to form.

Seeds should be gathered when they become

light brown. Seeds shatter easily and care must

be taken when harvesting to prevent loss. Cori-

ander seeds may be stored in a jar in the refrig-

erator to be used to start a new crop in the early

fall.

Southeast Asian cultures use all parts of the

plant as garnish or seasoning. The leaves are

used as garnish for soups and salads and are a

major seasoning item in salsas while the corian-

der seeds are ground and used in soups, curries

and sauces. Even the small carrot-like roots of

mature plants are thoroughly washed and

dropped whole into sauces such as spaghetti

sauce or other tomato based dishes and discard-

ed prior to using the sauce.

One of the simplest herbs to grow, cilantro or

coriander is one you should try next fall.

Ed. Note: We’d like to hear about different

herbs our members are growing or are trying

to grow. Let us know!

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

Illumination 2-3

Cogangrass 3

Game of Thrones 4

Events 5-6

Bad manners 7

Book Review 7

Nursery in Action 8

Walk on the

Wildside

9

Memoratus 9

Updates 10

Happy Birthday! 10

Transportation 11

Last Word 12

22

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

AN ILLUMINATING TOPIC By Karen H.

Remember the good old days when the subject of light bulbs was

uncomplicated? Amusing, even? (How many therapists does it

take to change a light bulb? Just one but the light bulb really has

to want to change...) Well, laugh no more. Back then you went

to the store and bought the incandescent bulb of your choice or

fluorescent bulb, in some cases. They were cheap and it was easy

to figure out which bulb suited your purpose. It seems that sim-

ple state of affairs has evolved over the past 6 years and we are

now at the point where the average consumer is going to have to

do some sell-educating in order to make informed purchases. Of

light bulbs?? Yes, light bulbs. I will attempt to clarify. First, I'm

going to give a brief summary of how and why we got to this

point and then I'll summarize the current choices and the pros

and cons of each so that you can be armed with the facts for your

next bulb-buying outing.

The Energy Independence and Security Act was signed into law

by President George W. Bush in December of 2007. It provided

new efficiency rules for the manufacturing of household light

bulbs ranging from 40 to 100 watts. Basically what happened is:

on Sept. 30, 2011 it became illegal for the conventional 100-watt

incandescent light bulb to be manufactured

in the U.S. or imported. On Jan. 1, 2013 the

75-watt incandescent bulb followed suit and

now, as of Jan. 1, 2014 the 60-watt and 40-

watt incandescent bulbs are also banned.

Retailers can sell all of these the bulbs until

they run out of inventory, and we are as-

sured that the Light Bulb Police will not

swoop down and arrest us if we continue to

use them. Important to us gardeners is that

plant grow lights are exempt from the ban as

well as appliance bulbs, 3-way bulbs, col-

ored bulbs and a few others. We are further

promised a second, more comprehensive set of regulations to be

enacted in 2020. Details about that are unavailable as yet, but

estimates are that by 2020 the law will save Americans a total of

$22 billion and have a significant reduction in emissions equiva-

lent to removing 28 million cars from the road. Title I (i.e. the

2007 law) will be responsible for 60% of the estimated energy

savings of the bill. Bottom line is we might as well accept that

the light bulb aisle is going to look different from now on and

begin familiarizing ourselves with what will be available. The

first thing to know is that the new bulbs are considerably more

expensive (especially LED bulbs) so where exactly do these big

savings come from? Well, we are promised much greater energy

efficiency with the new bulbs as well as much greater longevity,

which should translate into energy and dollar savings in the long

run. In the 21st century, your bulb choices will be halogen

lamps, compact fluorescent (CFL), which is the curly spiral bulb

we've already been using for a few years, and light-emitting di-

odes, (LEDs).

Halogen lamps: these are similar to incandescent lamps, using

a filament in a halogen-filled bulb to create light by running

electricity through it. A halogen bulb will last only about 1,000

hours and consume approximately 43 watts for the equivalent of

a 60-watt incandescent light, so there is not a great advantage

over the old incandescent bulb. However, the per-bulb cost

makes them the cheapest choice, at about $1.25 per bulb.

Compact fluorescent light, or CFL: these use fluorescent

gas that lights up when exposed to electricity. CFL bulbs offer a

good combination of efficiency and affordability. They cost

about $2, each, can last 10,000 hours, and they consume 13

watts for the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. Howev-

er, they have disadvantages. Chief among them is the difficulty

of disposing of used bulbs properly. They contain mercury and

visions of calling in the Haz-Mat team when it's time to toss one

out have made most of us uneasy. It is estimated that 4 out of 5

CFL bulbs end up improperly in the landfills. (NOTE: in the

course of researching this article, I learned that both Lowe's and

Home Depot have begun a CFL recycling project. Both say they

have recycle bins conveniently available for customers to deposit

their spent CFL bulbs. I haven't verified yet

that our local stores have this service but I

certainly hope they do). Another issue with

the CFL bulb is that fluorescent light is

much cooler than incandescent or halogen

light, making it appear more blue than

white since we have become accustomed to

the warm, orange-tinted light of incandes-

cent bulbs. And they just plain look weird.

Light-emitting diode, or LED: these

bulbs use a series of semiconductors as a

light source, often with a diffuser to make

the multiple dots of light generated by the individual diodes look

softer. LED bulbs are the most expensive up front, but offer the

most efficiency in the long term. They can cost between $12 and

$60 each, but they can last 25,000 hours and consume 10 watts

for the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. LED bulbs

can have adjustable colors, and don't have any toxic chemicals

that need to be disposed of safely. LEDs become dim over time.

They’re considered effectively dead when they produce no more

than 70 percent of their original brightness.

In summary, LED bulbs appear to be the best choice, but they

are expensive because of the numerous electronic components

used in each bulb. As time goes on, the price is expected to grad-

ually dip to $4 to $6 per bulb, but they'll never reach the more

affordable the price of halogen or CFL bulbs because of the cost

and complexity of the parts. For a discussion of that complexity

and the parts that are likely to fail: http://tinyurl.com/oq2c2ll

Continued on page 3

33

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

ILLUMINATING continued from page 2

Dimmer Switch Warning: Halogen bulbs will be the only

one you can reliably predict will work with your dimmer switch-

es. This is because they work so similarly to incandescent light

bulbs. They will most likely work with any solid-state dimmer

made in the last 50 years. Not so with CFL and LED bulbs. They

generally cannot be dimmed. The ones that can be dimmed are

marked on the package but even if possible, it's complicated.

You must be sure you have the right dimmer switch or the bulb

may be damaged. Some CFL bulbs can function partly with a

dimmer, but may cause a buzzing noise or a flickering effect. If

you use dimmer switches in your home you are going to have to

do some homework if you wish to use anything other than halo-

gen bulbs with them.

This article contains a very useful chart, comparing the features

of the various light bulbs. It's well worth printing out and keep-

ing handy for that inevitable time when your stash of incandes-

cent bulbs runs out and you are faced with replacing them:

http://tinyurl.com/o6olamy

And here are some opinion pieces, pro and con, should you wish

to do more in-depth reading on this subject:

http://tinyurl.com/oz4mosk

http://tinyurl.com/k5r5vd7

We will all have our personal views about the new law. On the

one hand, a healthy skepticism would caution us to be wary of

the lofty promises being made into the next decade. On the other

hand, there is no denying that the new bulbs are much more

energy-efficient than the incandescent bulb of yore. So it is prob-

ably a move in the right direction and, in any case, we're pretty

much stuck with it!

COGONGRASS By Linda M.

Cogangrass (Imperata cylindrical L.)

This species of weed is an invasive grass. I am bringing this sub-

ject to light due to the problems of control or elimination. It has

some specific warnings that you need to be aware of if you come

in contact with the grass.

It grows in open fields, in lawns not being taken cared for, along

the side of the roadways and where you least expect it.

Appearance: Perennial grass growing in loose or compact tufts;

grows from a stout, extensively creeping, scaly rhizomes with

sharp- pointed tips. Don't rub your hand down on the stem or

you will encounter the silica that is embedded in the shaft. When

our warm season grasses go dormant in the summer or fall, this

grass stays very lt. green. To eliminate this weed, the rhizomes

must be shredded and deep tilling used but that eliminates most

vegetation and needs constant monitoring.

Reference:

http://plants.ifas.edu/node/199

UF/IFAS-EDIS Publication, "Weeds in the sunshine: Cogangrass

(Imperata cylindrical), Biology, Ecology & Management in Flori-

da by G.E. MacDonald, D.G. Shillting, B.J. Brecke, J. http://

edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg202

For more information on invasive weeds go to

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_invasive_weeds

44

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

GAME OF THRONES—GARDEN STYLE by Lee V.

Saga of a Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar December 16, 2013 2:45 PM — I have a yellow asclepsis on which five monarch butterfly caterpillars appeared around December 1, 2013. I have watched them grow from about one inch to two inches in those two weeks. I was standing by the pot where the asclepsis is planted at-tempting to count all the caterpillars, I discovered that I had apparently over-looked two, for now there are seven. As I stood there, a fly, not much larger than a common housefly, (later to be identified as a tachinid fly), buzzed around the plant, apparently looking for something to eat. Since one flower had just opened, I figured that the fly was after a meal of nectar. Around and around it buzzed, eventually landing on a leaf about two inches from a caterpillar. As soon as the caterpillar realized the fly was there, it dropped from the leaf, hanging onto the leaf margin by its tail and forming its head and front legs into a “J” shape. The fly immediately flew toward the caterpillar and just touched it as it whizzed past. The cater-pillar quickly went into convulsions and I thought that the “fly” was a actually a bee and that it had stung the caterpillar to kill it. The caterpillar hung there a few seconds, writhing but clinging to the leaf. Eventually, it fell to the soil surface, continuing to convulse until, after a couple of minutes, it lay still. Immediately after the "attack", the caterpillar swelled up sort of in the middle half of its body, almost like a blister but it encompassed several body segments. After about 20 minutes, it returned to its natu-ral size. I thought that was a strange response. I figured it was dead and went about my business. A few minutes later, I looked back to see the caterpillar crawling across the soil! I lifted it back to a leaf where it began crawling. Okay, apparently not much damage was done and all will be well. A couple of minutes later the caterpillar was still crawling on the plant but was headed down the stem of the plant toward the ground. When it reached the soil, it crawled about three inches, stretched out to its full length and just lay there. Now, twenty minutes later, it is still there. I will watch the caterpillar as long as I can keep track of it but now I believe that the fly actually parasitized the caterpillar, lay-ing an egg on or in the insect as it did its quick fly by. If the cat-erpillar does not move by this evening, I will put it into a con-tainer so I can watch it without worrying about losing track of its whereabouts. December 16. 2013 4:01 PM — The caterpillar has moved back to the underside of a lower leaf on the asclepsis. Will check again tomorrow morning. December 20, 2013 3:30 PM — At 8:00 AM today, there were seven caterpillars on the asclepsis. By noon, one had disap-peared. At 3:30 PM, three caterpillars remained, the other three had disappeared, apparently to pupate at some location known only to pupating monarch butterfly larva. Not wanting to lose track of all the caterpillars, I configured an unused aquarium for butterfly habitat, installing some crepe myrtle twigs with as-clepsis leaves affixed strategically. I had noticed over the past few days that the caterpillars are not comfortable when in close proximity with another of their kind so the leaves were spaced so they did not touch. One larva immediately began devouring a

leaf while the other two wandered aim-lessly about the aquarium. This behav-ior continued until about 10:00 PM when I turned off the light in the con-tainer. December 21, 2013 7:30 AM — One larva has gone into pre-pupate configu-ration, hanging by its tail from a crepe myrtle twig, its body forming a “J”. The other two continue to wander around the aquarium - none of them are eating the fresh asclepsis leaves. December 21, 2013 7:00 PM — One

larva has completed its transformation to a pupa - what a beauti-ful emerald! The other two have taken up their pupa-preparation stance, each hanging from a crepe myrtle twig by its tail. Tomorrow morning should reveal all of the larva in their new form - chrysalis. Now begins the wait for the butterfly to emerge - and to see if one or more of the larva was actually para-sitized. December 22, 2013 — All pupa have formed and appear to be healthy. The first to metamorphose has turned a orange-brown color while the other two remain green. December 31, 2013 — All pupa have now turned orange-brown. Complete metamorphosis normally takes about ten days so they should be breaking out of the chrysalis any day. January 5, 2014 — The pupae have all turned dark brown and occasionally extrude strings of what appears to be collagen. I turn the light on in the aquarium each day for about 10 hours to simulate daylight. Don’t know if it helps or not. January 9, 2014 — There are two flies in the aquarium. One of the pupae is shrunken on one side so I can surmise that at least one of the flies incubated inside the pupa and has emerged through the skin of the chrysalis, January 10, 2014 — There are now four flies in the aquarium. Since there are only three pupae, more than one fly has devel-oped inside at least one on them. Researching parasitic flies on the internet, I ran across the fol-lowing site: http://monarchparasites.uga.edu/parasites_in_monarchs/ There is a video on the site which shows how the tachinid fly parasitizes the caterpillar, not a monarch butterfly caterpillar but a horned tomato worm. Same fly, different host. Also, there are some illustrations showing the exact process I have de-scribed.

55

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

FEBRUARY 26TH

EXTENSION ANNEX

127 HOLLYWOOD BLVD.

FT. WALTON BEACH

2014 UF/IFAS

Basic Beekeeping School

6pm — 8pm

February 24th

March 3rd

March 10th

March 15th

March 18th

Cost for all five classes is $25 per per-

son ($40 per family)

Deadline to register is Feb. 17th

Call 850-689-5850 to register

BMP TRAINING

FEBRUARY 14TH

SANTA ROSA EXTENSION OFFICE

6263 DOGWOOD DRIVE

MILTON

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL

bthaxton@ufl.edu

REGISTER AT

https://bmp4src3.eventbrite.com/

Master Beekeeper Link

http://tinyurl.com/

o85g4g3

66

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

MORE EVENTS!

77

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

HEAVENLY? NOT!! by David S.

Lantana camara (L. strigocamara) or common lantana is an evergreen shrub

from the tropics. It is a member of the Verbenaceae family and is considered to

have bad manners in a frost free climate. There are over 100 species known. It is

widely seen throughout our area in all types of settings from home landscapes to

disturbed roadside areas.

Lantana reproduces vegetatively and via seed. Flowers are produced year round

and are able to self and cross-pollinate. Florida has its own native species of Lan-

tana (L. depressa) that is now considered endangered. The native Florida lantana

is often confused with the invasive species. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/223.

Unfortunately, due to its lack of manners, Lantana camara is considered an inva-

sive in the Florida landscape. http://www.fleppc.org/ID_book/lantana%

20camara.pdf.

There are alternatives for the gardener to use other than common Lantana. These plants are available and should be considered as

appropriate replacements. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep483.

Lantana can also be a problem with livestock and pets and should be monitored closely if found in the landscape. Pets have report-

edly become ill after ingesting lantana. The unripe berries are known to be very toxic and the foliage toxic to livestock. http://

www.floridata.com/ref/l/lant_c.cfm.

As with all your plants do your homework before purchasing and planting in your landscape. Some of the most beautiful and avail-

able plants may be problems down the road.

BOOK REVIEW by Marg S.

Florida’s Birds: A

Field Guide and Ref-

erence

Available through the

UF/IFAS Bookstore

http://tinyurl.com/

m29pzze

The is the 2nd Edition

and offers 30 new

species. There are 348

species included and

each has three color

illustrations. The book

includes breeding

months, best habitats

and times for birding,

and a state map of 25

birding hotspots. A 5-page checklist of 476 species and subspe-

cies, including wintering and migrating birds allows you to track

your sighting.

360 pages with illustrations. Price: $21.95

100 Easy Recipes in Jars,

by Bonnie Scott is a great

addition to your kitchen

library. This book is a

collection of easy to

make jar recipes that will

put a big dent in your gift

giving list OR just to

have easy to prepare

items in your own pan-

try.

There are pictures with

decorating ideas if you

choose to make these

mixes for gifts.

An added bonus is that

you’ll have access to

more than 2000 online labels and recipe cards to personalize.

Available through most book stores and Amazon. Also available

for Kindle.

88

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

More pictures available on http://jalbum.net/

a/1463062

99

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014

WALK ON THE WILDSIDE By Linda M.

February brings us early signs of

Spring. Here are some interesting

wildlife happenings for this month:

Birds

Early purple martin scouts will start

to appear in Florida this month.

Now is the time to raise bird houses

or gourds.

Ospreys will begin nesting in north

Florida near the end of the month.

Found throughout Florida, but may be rare in some areas. The

interior of the Panhandle has very few nesting birds, and winter

records are even less common. Population may be increasing,

however, and sightings may become more regular at some inland

lakes and rivers in the Panhandle.

North Florida woodcocks begin courtship behavior. Listen at

dusk for their "peenting" in open fields.

Pileated Woodpeckers begin their mating season and will start

announcing territories by drumming on various objects including

houses and telephone poles.

Others who are beginning their nesting season include: Little

Blue and Tri-colored Herons, Wood and Mottled Ducks, and

Snail Kites.

Purple Finches and Pine Siskins will leave our feeders and begin

their migration back to northern nesting areas.

American Swallow-tailed kites begin returning to Florida from

South American wintering area.

Mammals

Eastern Moles are breeding this month in tunnels under our

lawns.

Striped Skunks begin their breeding season.

Pocket Gophers begin their spring breeding season.

Reptiles

Alligator snapping turtles will start mating this month, with nest-

ing activity throughout the spring. Strictly a turtle of rivers,

though utilizes backwater swamps, overflow lakes, and im-

poundments as well as main channels. Present year-round but

rarely observed because of secretive, bottom-dwelling habits.

Females nest in late April and May, with young emerging in

August and September.

Gopher tortoises seldom seen outside burrows. The gopher tor-

toise is a medium sized land tortoise that averages 9 pounds

and is usually 9-11 inches long. It is estimated that gopher tor-

toise populations in Florida have decreased by 30% in recent

years. Currently, most gopher tortoise are found in Florida and

southern Georgia. Gopher tortoise live in pine flatwoods, oak

hammocks, scrub, and even on the beach. In urban-suburban

areas they can be found in fields, pastures, and roadsides. Go-

pher tortoise spend the majority of their time in burrows that

they dig with their specialized shovel-like forelimbs. The biggest

threat to the gopher tortoise is loss of habitat due to construc-

tion of buildings and roads. Vehicles hit and kill many gopher

tortoise. Additionally, fire suppression causes vegetation to be-

come too thick, altering the physical structure of the habitat and

screening out the vegetation that the tortoise eat. Other threats

to the gopher tortoise include free-ranging or feral cats and

dogs which eat many young tortoise and eggs.

Fishing

Crappie and Striped bass are spawning.

Large schools of Spanish mackerel roam Florida Bay.

Shad spawning occurring in rivers.

We said goodbye to a dear friend in January. Shirley Ann Howell. She was born in De-

troit, Mich. She graduated from Marygrove College in Michigan with an Art De-

gree. She later became a dedicated military wife following her husband to many

locations, eventually settling with her family in Fort Walton Beach in 1966.

Shirley had many careers working for Sears and an advertising agency, later retir-

ing from Eglin Air Force Base Photo Lab in 2005.

Throughout her life she was an avid volunteer, with over 25 years on the Fort Wal-

ton Beach Crisis Line and more recently following her passion she became a Mas-

ter Gardener. She was also a long time member of the Eglin Yacht Club.

She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

9/30/33—1/14/14

MEMORATUS IN AETERNUM

1010

UPDATES Compiled by Marg. S.

There are quite a few updated publications in IFAS (EDIS) as

well as other helpful links that have been sent in.

Do you have pickles in the refrigerator? Ever wonder what else

you could do with the juice that is left over? Courtesy of Rick H.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/09/a-pickle-

predicament-39-ways-to-use-leftover-pickle-juice.html

Are you interested in becoming a Florida Master Beekeeper?

Check out the fact sheet that contains the requirements and gen-

eral information at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in847

Everyone is interested in attacting more pollinators to their gar-

dens. Here’s an information sheet on one of the more ‘flashy’

bees you might encounter, Euglossa dilemma Friese, (green or-

chid bee) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1013

Ladybird beetles are recent immigrants to Florida. A few have

become very prevalent while others have been unreported and/

or little noticed. Print out this guide to the lesser known beetles.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1012

A lot of us (and our residents) grow fruits and vegetables in their

home gardens. Be aware that you still have to wash your pro-

duce. Check out this fact sheet on food safety specific to washing

produce properly http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1401

Want to try your hand at growing a different edible plant this

year? Humulus lupulus or Hops may be grown into Zone 8.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep488

It’s never too late to ‘winterize’ those garden tools.

http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2013/12/24/winterizing-

garden-tools/

A very handy resource guide for locating seed sources

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep486

Rose Rosette virus (RRV) has been confirmed in Florida

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/pestalert/2014/01/16/rose-rosette-

virus/

UPDATED PUBLICATIONS

Water Issues in Florida:

How Extension Can Facilitate Stateholder

Engagement and Involvement

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc151

Conducting a blue dye demonstration to teach irrigation and

nutrient management principle in a residential landscape

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss594

The Role of Soil Management in Minimizing Water and Nutrient

Losses from the Urban Landscape

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss593

Rugose spiraling whitefly Aleurodicus rugioperculatus

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1015

Stink Bugs in Florida Rice

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1009

The UF/IFAS Assessment of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s

Natural Areas:

History, Purpose, and Use

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag376

Plant profile Apalachee Crapemyrtle

http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2014/01/07/plant-profile-

apalachee-crapemyrtle-lagerstroemia-indica-x-fauriei-

apalachee/

Drying and Preserving Plant Materials for Decoration

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep004

Necropsies of Reptiles:

Recommendations and Techniques for

Examining Invasive Species

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw382

John B.

Bob B.

Valerie B.

Marlin D.

Karen H.

Ruth H.

Alex K.

Joan L.

Linda M.

Bob T.

1111

TRANSPORTATION Compiled by Marg. S.

All those times we grumble that we

have to pack up our ‘stuff’ to do a

presentation, consider back in

1906 when the first Jesup wagon

left the Tuskegee campus and

served as a Moveable School. This

wagon was named after Morris K.

Jesup who supplied the funds (all

$674.50 worth) to get it built. This

wagon, when fully equipped, car-

ried a revolving churn, butter

mold, diverse cultivators, planters,

cotton chopper, plow, fertilizers,

seeds, food stuffs, a milk tester,

cream separator and a number of

charts and demonstration materi-

als. Everything included was based on the season of the year as

well as the location the Jesup wagon was going to.

The Jesup wagon reached an average of 2,000 people per

month and with the passage of the Smith-Lever Act, increased

financial support allowed for a woman home demonstration

agent to join the wagon staff. Eventually, demand became so

great that the Jesup wagon was no longer practical.

In 1918, a request was placed to the Alabama State Extension

Director, John Frederick Duggar, to purchase a modern vehicle

to replace the Jesup. This new vehicle was named the Knapp

Agricultural Truck in honor of the ‘father’ of the national Cooper-

ative Extension System, Seaman A. Knapp.

This new movable school

was just as popular and in

1920 a registered nurse

(and Tuskegee graduate),

Uva Mae Hester, was add-

ed to the school staff to

teach improved home

health and sanitation.

Again, demand out-

weighed the Knapp truck’s abilities and a new vehicle, built by

the Hobby Motor Company of Montgomery, AL was put into

service in 1923.

This vehicle brought

spraying equipment, a

set of carpenter’s tools,

milk tester, inoculating

set for vaccinating live-

stock, lighting plant for

generating electricity, a

moving picture projec-

tor, cameras, sewing

machine, electric iron, baby’s bath tub, a set of baby’s clothes,

medicine cabinet, kitchen utensils, and playground apparatus for

games. The staff continued to include a farm demonstration

agent, a home agent and a registered nurse. This vehicle and its

successors operated until the mid to late 1930’s.

As Extension grew,

agents traveled greater

distances and with the

advent of more vehi-

cles, they took their

supplies to far flung

communities across the

country. A home agent

would load all of her

gear (note the dressmaker forms above) into her car and brave

the rutted paths that passed for roads in the 1920’s.

Motorcycles soon became the vehicle of choice for many agri-

culture agents and enable them to reach farms and communities

that regular vehicles just could not reach. Here is Floyd “Dutch”

Bucher, hired in 1913 as Lancaster County’s first extension agent.

This photo is from 1949.

Even as early as ca. 1915, E.L.

Luther, the first Extension agent

in Wisconsin, was using his Indi-

an motorcycle to go on his

rounds.

In 1911, the “Better Farming

Special” traveled Florida’s

railways. Consisting of a day

coach for instructors and

lecturers, two cars full of the

latest farm machinery, a car

to carry improved breeds of

hogs, an exhibit car, and in citrus growing territory, a car packed

full of citrus products.

At each stop, there would be 15-minutes lectures given on agri-

culture, canning, livestock and many other topics. After the lec-

tures, the public was invited onto the train to view the exhibits

and consult with experts. The “Better Farming Special” made 71

stops in two months around the state and reached an average of

1,000 people per day.

So the next time you

load up your car, turn

on the air conditioning

and head off to a lec-

ture, take a moment to

think how much infor-

mation has been given

out before you and on

how very many differ-

ent and difficult ways it had to travel.

Photos courtesy of: The National Archives, Penn State Universi-

ty, Oneida Cty. Extension, UF/IFAS and Tuskegee Institute.

1212

Your member site:

www.ocmgamembers.org

The Foundation for the Gator

Nation.....An equal opportunity

institution.

Have pictures or an idea for

an article?

Send it in!

Articles and pictures are

always welcome.

Well, we

have sur-

vived the

ice storm

of 2014.

What a

mess

that was! You can see from the picture

that I-10 was closed down...for 2 full

days. My exploration consisted of bun-

dling up and cautiously heading out the

front door. I say cautiously because my

driveway has a distinct downward

slant. My distinctly downward slanting

driveway is also directly opposite my

neighbor’s driveway who is lower on

the hill. I didn’t feel like explaining to

my neighbor why there was a person

sized dent in his garage door and/or

having them have to come out and peel

me off of said door.

Once the storm passed, the local kids

employed every cardboard box and/or

implement they could get their hands

on and created their own winter play-

ground. I contributed materials but

resisted the urge to partake. I may have

plenty of padding but I also know that

it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. I cheered

from the sidelines.

Now, I am so ready for a bit of warmer

weather. Today was a lovely taste of

sun and a breeze. Not enough to go

running barefoot through the grass.

Face it the grass is crunchy still and I’m

not sure the local dog walker has been

diligent in clean up duty. But still, it

was nice to open up the windows and

not have to wear multiple layers just to

get the mail.

I thought about this ice-storm and the

way it impacted our modern life. The

Panhandle was pretty much shut down.

If you had any sense, you stayed at

home and didn’t even try to navigate

the icy roads.

I thought of all this in relation to the

article I compiled on the transportation

the Extension (and even pre-

Extension) agents were using. I also

know, from doing other historical re-

search, that the roads weren’t really

roads at all. Most areas had dirt roads

and those were usually ruts. AAA was-

n’t an option if you got stuck and Motel

Six didn’t dot the landscape. There

weren’t fast food joints on every cor-

ner. You couldn’t call ahead to say

you’d be late...heck, you usually could-

n’t call at all.

You couldn’t sit at home and catch up

on missed episodes of Walking Dead. If

you wanted to catch the latest forecast

today, you just flip on the radio, TV or

check your phone (there’s an App for

that). Back then, having a radio

brought to the community was a big

deal as you can see from the above pic-

ture.

So, yes, we were inconvenienced a bit.

Things had to wait. We could call to

reschedule appointments with no trou-

ble and we knew that our favorite

munchies would still be available at the

store when the ice melted.

I think I will just enjoy our rare snow

days when they occur, hope for spring

to arrive (I’m rooting for the

Punxsutawney not to see his shadow!)

and con-

sider my-

self lucky

to have

the luxu-

ries we

do.

Marg S.—Editor

Shari F., Karen H. and

Linda M.—Co-Editors

LAST WORD By Marg S.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication February, 2014