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20 NORTH LEEDS LANTERN JAN/FEB 1992 Before starting this column, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I especially hope that your New Year will include a garden. You may not know that the ancient Persian word for garden was "pairadaeza" We now translate this as paradise; and both Andrea and I hope that you kill find a little bit of pairadaeza in 1992. For some unknown reason, the mail did not deliver my December column to the editor so this gives me a bit of a holiday as I resubmit it for Janâ€" uary. I hope you find the following tidbits of interest. The last year is a good to clean out the and throw a lot of unreâ€" lated stuff at my faithful readers. What is a Christmas gardening goodies. University of Massachusetts report that infested with wecds had 40% corn column of the excuse files follows feast of reasearchers corn plots borer while weed free suffered 20% insecticides damage plots only damage. No were applied to the crop at any time. Anyone trying to grow peaches would be well advised to spray buds with dormant oil spray as Utah State researchers found that this the bud few days and made the delayed blooming by a flower bud more cold resisâ€" tant. It may have similar other trees suggest the researchers. cffects on Another Massachusetts grower (it must be silly season in Massachusetts) reports that he grows his tomatoes He drills a in a upside down. large hole flower pot, inserts the tomato upside down in this hole and then hangs the pot up in his garden. Water is applied to the top of the pot and the tomatoes were reported to fruit well. The advantage seemed to be that he could bring his tomatoes inside before frost to continue the harvest. University of Tennessee researchers report that mulching just after plant- ing with straw increases the numbers Vof beneficial spiders. These spiders eat bugs that create proâ€" blems for your crops. Worms are important in the garden. A British field trial actually killed all the worms in a field for 20 years in a row. Compared to the control . plot, the wormless experiâ€" ' mental plot had greater ‘accumulations of leaf litter on top of the soil, greater soil compaction, lower soil moisture, lower 'soil nitrogen and lower organic matter. Let's hear it for worms! Storing tomatoes for long periods of time can be accomplished by this techâ€" nique, according to UNICEF publications. You can keep the fruit for up to three months by: lining a cardboard box with paper. A 1 1/2 inch thick lining of wood ashes is then applied to the paper (use cool ashes please). Place freshly picked, but not over ripe tomates, stem end down in layers with ashes between the layers. Cover the top row with ashes, put on a top and seal with tape. The tomato skins may wrinkle but they will remain edible. A source list of historic seeds and plants is avail- able from Scott Kunst at Old House Gardens, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Send $1.00 and a self addressed enveâ€" lope. Kentucky Living reports that cutting up orange peels and scattering the chunks where you do not want garden will magazine cats in your keep the feâ€" lines at bay. Let me know on this one. Sharpen your lawnmower blade. According to Engâ€" lish laboratory experiments (journal of Agriculture Engineering Research) dull mower blades use three times as much energy as sharp ones. This could translate into quite a bit of fuel over a few years. According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, dogs that freâ€" quent grass that has been sprayed with 2â€"4â€"D are twice likely to develop lymphatic cancer. This form of cancer is quite common in dogs, afflicting one dog in seven. (Reported in Garden Supply Retailer October 1991). The suggesâ€" tion is that you should be careful with your dog and perhaps yourself. This does contradict other research that show no effects from long term exposure to 2â€"4â€"D. You pay your money and you make your choice. Dried yeast ensures an adequate supply of nitroâ€" gen, phosphorus and potas- sium for greenhouse grown potted plants over a period of two months following application. This accordâ€" ing to researchers in Germany should make it easy for local indoor enthusiasts to help their gardens grow. A bit of yeast should get a rise out of any plant. If you walk through pestiâ€" cides, see 2â€"4â€"D above, then do not wear these shoes into the house. Dust obtained from carpets in San Antonio, Texas was found to contain chlorâ€" dane, heptachlor, dieldrin and DDT with high concen- trations near door ways. Farmers are you listening. No outdoor shoes in the house please. Grimo Nut Nursery in RR#3 Lakeshore Road, Niagara on the Lake, is offering a nut harvesting machine. For only $200.00 you can have a walk behind machine that picks up nuts for you. USDA researchers are sugâ€" gesting that home gardeners try using cooking oil to combat aphids, white- flies and spider mites. Add one tablespoon of liquid detergent to one cup of oil; then add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of this mix to one cup of water. Spray directly on plants every ten days. USDA researchers claim good effectiveness for this home remedy. We enough is enough. The file is hardly touched but I am running out of space. Perhaps I'll add a few more in the spring just to keep you well informed about the gardenâ€" ing world around us. Do have a safe season and a Christmas. God Bless. holiday very Merry HUDSON INSURANCE [l/B S.P.D_ INSURANCE LTD. Portland â€" across from the Post Office A COMPLETE INSURANCE SERVICE 'Vour concerns are our concerns ' PLEASE CALL COLLECT The savings are even larger now when you build your home or convert to oil heal. 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