Friday, March 28, 2008

Cranberry Cultivation and uses

Cranberries are a most important commercial crop in the U.S. states of Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Quebec. According to the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries, with nearly half of U.S. production. Massachusetts is the second largest U.S. producer, with over thirty five percent of total domestic production. A very little production is found in southern Chile, in the Baltic States, and in Eastern Europe. In the past, cranberry beds were constructed in wetlands. At present cranberry beds are constructed in upland areas that have a shallow water table. The topsoil is scraped off to form dikes around the bed perimeter. Clean sand is hauled in to a depth of four to eight inches. The outside is laser leveled with a slight crown in the center to facilitate drainage. Beds are frequently drained with socked tile in addition to the perimeter ditch. In addition to making it possible to hold water, the dikes allow equipment to service the beds without driving on the vines. Irrigation equipment is installed in the bed to provide irrigation for vine growth and for spring and autumn frost protection.

Cranberry vines are propagated by moving vines from an established bed. The vines are extend on the surface of the sand of the new bed and pushed into the sand with a blunt disk. The vines are watered regularly during the first few weeks until roots form and new shoots grow. Beds are given regular light application of nitrogen fertilizer during the first year. The cost of establishment for new cranberry beds is estimated to be about US$70,000 per hectare. A common misconception about cranberry production is that the beds remain flooded throughout the year. During the growing season cranberry beds are not flooded, but are irrigated regularly to maintain soil moisture. Beds are flooded in the Autumn to facilitate harvest and again during the winter to protect against low temperatures. In cold climates like Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and eastern Canada the winter flood in general freezes into ice while in warmer climates the water remains liquid. When ice forms on the beds trucks can be driven onto the ice to extend a thin layer of sand that helps to control pests and to revive the vines. Sanding is done every three to five years.

Cranberries are harvested in the Autumn when the fruit takes on its typical deep red color. This is generally in late September and into October. To harvest cranberries, the beds are flooded with six to eight inches of water. A harvester is driven through the beds to remove the fruit from the vines. For the past 50 years, water reel type harvesters have been used. Harvested cranberries drift in the water and can be corralled into a corner of the bed and conveyed or pumped from the bed. From the farm, cranberries are taken to receiving stations where they are cleaned, sorted, and stored prior to packaging or processing. In 2005, a new type of cranberry harvester called the Ruby Slipper was introduced into the industry. Whether this type of harvester with fewer moving parts will be accepted by the industry still remains to be seen.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Hosta Virus X or HVX

Hosta Virus X or HVX as it is known by its acronym is a dangerous, contagious virus that is killing hostas in both North America and Europe. It first started showing up in North America about five years ago when mutated looking plants with strange markings and mottled leaves started growing in nurseries and home gardens.

Hosta Virus X was not detected for a long time at first because at first it was thought to be a new sport of hosta. For those of you who are not hosta fiends, a hosta sport is simply a new variety of plant. Some of these infected plants were even named and sold in the U.S. and Britain. The virus also infected the large growing fields of Holland where most of the hostas sold in the world are grown. Examples of new plants that were actually named even though they were just infected are Leopard Frog, Break dance and Lunacy varieties of hosta.

In North America there are two very popular varieties of hosta that are widely infected with this virus. This includes the chartreuse variety Sum and Substance and the yellow variety that can tolerate sun called Gold Standard.

Why are people being sold infected hosta plants to this day even though growers and nurseries know that the Hosta Virus X exists? The problem is that the plant will not display any symptoms that it is a carrier of the virus for up to 3 or 4 years. The plant can be a carrier of the virus and still look normal during this time.

Symptoms of Hosta Virus X include dark blue or black veins that look like ink bleeding marks on Kleenex. Other symptoms are mottled and discolored leave. There may be bleached looking patches on green or blue leaves or dark green blotches on yellow leaved hostas.

This virus is also very hard to get rid of. It lurks in the sap of the plant affecting the roots, leaves and stems. If you think you have a plant infected with this contagious plant disease then uproot it immediately and throw it into your garbage or even better burn it. Do not throw it onto your compost heap, as that is a place where the virus can be recycled back into your garden. As long as you are able to remove every single bit of dead tissue from the ground that belonged to the infected plant you should be okay. Make sure that you wash the tools you used to dig up diseased plants with bleach so you don't infect other areas of the garden as well.

Yet another way to prevent Hosta Virus X from spreading is to not buy any plants that are displaying symptoms of the disease from a grocery store, nursery or garden center. Always be sure to buy your hosta plants from a reputable hosta dealer. Many of the commercial growers limit their sources to those who have very high standards of disease and pest control. This along with constant monitoring of their growing areas tends to keep Hosta Virus X limited to those who decide NOT to employ these higher growing standards.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Basic advantages and disadvantages in taking your dog when you go for hunting

Hunting along with a dog is a rather controversial sport these days and there are some dogs better at it than other, some dogs are better “at” a specific type of hunting than others, that is why hunting with a dog is a popular sport among hunting enthusiasts. These traits vary from dog to dog: some have a very developed scenting ability while others have very good stamina and so on. Some of the most famous hounds would be the: Beagle, Norwegian Elkhound, American Foxhound, Black And Tan Coonhound and others as well. Some of the dogs that belong to this group would be the: American Water Spaniel, Golden Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, German Shorthaired Pointer and others as well.

Moving on to the interesting part, the exciting aspect about the above-mentioned dogs is that each breed has its own natural behavior. Hunting along with one of these dogs will surely improve your hunting efficiency but choosing the most appropriate type of dog is crucial as some dogs excel at fox hunting for example while other are best to be used for squirrel hunting. The terriers were originally developed for hunting small games and killing vermin and if you plan on hunting squirrels for example, a working terrier is the best way to do it. The hunting dogs are most recommended for any type of hunting, as they will prove their efficiency if properly trained.

The main disadvantage regarding hunting dogs is that the training procedure is rather complex and might not show up the expected results when hunting for the first time with the dog. Regarding the aspect of training a hunting dog, it is also a matter of time because training a dog properly for hunting purposes can take up to one year and in some cases you will have only one chance to do it because some mistakes are irreversible. An example of an irreversible mistake would be the lack of early socialization. We recommend that you do a little bit of research before choosing your hunting dog, start the training from an early age and things should go smoothly.

All things considered, hunting along with a dog has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of using a dog is that if the dog was properly trained from an early age, the chances of catching more animals is higher as this dogs will do some of the work for you. The main disadvantage would be that the entire training process takes some time and every dog is different in its own way so there is no such thing as a standard training procedure applicable for all breeds.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

History of agriculture in the People’s Republic of China

China has the world’s largest agricultural economy and one of the most varied. The nation stands first among all others in the production of rice, cotton, tobacco, and hogs and is a major producer of wheat, corn, millet, tea, jute, and hemp. This wide range of crops is possible because of the country’s varied climate and agricultural zones. China participates on a large scale in international agricultural markets, both as an exporter and as an importer. A successful agricultural sector is critical to China’s development. First, it must feed more than 1.3 billion people, about 21 percent of the world’s population, using only 7 percent of the world’s arable land. Second, it must provide raw materials for the industrial sector. Third, agricultural exports must earn the foreign exchange needed to purchase key industrial and technological items from other countries.

China has historically struggled to feed its large population. In 20th century, the famine gradually destroyed China’s population. Huge always was invested with emphasis in the agricultural production, but the weather, the war, have frequently relaxed the good intention with politics. Reforms the outset in 70’s later periods, the agricultural relative share (gross domestic product) starts in the gross national product to increase year after year. From revealed the driving rise in price to pay the crops and a trend toward the privatization in the agriculture, the agricultural product increased from 30% GDP in 1980 to 33% gross national product in 1983. From then on, however, the agriculture reduced its share simultaneously the service sector to increase in the economy.

This sector rapidly appeared in 1978 to start since the reform in the rural area. The main reform is: The family contractual liability system, restores to the farmer right use land, the arrangement agriculture factory work, with processes their product; The cancellation condition sale agricultural product monopolizes, with to mostly price regulation agriculture and auxiliary product; Abolishes many restrictive policies, allows the farmer to appear the diverse enterprise and establishes the small town enterprise in order to fires at their enthusiasm is the production. The reform liberated and develops the countryside to have the productive forces the strength, is promoted the agricultural rapid growth - especially in the grain production - and the agricultural structure optimization. In the 90’s, China’s agriculture and the rural economy have faced the unprecedented difficulty and the challenge. But the development momentum basically maintained has been quite good still, with most products in surplus and supplies and demand in balance every year. The year 2004 is a turning point, with 469.47 million tons grains productions, reverses 5 year decline. Now China leads the world in the grain, the cotton, the oil-pressing plant, the fruit, the meat, the egg, the aquatic product and the vegetable product.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Cranberry Potential health benefits

Cranberries are a cause of polyphenol antioxidants, phytochemicals under active research for possible profit to the cardiovascular system, immune system and as anti-cancer agents. Cranberry juice contains a chemical component, a high molecular weight non-dialyzable material (NDM), as noted above, that is able to inhibit and even reverse the formation of plaque by Streptococcus mutan pathogens that cause tooth decay. Cranberry juice components also show efficacy against formation of kidney stones. Raw cranberries and cranberry juice are abundant food sources of the anthocyanidin flavonoids, cyanidin and peonidin, and are also rich in petunidin. These compounds have an unknown effect on human health (see anthocyanidin and peonidin). Although they are powerful against human cancer cells in vitro, their effect when ingested by humans is unproven, showing poor absorption into human cells and rapid elimination from blood. Nonetheless, since 2002, there has been an increasing focus on the potential role of cranberry polyphenolic constituents in preventing several types of cancer. Cranberry tannins have anti-clotting properties and may reduce urinary tract infections and the amount of dental plaque-causing oral bacteria, thus being a prophylaxis for gingivitis.

Anti-adhesion properties: There is probable benefit of cranberry juice consumption against bacterial infections in the urinary system. While much of the proof is equivocal, hypotheses state that an effect occurs from a component of the juice competitively inhibiting bacterial attachment to the bladder and urethra, allowing the bacteria to be flushed out more effortlessly. Although promising for anti-bacterial activity, long-term consumption of cranberry juice has only limited evidence for beneficial effects against urinary tract infections in women. Similar applications have not been successfully proved in other clinical trials of consuming cranberry juice or tablets by people with spinal cord injury associated with bladder catheterization, neurogenic bladder or uncommon urination, any of which may be associated with increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.

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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Cranberry History

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccus, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccus. They are found in acidic bogs throughout the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to 2 m long and 5 to 20 cm in height, with slender, wiry stems, not thickly woody, and small evergreen leaves. The flowers are dark pink, with very distinct refluxed petals, leaving the style and stamens fully exposed and pointing forward. Domestic honeybees pollinate them. The fruit is a false berry that is superior to the leaves of the plant; it is originally white, but turns a deep red when fully ripe. It is edible, with an acidic taste that can overwhelm its sweetness.

Cranberry sales have traditionally been associated with the United States holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Until the Thirties more harvest took place sold fresh. The cranberry farmers have a long history of joint marketing. Since 1904, John Gaynor, a farmer of Wisconsin, and A.U. Chaney, a fruit broker from Des Moines, Iowa, organized Wisconsin growers into a cooperative called the Wisconsin Cranberry Sales Company to receive a uniform price from buyers. Farmers in New Jersey and Massachusetts were also organized in co-operatives, creating the national exchange of fruit, which launched the fruit on the market under the mark of Eatmor. The success of cooperative marketing almost led to its failure. With consistent and high prices, area and production doubled between 1903 and 1917 and prices fell. In 1918, US$54,000 was spent on advertising, leading to US$1 million in increased sales.

With surplus cranberries and changing American households some enterprising growers began canning cranberries that were below-grade for fresh market. Competition between canners was fierce because profits were thin. The Ocean Spray cooperative was established in 1930 through a merger of three primary processing companies: Ocean Spray Preserving company, Make peace Preserving Co, and Cranberry Products Co. The new company was called Cranberry Canners, Inc and was employed the label of jet of ocean on their products. Since the new company represented more than 90% of the market, it would have been illegal made not found with the agent John Quarles an exemption for the agricultural cooperatives. In date of 2006, approximately 65% of the American industry of north belongs to the co-operative of jet of ocean. A turning point for the industry occurred on November 9, 1959 when the secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Arthur S. Flemming announced that some of the 1959 crop was tainted with traces of the herbicide aminotriazole. The market for cranberries broke down and the farmers lost million dollars. However, alarm taught with the industry, which they could not depend completely on the market of holidays for their products and had to find the year to round markets for their fruit. They also had to atrociously pay attention about their use of the pesticides.

After the scare of aminotriazole, Ocean Spray reorganized and spent substantial sums on product development. The new products such as cranberry apple juice blends were introduced, followed by other juice blends. An order of federal commercialization that is authorized to synchronize the source and the demand was approved in 1962. The order has renewed and it has been modified slightly in subsequent years, but it has allowed one more a more stable commercialization. The market order has been invoked during six crop years: 1962 (12%), 1963 (5%), 1970 (10%), 1971 (12%), 2000 (15%), and 2001 (35%). Even though supply still slightly exceeds demand, there is little will to invoke the Federal Marketing Order out of the realization that any pullback in supply by U.S. growers would easily be filled by Canadian production.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Intensive farming

Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an agriculture production system that by the high input of capital, fertilizer, labor, or labor-saving technologies such as pesticides concerning country area are characterized. This is agriculture vast in contrast to the concept which involves a low input of material and labor with the plant turnover that mainly of course available floor fertility, water supplies or other country qualities depend.

The modern day forms agriculture based of intensive plant involve the use of mechanical ploughing, chemical fertilizer, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and the rule donors of the installation increase and/or pesticides. It is associated with the rising use of agriculture mechanization, which has allowed a substantial increase of production. Intensive animal the agriculture practices can involve very large numbers of animals which limit on country are bred that large quantities require food, water and medical input (that it is required the animals in obstructed conditions healthy keep). Very large or restricted within intensive cattle far directions (particularly describing of common the agriculture practices of the U.S.) are frequently intended as factory treating and antagonists for the low level of well-being of animals standards and associated pollution and health questions criticized.

Advantages:

  • Considerably increased yield per available space than extensive farming.
  • Often leads to cheaper priced products because of better universal production rate for the cost of raw materials.
  • Not much space for the animal to move therefore less energy used up; so less food supplied to the cattle, which leads to cheaper products.
  • Many people feel its essential to use intensive farming for better profits and economic growth.

Disadvantages:

  • Removal of buffers to make large fields for maximum effectiveness leading to lower food costs and greater food accessibility to the poor. But it also limits the natural habitat of some wild creatures and can lead to dirt erosion.
  • Use of fertilizers can alter the biology of rivers and lakes. Some environmentalists attribute the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico as being encouraged by nitrogen fertilization of the algae bloom.
  • Pesticides can kill helpful insects as well as those that destroy crops.
  • Generally not sustainable.
  • Often results in an inferior product.

Tips for Writing the Business Plan’s Summary

The purpose of the summary of the business plan is to provide your readers with an overview of the business plan. It is an introduction to your business. Therefore, your business plan’s summary will include summaries of:
A description of your company, including your products and/or services, your mission statement, your business’s management, the market and your customer, marketing and sales, your competition, your business’s operations, financial projections and plans. There are some tips on writing the summary of the business plan they are as follows:
  • Focus on providing a summary. The business plan itself will provide the details and whether bank managers or investors, the readers of your business plan don’t want to have their time wasted.
  • Keep your language strong and positive. Don’t weaken the executive summary of your business plan with weak language. Instead of writing, “Dog star Industries might be in an excellent position to win government contracts”, write, “Dog star Industries will be in an excellent position...”
  • The executive summary should be no more than two pages long. Resist the temptation to pad your business plan’s executive summary with details (or pleas). The business of the executive summary is to present the facts and entice your reader to read the rest of the business plan, not tell him everything.
  • Polish your executive summary. Read it aloud. Does it flow or does it sound choppy? Is it clear and succinct? Once it sounds good to you, have someone else who knows nothing about your business read it and make suggestions for improvement.
  • Tailor the executive summary of your business plan to your audience. If the purpose of your business plan is to entice investors, for instance, your executive summary should focus on the opportunity your business provides investors and why the opportunity is special.
  • Put yourself in your readers’ place... and read your executive summary again. Does this executive summary generate interest or excitement in the reader? If not, why?
  • Remember, the executive summary of the business plan will be the first thing the readers of the business plan read. If your business plan’s executive summary is poorly written, it will also be the last, as they set the rest of your business plan aside unread!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

History of agricultural science

Agronomic science is seen by certain having started with the genetic work of Mendel, but in modern terms could be better dated from the chemical exits of manure of the factory arrangement than physiological at the eighteenth necessary Germany. Today is very different for him from than it was even in 1950. The intensification of agriculture since the Sixties in the developed countries and in the process of development, often indicated under the name of the green revolution, was narrowly attached to the progress achieved while choosing and while improving of harvests and the animals for the raised productivity, as well as to develop the additional entries such as artificial manures and the plant health products.

As the oldest and larger human intervention in kind, incidences on the environment of agriculture in general and agriculture more recently intensive, the industrial development, and growth of population raised many questions among the agricultural scientists and carried out to the development and the appearance of new fields. Those include the technological fields which assume the solution with the technological lies of problems in better technology, such as the integrated management of parasite, technologies of treatment of reject, structures of landscape, genomic, and the agricultural fields of philosophy which include references to the production of food as something primarily different from the nonessential ‘goods economic ‘. In fact, the interactions between these two approaches provide a fertile field for a major arrangement in agronomic science.

New technologies, such as biotechnology and data processing (for data processing and storage), and progress technological made it possible to develop new fields of research, including the genetics, the agro physics, the improved statistical analysis, and the leasing of precision. The balancing of the latter, like above, are normal and human sciences of the agronomic science which seek to include/understand the interactions of human-nature of traditional agriculture, including the interaction of the religion and agriculture, and the immaterial components of the systems of agricultural production.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Tips to Remove Pet Odor and Stains

Every one likes the pets but most of us are try to keep away pets because they don’t like the pet odor and stains. Generally pet’s especially dogs leave the scent marks of urination on the floors or furniture in initial days. Because of these reason most of us not adopting the pets but if you follow some tips it can easy to remove the pet odors and stains. Because of these reason one of my friends doesn’t adopt the pets in his San Diego apartments. Here are some tips to remove and clean the pet odors and stains.

  • All dirtied areas must firstly by face and fragrance is identified. Old stains can be seen with the help of a black-light bulb. This type of slightly will spot even old on floor carpet and furniture to show. After identifying outline the areas lightly with a chalk.
  • Like for cleaning ends for washable points, best to machine the wash them a box adding purification salt to the usual detergents and the stained points with wash. After they become is washed best to dry air them. As still one or another macula or fragrance remain it is advisable an enzymatic use cleaner and again clean them. Be carefully and follow the certain indications for using the cleaner.
  • Steam uses no cleaners to remove the house animal urine from the upholstery or carpets. The fragrances of. The heat of steam wills permanently the fragrance of the house animal urine by getting the protein bonded to the synthetic fibers to place. No cleaning chemical products use such as vinegar, ammonia and others which have strong fragrances since it house animals can dogs to urine encourage especially marks again them. This is of the most important cleaning ends.
  • Try to use flannel backed vinyl table cloths to cover upholstery and susceptible areas as these are easily machine washed as well as unattractive to pets.
  • The clean secret needs another coat technology for the rug and the interior decoration. Uses the towel paper and the newspaper combination absorption same many fresh urines as far as possible. Especially in the case of carpets the more urine you can remove in the rug situation is like this easier it to remove the smell. Places the thick paper level towel and with the newspaper and or the place other thick layers reported its heavyweight it or stands in it in the about 1 minute. Continues to make this until the region which receives affects is nearly does not have moistly. Thoroughly will use the cool clean water in this clean later region. In thoroughly rinses the region stain after the water either uses a wet vacuum cleaner or the extractor removes it.
  • Enzymatic cleaners are another effective cleaners to used for washable wall papers and enamel paints on walls to remove pet urine stains and odors,
  • If any cleaner or the chemical product are used has used in some regions a neutralized the cleaner then not to be able to be useful has rewoven early cleaner all traces until you from the rug. The enzymatic cleaner will obtain by the old cleaner appears weakens. Removes the old cleaner trace use extractor or the wet-vac machine is similar to them to operate is clean in the force carpet side through does a cancellation impurity good work from the textile fiber rug material. Please by all means must reads instruction for use these machines, do not have to use any chemical product by them.
  • Last thing is better to give the training to your pet against urine marking inside the home.
If you follow these suggestions your work will be easy to remove the pet odors on carpets I am also follow these tips in my Miami apartments and enjoy with my little puppy.


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