Callaway
County
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May 2001
Turn
off the lights, we are not running a lighthouse!
Electricity
has become scarcer and far more expensive since the days of my youth when
my father would yell, “Turn off the lights, we are not running a
lighthouse” to me as I ran out to play leaving a trail of lights behind
me. I find myself using those same words with my family.
There are a few things we can do today to conserve energy and cut
costs.
First,
install dimmer switches wherever possible.
By dimming the lights in a room, we use less electricity.
For example, a light bulb at 50% brightness uses about 40% less
electricity. Plus, a dimmer
also extends the life of a light bulb, sometimes 20 times longer.
Another
way to save dollars is to install an occupancy sensor. When someone enters a room, the occupancy sensor
automatically turns the lights on and then turns them off after the person
leaves. They are perfect for
closets, hallways, and garages—all the places where lights may be left
on for hours, or even days. I
certainly wish they were available when I was a child!
Many
of us keep outdoor floodlights on all night to deter unwanted guests, but
it can get very expensive. Install
motion detectors to control your outdoor security lights.
Motion detectors are programmed to react to body heat. The lights come on when they detect the presence of a person
and go off when they no longer detect body heat.
How
many of us have forgotten to turn off the bathroom exhaust fan or the heat
lamp and left it on all day. By
installing a digital timer not only can we save on our electric bills, we
can also be assured of home safety in the case of a heat lamp.
Digital timers are installed right in the wall.
Many come from the factory with preset time intervals, while others
allow you to program time settings.
Question of the Week from
Burpee
Garden News
Q.
I've
heard that if my cucumber and squash vines grow too close together that
the fruit will be a cross of the two.
Is this true?
A.
Many tales about the freak results of cross-pollination between cucumbers
and melons, pumpkins and squashes prevail, and most need clearing up.
Mixed breeding of melons or squash only matters if you want to save seed
from one year to plant the following year. Unlike corn, which can show the
results of a cross in your harvest that same season, vine crops show the
results of cross-pollination in the next generation.
Each
vine crop species keeps to its own kind. Summer squash will cross with
each other, but not with cucumbers. Cucumbers
will interbreed, but won't cross with pumpkins.
Muskmelons will cross with each other, but not with watermelons.
Winter squash, summer squash and pumpkins are closely related, and
may cross among themselves. Gourds are species unto themselves, but
occasionally cross with summer squash. If you want to save seed, sow seed
at least 100 feet apart to reduce the possibility of bees mixing pollens,
and pollinate the flowers yourself using a small artist's paintbrush.
How many states border Missouri?
Can you name them?
(The answer is 8 -- Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska)
Tomatoe
So
you want a delicious, vine-ripened tomato in midwinter that survived a
week of shipping and handling and remains firm on your kitchen counter for
another week or more? Your wish is the command of scientists at the
Produce Quality and Safety Laboratory in Maryland.
Find
out more about this and much, much more on the www.nutrition.gov website.
How
well do you know Missouri?
The most
generally accepted version of how Missouri became known as the “Show
Me”
a)
In 1899,
Congressman Willard Vandiver of Cape Girardeau made a speech in
Philadelphia in which he said, “I came from a state that raises corn and
cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces me nor
satisfies me. I am from
Missouri; you have to show me.”
b)
President Harry
Truman, when told of the force of the atomic bomb originally was
skeptical. He is reported to have said, “I am from Missouri; you have
to show me.”
c)
Pioneers on their
way west would ask directions as they left Missouri.
They said, “Would you ‘Show Me’ the way” (to Santa Fe,
Oregon, etc.)?
d)
Missourians
traveling east in the early years of statehood told fabulous stories of a
wondrous land. Easterners
responding said, “You have to ‘Show Me’ that state.”
Which of the
following was popular as a road surface in Missouri in the 1840’s:
a)
Iron
b)
Concrete
c)
Wooden planks
d)
Asphalt
These
questions are from the board game “Missouri Challenge—Junior
Edition” developed by Ron Higginbotham, Community Development
Specialist.
More
questions next month!
Answer to the first question:
A—Congressman Vandiver
Answer to the second question: C—wooden
planks
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