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November 10, 2001 - Filed Under: Crops

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A three-day short course in early December will give Mississippi cotton, soybean and corn producers valuable information about how to succeed in agriculture.

Registration for the Dec. 5-7 Row Crop Short Course is free until Nov. 25 and $40 a person after that. The event is hosted by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and will be held on campus in the Bost Extension Center.

Snapdragons love those times when night temperatures are in the low 40s and day temperatures reach the low 70s, which is typical in much of the South in the fall.
November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

I always dread the first frosty morning when I look out at yesterday's glorious bed of colorful lantanas and salvias and see instead a colorless, tumbleweed-like mess. It is especially frustrating if the mess is near the main entrance.

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Bicycles are such popular items on wish lists and under Christmas trees that it's easy to forget that these can be dangerous gifts.

Linda Patterson, health education specialist at Mississippi State University's Extension Service, urged parents to make sure their children have the equipment and training necessary to make bike riding a safe experience.

"A bicycle is not a toy. It's a vehicle," Patterson said. "Every year about 1,200 bicyclists are killed, and more than a half million others are injured in bicycle-related accidents."

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Food and Health

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The good news is, most people don't gain as much weight as they think they do during the holidays. The bad news is, the weight people do gain then is not likely to be lost during the new year.

In early 2001, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases concluded a study about holiday weight gain with some surprising results.

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Family Dynamics

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Toy manufacturers' goal each year is to produce the most popular item, but tolerance may be this holiday season's hottest gift.

Holiday shoppers have enthusiastically purchased Cabbage Patch and Tickle Me Elmo dolls and Sony Playstations in recent years, but this may be the year Americans turn to more traditional expressions of the season.

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Pets

By Carrie Reeves

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- People should remember to consider the special needs of the family pet when going down the checklist and loading the car with presents, luggage and family members.

Whether taking your pet on vacation or boarding it, pack so that your pet may maintain its home environment.

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Pets

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Take rich foods, shining tinsel, laughing guests and fragrant plants, mix with curious pets, and you have a recipe for holiday distress. Give your pets special consideration as you make your holiday plans.

Dr. Cory Langston, service chief of community practice at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said an increase in activities and guests in the home can be very stressful for a pet, depending on the animal's disposition.

November 5, 2001 - Filed Under: Pets

By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Since the holidays are a time of giving and love, many pet owners may feel compelled to give others the chance to have the love of a pet. While the sentiment is a good one, the idea is not.

"Pets take a commitment, and you can't make that commitment for someone else," explained Dr. Cory Langston, service chief of community practice at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

October 29, 2001 - Filed Under: Children and Parenting

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Today's headlines are enough to scare adults, but ignoring them around children may do more harm than good.

"It is good to minimize the amount of television reports children watch, but it may not be realistic to think they won't hear and be frightened by the news that has been saturating our world since Sept. 11," said Louise Davis, child and family development specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service.

October 29, 2001 - Filed Under: Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Health professionals usually recommend flu shots primarily for at-risk groups, but this year will be a good year for greater numbers to consider increased protection.

The plants are small, so don’t forget to use grasses like Purple Fountain as the center plant.
October 29, 2001 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Fiber Optic Grass and Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass will no doubt cause a stir when they arrive in Mississippi, so you will want to shop early.

These two new grasses are part of the impetus that Proven Winners/EuroAmerican Propagators has been giving toward using ornamental grass as a vital element in mixed containers. This rage may very well have started when they introduced their Fall Magic line of plants that included the dwarf sweet flags.

Pansy Orange Jump-up viola
October 22, 2001 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Pansy and viola planting season is one of my favorite times of the year, and it is evident that many of you feel the same way. I was at a garden center the other day and saw several landscapers loading up dozens of these plants.

October 22, 2001 - Filed Under: Nutrition

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Cute, chewable vitamins are a part of many people's memories of their daily childhood routine, but kids who eat a well-balanced diet actually don't need these supplements.

Parents often give children multivitamins to ensure they are getting the vitamins and minerals their bodies need to stay healthy. Many adults take supplements for the same reason.

Rebecca Kelly, human nutrition specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said eating right is the best way to get needed nutrition.

October 22, 2001 - Filed Under: Insects-Human Pests

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Insects and humans seem to like similar weather, so when damp and cold winters set in, people often find they are sharing their house with unwanted guests.

James Jarratt, entomologist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said most insects are simply opportunistic, seeking protected places to live.

"Cold usually doesn't kill insects, they just move inside looking for a comfortable place to stay," Jarratt said. "Most insects just wander in houses and stay when they find them warm and dry."

October 19, 2001 - Filed Under: Christmas Trees

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Most of Mississippi's Christmas trees made up this year for lost growth over the last couple of dry years, but the summer rains also increased the challenges from diseases.

Steve Dicke, forestry specialist with Mississippi State University's Extension Service, said 2001 was a much better year for growth, but growers had to control twig and shoot blight with fungicides, especially on Leyland cypress. In recent years, Leyland cypress trees were especially susceptible to Cercospora, which is associated with drought stress.

October 15, 2001 - Filed Under: Wildlife, White-Tailed Deer

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hunters who bag a great buck now have another shot at the attention they deserve through a recognition program that honors quality deer across the state.

The Magnolia White-Tailed Records Program was started in late June to serve as an unofficial record book for white-tailed deer in Mississippi. It is a joint effort of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

October 15, 2001 - Filed Under: Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in Mississippi women, but early detection and treatment mean a better chance for survival.

"Many deaths occur each year because women do not have regular mammograms or practice thorough breast self-exams," said Linda Patterson, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "Some breast cancer victims discover lumps that could be treated successfully, but fail to get treatment in time."

Red Belgian mums
October 15, 2001 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

By Norman Winter
MSU Horticulturist
Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center

Chrysanthemums have always been the premier fall plant, but this year a new group known as Belgian mums have gardeners everywhere talking.

These are no ordinary fall-flowering, winter-hardy chrysanthemums. Belgian mums produce an abundance of flower buds in a quantity much larger than any other mum.

October 12, 2001 - Filed Under: Pumpkins

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- For some Mississippi pumpkin growers, the real profits are found in creative marketing efforts, not just growing a good crop.

This year was Marshall Estes' first attempt at growing pumpkins on his family farm in Grenada County. His couple of acres may not make a major economic impact in the state's economy, but the sentiment behind it speaks volumes.

October 8, 2001 - Filed Under: Animal Health

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Confirmed cases of encephalitis and the West Nile Virus in Mississippi have health officials at a state of heightened awareness to the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses.

Dr. Lanny Pace, director of the State Diagnostic Lab in Jackson, told College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members at Mississippi State University in August that it was just a matter of time before the West Nile Virus hits Mississippi. State health officials have been monitoring closely for WNV as well as LaCrosse, St. Louis and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

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