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Cummings and Goings in Agriculture

County Horsemen Bring Home Over 100 Trophies

By Steve Cummings

The State of Mississippi Championship Horse Show was held in Jackson this past weekend.  Numerous members of the Coffeeville Saddle Club and Tri-Lakes Western Horse Show Association had qualified for the state show and performed extremely well.  

At least 60 Tri-Lakes members won over 100 trophies in the show. Coffeeville Saddle Club member, Casey Moss, led all exhibitors winning Junior Hunter Under Saddle and placing in 10 classes.  

Other Coffeeville Saddle Club members placing at the state show, in addition to Casey Moss, were Casey Byford, Austin Bullard, Carley Little, Major Weldon, J.W. Pipkin, Savannah Rodes, Jessi Lee Rhodes, Mary Gracen Reed, Kim Moss, Shae Oates-Ward, Triston Gill, Breanna Foust Scroggins, Abbi Roark, and Liz Roark.

The State Championship Horse Show is one of the biggest championship horse shows in the U.S. as well as one of the biggest horse shows, period, east of the Mississippi River. Therefore, it is very probable that I left out some of our saddle club members that placed – an accident.  It is hard to keep up with all the going-ons, and it is a big honor to place at the show.  Congratulations to all of our horse exhibitors on a great state show.  2010 show season will begin early this year with a January start!

I got enough rain to fill my watering holes, but I am hesitant to ask for the rains to stop.  However, we do need some dry weather to get this crop harvested. Early yields are very good with over 55 bushels of soybean, over 135 bushels of dry land corn, and over 200 bushels of irrigated corn being reported.  All that’s left for this crop is to get it harvested. A few weeks of dry weather will go a long way in doing that.

Our secretary, April Kilpatrick, is still looking for her Yorkie-Poo puppy, Beans. I’ve lost a few cats this year, but nothing like Beans. Her puppy is grey and black and has very short hair. If you have seen this dog, please contact April. I need our secretary to get her mind back on work. Her computer turned back up after it went missing, so maybe her dog will too.

Horticulture Tips:

Sow Perennial Flowers in the Fall

Sow seeds of most perennial wildflowers, especially spring and early summer bloomers, in the fall from September through November.  They are naturally adapted to and benefit from fall rains and cold winter soils.  Rather than use packaged mixes of wildflower seeds, it is generally more satisfactory to sow single species of wildflowers adapted to an area, or mix several recommended ones together for a specific effect.  

Continue to seed cold hardy perennial and biennial flowers directly into prepared beds. Good choices for fall sowing would be hollyhock, foxglove, purple coneflower, rudbeckia, dianthus, hesperis and lunaria.

Saving Seed

Gather the dried flower heads of zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, and Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia) and store the seeds in a cool, dry place. Sow these in the spring for next year’s cutting garden.

Houseplants

If you gave your plants a summer vacation outside, get ready to bring them back indoors as the first frost approaches.  Reduce watering, and allow the containers to dry out a bit.  Examine them carefully to remove any hitchhikers (such as lizards and bugs), and then bring the plants inside.

Autumn Equinox

September 22 at 5:19 pm is the fall equinox—the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Now is the time for setting out this season’s annuals, grooming flowerbeds, digging holes for bulbs, and planting trees and shrubs. But the most important thing is taking some time from our hectic schedules to get outside to enjoy the colors, fragrances and flavors of our gardens, fields and forests.

Tomato hornworms are increasing in number and size on the fall tomato crop. These large, bright green and white striped caterpillars can devour a full sized tomato plant in a few days. They tend to eat the topmost leaves and stems and their damage is frequently attributed to deer. Their camouflage is effective and the creatures are difficult to see. One of the best methods for control is to pick them by hand and give them to the fish catching people in your neighborhood as they make excellent bait. The Bt insecticides are effective while the caterpillars are young.

It is eleven weeks until Thanksgiving. You still have time to grow things for the Holiday table. You can plant green peas, green onions, greens of all types, early varieties of cabbage, broccoli, leaf lettuce, carrots and new potatoes. Think about your traditional meal and determine which of the vegetables you can grow. Cranberries are not an option.

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