The Independent-News, Volume 110, Number 9, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 2 August 1984 — Page 9

Christmas Trees - A Year-Round Job

Christmas is a year round job for thousands of Hoosiers who own or work on Christmas tree farms. The cool Christmas tree sales season is just the end result of ten years of hard work shaping and caring for your Christmas tree. Much of the work must be completed in the heat of the summer. Shearing, or shaping of a Christmas tree is one of the many jobs. Armed with shears, knives, clippers, bug spray and a lesson in safety, a shearing crew is born. They tackle the most critical step in producing a quality Christmas tree. One by one, hundreds of thousands of trees are formed from bushy shrubs to conical works of art. Wyman and Maryin Hochstetler, managers, Stuntz-Hochstetler

1984 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY 4-H FAIR SCHEDULE All Shows Are Free The Only Charge Is SI.OO Per Person, Children Under 6, Free To Enter Grounds — Parking Is Also Free THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 (Senior Citizens Day) 8:30 a.m. — Horse & Pony Judging 9:00 a.m. — Rod Johnson Show, WSBT 9:30 a.m. — Dairy Judging 9:30 a.m. — Rabbit Judging 10:00 a.m. — 4-H Exhibit Building Opens 12:00 noon — Midway Opens 12:00 noon — Flowerseed The Clown - Grandstand 12:30 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 1:00 p.m. — Mini Pedal Pull - Grandstand 3:30 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 4:00 p.m. — Beef Fitting Contest 6:30 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 6:30 p.m. — Horse & Pony Copntesting 7:00 p.m. — 4-H Awards Presentation and 4-H Fashion Revue - Nilus Arena 7:30 p.m. — Grandstand Show FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 8:30 a.m. — Horse & Pony Judging 9:00 a.m. — Rod Johnson Show, WSBT 9:00 a.m. — Acution Registration 9:45 a.m. — Dairy Goat Auction 10:00 a.m. — Rabbit & Poultry Auction 10:00 a.m. — 4-H Exhibit Building Opens 12:00 noon — Commercial Building Opens 12:00 noon — Flowerseed The Clown - Grandstand 12:00 noon — Midway Opens 12:30 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 12:30 p.m. — Dairy Champion Milk Auction 1:00 p.m. — Sheep Auction 2:30 p.m. — Swine Auction 3:30 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 6:30 p.m. — Horse & Pony Contesting 6:30 p.m. — Flowerseed The Clown - Grandstand 7:00 p.m. — Lumberjack Show - Grandstand 7:30 p.m. — Grandstand Show 7:30 p.m. — Beef Auction SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon — Horse & Pony Fun Contest 10:00 a.m. — Bicycle Rodeo - East/West Walkway 10:30 a.m. — St. Joseph Co. Black & White Show 12:00 noon — Midway Opens 12:00 noon — 4-H Exhibit Building Opens 12:00 noon — Commercial Building Opens 1:00 p.m — Mini Pedal Pull Finals - Grandstand 1:00 p.m. — Cat Show - Beef Barn 4:00 p.m. — Horse & Pony Awards 6:30 p.m. — SYLVIA Show - Grandstand 7:00 p.m. — 4-H Projects released in Exhibit Building 9:00 p.m. — SYLVIA Show - Grandstand

Pines, of Walkerton, along with over 150 other members of the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association, has assembled a summer shearing crew. Depending on the size of the tree farm, shearing crews may consist of a tree grower and his wife, or up to 30 high school and college students. To a crew member, a summer of shearing is a memorable experience. An experience that includes memories of prickly, itchy, pine needles on a hot summer day, swarms of hornets and bees, and an employer who feels every tree can be transformed into perfection. To Wyman and Maryin, the shearing crew is an excellent management tool. A well-trained crew is the key to a profitable, quality control program. Every tree on

the farm receives individual attention. The first Christmas trees harvested in Indiana, however, received little individual attention. Seedlings were planted and harvested in four to five years. Shearing crews were non-existent. However, over the last 20 years, consumer preference has changed. Today a grower must produce a symmetrically tapered tree with no defects. Competition within the Christmas tree industry is strong; onlv quality, sheared trees have a place in the market. The trees at Stuntz-Hochestler Pines tree farm have been sheared each year for five to ten years, at which time the trees are havrested. Without shearing, growth becomes unruly and trees have less foliage with poor form or shape. Shearing a tree removes excess growth and forces next year’s growth to be more compact. This increases the number of years before a tree reaches a harvestable size, yet produces a product that will bring holiday cheer to a home at Christmas. Indiana's primary Christmas tree species is the Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris). Scotch pine is a native to the European countries, where commercially it is a major timber species. Scotch pine has no future as a timber resource in Indiana. For Christmas trees, however, Scotch pine shows a good response to shearing and is adaptable to a variety of sites. I A Scotch pine initiates growth in late April or early May. By early to mid-June, elongation has ceased and, for practical purposes, the tree is done growing for the year. At this point, shearing crews are put into action. Top or leader i growth, often in excess of 24 to 30 inches, is sheared back to 12 to 14 inches. Using hedge shears or long-bladed knives, the sides of the trees are neatly tapered down. Throughout the summer, new buds will form where the cuts were made. These buds will contain millions of cells which will serve as building blocks for next year’s growth. Proper shearing throughout a tree’s life helps members of the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association produce some of the finest Christmas trees in the nation. Along with creating revenue for the state and jobs for thousands of Hoosiers, Christmas tree farming provides an important land use alternative —a land use that holds the sandy soils in the wind-blown northern Indiana counties, prevents hillside erosion in the southern Indiana counties, and provides countless ecological benefits to Indiana and its residents. This Christmas, request an Indiana Fresh Christmas tree for your holiday season. Stuntz-Hochstet-ler Pines is located two miles northeast of Walkerton on Tyler Road. PROGRAMS FOR KIDS AT POTATO CREEK STATE PARK If the kids are getting bored with summer vacation, Potato Creek State Park, State Road 4, North Liberty, may have just the thing to chase those summer blahs away. Children interested in nature and the environment may begin a program sponsored by Potato Creek State Park and Indiana Department of Natural Resources that rewards patches and certificates. The Smokey’s Friend program is a beginning nature program for persons seven years of age and under. Children must spend one hour of service time helping around the park, color the Smokey Bear coloring sheet with natural materials, tell the Naturalist three things that Smokey says, attend three Naturalist activities (hikes and programs) and identifing two things in Nature. Children eight and over may participate in the Junior Naturalist program which requires three hours of service time, completing a nature study project, attending five Naturalist activities and identify 10

AUGUST 2, 1984 — THE INDEPENDENT NEWS -

things in Nature. After the Junior Naturalist program is completed, children may continue with the Park Patch Program by starting the Hoosier Ecologist Program. Children must complete three hours of service time, a research project, attending and coleading Naturalist events and identification. The Nature Center will be holding this program at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Nature Center is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. along with programs and activties held every day. Whether it’s visiting the Nature Center, fishing, swimming, camping or hiking, Potato Creek has something for everyone! Shop and Save in Walkerton!

1984 LAPORTE COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. — Mini 4-H Pet Parade (Livestock Show Arena) 1:00 p.m. — Set-up Extension Homemakers Club Booths 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. — Mini 4-H Bicycle Rodeo (Track at GranGrandstand) MONDAY, AUGUST 6 8:00 a.m. — 4-H Dog Show (Show Arena) 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. — Mini 4-H Peddle Tractor Pull (Livestock Show Arena) 7:00 p.m. — 4-H Swine Carcass Show (Show Arena) 8:00 p.m. — Chicago Knockers All-Girl Mud Wrestling (Grandstand) TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 8:00 a.m. - Noon — 4-H Pen Grading Begins 4-H Beef Carcass Class 4-H Beef Judging Followed by Open i Beef & Dairy Steers 9:00 a.m. — 4-H Rabbit Judging 4-H Horse & Pony Judging 10:00 a.m. — 4-H Pigeon Judging 12:00 noon — Open Class Foods Judging (Div. 62-82) Open Class Flowers Judged (Div. 83-92) 1:00 p.m. — 4-H Flower Arrangements Judging 4:00 p.m. — 4-H Draft Horse Judging 5:00 p.m. — 4-H Sheep followed by Open Class Sheep Judging 7:00 p.m. — Demolition Derby (Grandstand) WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8 8:30 a.m. — 4-H Poultry and Poultry Science Judging 4-H Swine Judging 9:00 a.m. — 4-H Rabbit Judging 4-H Horse & Pony Judging 4-H Swine Judging 12:00 noon — Open Class Pie Judging 2:00 p.m. — 4-H Waterfowl Judging ( 2:00 p.m. — Harness Racing (Grandstand) 6:00 p.m. — 4-H Goat Judging 7:00 p.m. — The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show (Grandstand) : 9:00 p.m. — The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show (Grandstand) THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 9:00 a.m. — 4-H Dairy Judging 4-Horse & Pony Judging 12:00 noon — Open Class Flower Judging (Div. 99 - 108) 1:00 p.m. — 4-H Flower Arrangement Judging 4-H Chicken Barbecue Judging (Poultry Building) 2:00 p.m. — Harness Racing (Grandstand) 5:00 p.m. — 4-H Cat Judging 7:00 p.m. — Open Class Rabbit Judging 7:00 p.m. — Dave Rowland And Sugar Show (Grandstand) 8:00 p.m. — 4-H Scholarship Awards (Grandstand) 9:00 p.m. — Dave Rowland And Sugar Show (Grandstand) FRIDAY, AUGUST 10 9:00 a.m. — Open Class Dairy Judging Open Class Draft Horse Judging 12:00 noon — Open Class Cake Judging 2:00 p.m. — Hamess Racing (Grandstand) 2:30 p.m. — Chicken Flying Contest (Poultry Barn) 5:00 p.m. — 4-H Horse & Pony Awards Presentation (Horse & Pony Show Arena) 5:30 p.m. — 4-H Poultry, Rabbit, Swine & Lamb Sale (Show Arena) 6:00 p.m. — Hubler’s International Circus (Grandstand) 8:00 p.m. — Hubler’s International Circus (Grandstand) SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 9:00 a.m. — 4-H Beef, Open Beef A Dairy Steer Sales (Show Arena) 2:00 p.m. — Harness Racing (Grandstand) 2:30 p.m. — Rooster Crowing Contest (Poultry Barn) 5:00 p.m. — 4-H Awards Presentation (Show Arena) 7:00 p.m. — Dottie West Show (Grandstand) 9:00 p.m. — 4-H Exhibit Building, Community Building and Horticulture Building Closed 9:00 p.m. — Dottie West Show (Grandstand) 9:30 - 10:30 p.m. — Removal of Extension Homemakers Booths.

The longest known reign in history was that of Pepi II of the sixth Egyptian dynasty. He became king at the age of six and ruled until he died 94 years later. Triaminic® Syrup Triaminicin® Tablets or Triaminic-12® Tablets For Allergy Relief that’s nothing to sneeze at. C 1984 Dorsev Laboratories Division of Sandoz Inc Lincoln Nebraska Msol

9