Ramsey County

April 2, 2007

Howdy!!! 

Well here we are Monday morning and I need to do a great big apology.  Every once and a while we do some stupid thing and wish that we could turn back time.  Well that happened to me this past weekend.  I had approached the National Turkey Federation for funding for our North Dakota Shooting sports program.  They have been very, very generous to us and asked if I would attend their annual meeting this past Saturday for a presentation.  Of course I said I would and even talked to another person to tag along.  Well guess what?  I was watching the final four basketball games and totally forgot my obligation.  DuWayne Miller has been very gracious for our group of young kids and I owe you a great big apology.  I hope forgiveness can be given not for my sake but for our young shooting sport enthusiasts.  My “SINCERE APOLOGIES TO THE NATIONAL TURKEY FEDERATION AND TO DUWAYNE AND MARYLN MILLER” for a lack of responsibility.

I have heard a lot of complaints this past week about our weather!!!  I know it is not conducive for the newborn calves and lambs but somehow we generally do get through this stressful time.  I can remember a time, but not the year, where we had three weeks of fog and mist and finally ended with a big wet snowstorm sometime around the 20^th of May.  We did use a lot of medicine but those little babies are pretty tough if we keep them bedded fairly well and give them sort of protection.  If we look back over time it has been quite a while since we have a period of light rain and snow like this.  This kind of weather reminds me a lot of the 60’s and 70’s.

This past weekend I had a question asked of me about crabapple trees.  The question is; “is there anything we can apply to our crabapple trees to prevent the little crabapples from forming.  I don’t mind the tiny apples but really hate the mess that they leave in the fall”.  The answer is; there is a product called “Florel growth regulator” that can be used to abort the flower but will still leave the beauty of the flower for the full flowering season.  It is fairly expensive and you might need to order this product from your local greenhouse nursery.  The container is not big but there will enough product for you and your neighbors for years to come.  Another measure you could try if you are planting new crabapples is to plant a non-bearing tree.  There are a couple of non bearing types out there; one is white and the other would be the pink-purple color.  Check with your local greenhouse for information about those trees.

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Return to Back Home Index
Return to Ramsey Extension Home Page