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April 08, 1982 - Nature Knows No FavoritesApril 8,1982 T* *u f f o lk V into Page 13 h;. Nature Knows No Favorites Can you believe the weather? One minute it looks like spring, the next minute we're back in winter. The ospreys are back. The flounders are out. The redwings have started to stake out their territory and I've even seen a few over - anxious tree swallows searching for insects over t.ne ponds. How are they going to survive when we get a series of cold and cloudy days? About 10 years ago I had an apartment box for martins, those handsome large swallows that live in colonies. Each year they'd return and raise their young. What a wonderful sight they were as they swooped over the pasture picking up bugs and insects of all sorts. Being a swallow, they have to take their food on the wing, which means that the food is always flying about, never on a leaf or limb. Then came a series of cold dark days that kept all the insects from hatching out and flying about. Without that vital source of food, the martins starved. What a pathetic sight it was when I realized what had happened. Beneath my bird box were the martins -- dead. Nature plays some devastating tricks on its flock. But then if we consider the rash of tornados that devastated the mid -west just last week, I guess you could say she shows no favorites. As I write, the male cardinal is feeding the female, one of the many acts of courting. You can see this behavior in many birds. Often in the spring, you'll see the terns flying with fish to their colony with these peace offerings. It's something like our gifts of candy or a bouquet of flowers. Speaking of flowers, the crocus have already attracted my honey bees on occasional warm days, and the daffodils are just about ready to burst. Out in the garden, looking real carefully, I found one frail blossom of primrose. Each year it comes up, blossoms beautifully and is then lost in the confusion of other plants. Raking around I found the myrtle already out. Its blue, deeper than the sky above, is a welcome sign to me. Skunk Cabbage Earliest Bloomer Yet of all the early blossomers, there's none that beats the lowly skunk cabbage. Here's a plant that doesn't wait for signs of spring, but rather through its own chemical magic thaws the frozen ground so that the preseasoned bloom can push its way through. Often when on a winter's walk we find these insignificant blooms poking up through the snow. The flower is actually made of many small flowers on a cone, protected by a hood. All through the winter, the skunk cabbage waits for those special days of warmth and sun. It's then that some insignificant insect will venture forth for its all important role of pollinization. They will be lured to the skunk cabbage by the pungent smell the plant is so well known by. As any school boy knows, plants need to be pollinated in one way or another. Pollen, that dusty material, is the key and it is usually transported by wind or by insects. Those who have been out on these calm warm days have probably seen insects moving about and it is these insects that seek out the flower of the skunk cabbage. Also by being such an early bloomer, the skunk cabbage gets an early start on growing. Later when the trees come out with their leaves and accompanying shade, it will lose the life - giving sun. But now during the winter months when the leaves are off the trees, it can utilize the sun's full power. Boggy and swampy areas are where skunk cabbages abound. Most people do not know the importance of them. They consider them expendable, which usually means draining and filling them in. Yet these areas are perhaps the most productive wildlife areas we have. Too bad people have this idea about these areas. It is like the belief that hazy water is no good and clear water is. It looks good but is usually very lifeless. The green waters of ponds and the hazy water of our bay are much more alive than the beautiful looking waters of Bermuda and the clean water of mid ocean. Proof of this is during the winter months when our own bays and creek waters clear up so that you see right through them. During these months, growth and life is at a minimum, but come the warmth of 'Summer and our waters cloud up a bit because of the multitude of life in them. Of course there are extremes. When the water becomes over - burdened with life, it can actually drown itself by utilizing all the oxygen in the water. When this happens, we often experience extensive fish kills. It's all a matter of understanding. Marshes and swamps, like our summer waters, are alive with life and we should guard them well. These along with our open space, woods and fields, and the low density of people make our area what it is. The pressures are great and will become even greater in the future. The question is: will we be good stewards of our land? PAUL STOUTENBURGH SKUNK CABBAGE - -This insignificant flower of the skunk cabbage blooms as early as January. It has the ability to melt the frozen ground and push through when everything else is frozen solid. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh :411-01 FORD 555 WITH 15 -FT BACKHOE, 1 -CU YD LOADER Ford asked Detroit Testing Laboratory to determine the best backhoe rig for trenching and lifting among these comparable units. Certified results: Ford 555 proved significantly best In Its class by impartial test! TRENCHING TEST —(Av. trenching depth 9.5 ft, width 2.33 ft, time 3.34 hours) ACTUAL FINDINGS OF BACKHOE TRENCHING TEST BACKHOE LIFTING TEST Only Ford 555 could lift and hold 3,500 Ibs for 9 mins, 54 secs. None of the competitive rigs could lift and hold 3,500 lbs. These are factual test findings by Detroit Testing Laboratory, using impartial union operators, rotated for equal time on each rig while trenching, to eliminate any variation in operator skill. A summary of official test results is available on request. Start saving on operator time and fuel cost with a Ford 555 backhoe- loader. You have a choice of 2 or 4 -lever control with 15 -ft backhoe or an extendible dipperstick version to dig over 19 ft. One -cu yd loader with 4,700 -lb lift capacity and convenient single lever control. Improved 4x4 torque converter transmission provides increased loader productivity and transport performance. Ford 555 —it's best In Its class! We're ready to serve you with excellent parts availability and our complete service facilities. You'll find our prices right, too! Your Backhoe- Loader Specialist MALVESE Equipment Co., Inc. 1285 Old Country Road (Route 58) Riverhead, New York 11901 (516) 369 -1147 Ford 555 Case 580 Super D Deere 410 MF 60 Trench Length (ft) 158.80 135.60 141.80 156.60 Soil Moved (cu yds) 130.20 111.70 116.25 128.40 Cu yds Moved /gal fuel 17.35 15.01 15.99 16.69 Only Ford 555 could lift and hold 3,500 Ibs for 9 mins, 54 secs. None of the competitive rigs could lift and hold 3,500 lbs. These are factual test findings by Detroit Testing Laboratory, using impartial union operators, rotated for equal time on each rig while trenching, to eliminate any variation in operator skill. A summary of official test results is available on request. Start saving on operator time and fuel cost with a Ford 555 backhoe- loader. You have a choice of 2 or 4 -lever control with 15 -ft backhoe or an extendible dipperstick version to dig over 19 ft. One -cu yd loader with 4,700 -lb lift capacity and convenient single lever control. Improved 4x4 torque converter transmission provides increased loader productivity and transport performance. Ford 555 —it's best In Its class! We're ready to serve you with excellent parts availability and our complete service facilities. You'll find our prices right, too! Your Backhoe- Loader Specialist MALVESE Equipment Co., Inc. 1285 Old Country Road (Route 58) Riverhead, New York 11901 (516) 369 -1147