| Vol.
I, No. 2 | Thanksgiving | Nov.
17th, 2000 |
Links
to Farm & Garden On-Line The
amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. And, to put it all in context, best estimates say
that only a fraction, maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there is actually making its
way to the search engines.
Well ...
Here at DownStreet, we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we
post a few links in Farm & Garden to sites that might interest you.
Sometimes the links will be related to one another ... sometimes
we'll just offer up a somewhat random sampling. In either case, we think
we might be able to help you find the kind of site you've been looking for.
Of course, while we can't vouch for the fact that every link we provide will be
of interest to everyone, we do our best to filter out the noise and the
bustle. ... Holstein Association, USDA
Gardening &
This month's selections of useful sites includes the
Holstein Association out of Brattleboro, the Gardening section of the USDA web
site, and Holstein
Association USA The Holstein USA site out of
Brattleboro boasts of itself as "The World's Largest Dairy Breed
Association." The site is reasonably fast and easy to navigate.If
you're after the top-of-the-line info on the breed, this is one place you
should visit. Most of the HA's services are fee-based, with a
number of on-line options available -- from official pedigrees to sire
summaries. But there's a wealth of free stuff here, too, including a
U.S. Herd Finder, Family Tree, the Past Two Week's High Scoring
Two-year-olds, the Newly Classified Daughters of Top 100 TPI Sires , a
section on Last year's Cows [that] Scored 94 and Higher, the Highest
Registry Activity By Bull, the Gold Medal Dam/Dam of Merit, Gold Medal Sire,
and Progressive Breeder's Registry/Progressive Genetic Herd Awards
sections. There's also one new item -- an on-line True/Crude Protein
Conversion tool. And of course, there's the software showcase, with
descriptions of the tracking capabilities of EASY 2000, Red Book Plus,
MultiMate, Scoreboard, and TriStar Reporter. There's also the
news section, with links to the Holstein Association News, News Releases, a
Genetic Update Schedule, a Calendar of Events, and Industry News. In
fact, the latest news had the following note: A Registered
Holstein WANTED to represent the breed on the cover of Holstein Association
News and in worldwide promotions. ... Watch for the
November/December News for more details on how to enter." Worth a
visit.
Rating: **** [4 stars]
USDA
Gardening The USDA's Gardening is a quick, useful,
and easy to navigate site. ... At first glance, the site looks a
little sparse. The opening page simply provides you with a couple of
links -- to "gardening basics" and "regional
gardening." But follow either link, and you'll jump to a wealth
of info.
The gardening basics section includes info on
Planning a Garden, Planting, Insect Control, Disease Control, Nutrient
Management, Mulching, Composting, Growing Tomatoes, Bees, Growing Herbs,
Harvesting Vegetables, Terracing, Attracting Wildlife, Planting Trees, Lawn
and Garden Care, Selecting Plants for Your Zone, and Wildflowers. In
addition, you'll find E-Answers, a searchable research-based information
source, as well the Horticulture Solution Series from the University
of Illinois, the searchable Home Horticulture Database from Michigan State
University, and Horticulture & Home Pest News from Iowa State
University. And there's also the USDA's own Home and Garden Tips from
the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The regional
section has a very detailed map prepared by the National Arboretum.
Based on USDA hardiness zones, it has more gradations than usually found in
knock-off versions. The Resources page includes links to the National
Arboretum, and to other USDA resources, including: the Vegetable
Laboratory; the National Agricultural Library; the Natural Resources
Conservation Service; the Agricultural Research Service; the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; and the USDA Forest
Service. Finally, although not obvious at first, there's also a
section on Special Gardens, including Community Gardens, School Gardens,
Millennium Gardens, and Therapeutic Gardens. This USDA site is
definitely worth a visit.
Rating: ****1/2 [4-1/2 stars]
Better
Homes & Gardens: Plant Guide
BH&G:
Garden Plans BH&G is a household word. In
fact, they've been doing it so long, it's hard to imagine there's much of
anything left to say on the subject. But ...
If you're a
gardener or landscaper and you want a quick and easy way to find the
plant you're after, then the Plant Guide is for you. You have two ways
to go here: Either "enter all or part of the common or scientific
name" in the Name Search ... or {ready?} use the Advanced Search to
find plants that meet the criteria you want. The latter allows you to
progressively narrow your search by 1) tree, shrub, annual, perennial, bulb,
vines & climbers, or groundcover; 2) hardiness zone; 3) lighting; 4)
bloom color; 5) bloom period; 6) soil type; and 7) leaf color.
Once you've made your choices, you simply click and, voilá ...
The
BH&G site also offers a Garden Plans page, with links to pages of
detailed info on planning a Shade Garden , a Nook Garden , a Property Line
Bed or Property Line, two sets of plans for an "Island" Bed, a
"Shared" Garden , a Foundation Garden, a Privacy Garden, a Walk to
Front Door, a Corner of Grasses, a Patio Garden, a Corner of Perennials, a
Side Garden, or a "Woody" Corner. Each comes with a detailed
& keyed map to plantings, as well as a discussion of the plants used
with alternates. And they're all ranked by hardiness zone.
... How can you not check this out?
Rating: ****1/2 [4-1/2
stars]
*******
******* If you know of any
links that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
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