February 2004

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Secrets Of Pea Shoots Detailed In Gardening Booklet By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University If you've visited any regional restaurants lately, you may have eaten pea shoots, the young tender vine tips of green or garden peas. Pea shoots are commonly served fresh in salads or as a garnish, or are lightly steamed or sautéed in stir-fried Asian-style dishes. Oregon State University, Washington State University and University of Idaho Extension have jointly published a booklet for growers and home gardeners on how to grow pea shoots in the Pacific Northwest. The top 2 to 6 inches of a younger pea plant, pea shoots are harvested to include two to four pairs of leaves and immature tendrils. They may also include small flower buds and blossoms. These shoots have a mild "pea pod" flavor and are delicate, crisp, light and refreshing. The Hmong people of Southeast Asia introduced pea shoots to this country. Hmong farmers also introduced pea shoots to farmers' markets in the Pacific Northwest. They are rapidly gaining popularity in our region. Pea shoots are easy to grow and harvest in the spring and they are a good source of vitamins K, C and are especially high in vitamin A. Pea varieties that are well suited for this area include snowgreen, a short vine snow pea; Oregon sugar pod II and Oregon giant, all disease-resistant bush snow peas developed at OSU. Also suitable is Cascadia, a disease resistant variety of snap pea also developed at OSU. Plant them the same way as other peas. The soil must be at least 40 degrees for germination, about an inch deep with about 2-4 inches between peas. Pea shoots can also be grown in a winter greenhouse, with supplemental lighting required from November to March. When plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, clip off the growing points plus one pair of leaves to encourage branching. These clippings are your first pea shoot harvest of the season. Keep clipping the top 2 to 6 inches of each plant after regrowth &endash; about every three to four weeks. Harvested pea shoots should include the top pair of small leaves, delicate tendrils and a few larger leaves and blossoms or immature buds. Select shoots that are fresh, crisp, bright green and undamaged. Those with immature blossoms are especially attractive for use as an edible garnish or in a fresh green salad. A single planting can be harvested until shoots taste bitter, late in the growing season. Researchers found that in western Washington, that plants clipped down to 2 to 4 inches tall in July will regrow and produce a fall crop of pea shoots. Wash and spin dry harvested pea shoots as you would lettuce. For more information on "Pea Shoots," PNW 567, visit our on-line catalog. Our publications and video catalog at: http://eesc.oregonstate.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat shows which publications are available on the Web and which can be ordered as printed publications. Besides providing information on climate, soil and fertilizer requirements for commercial harvest, "Pea Shoots," recommends varieties and methods of growing shoots. Other aspects covered include: methods of pest and disease control, and tips on irrigation, harvest, storage and marketing. Nutritional information and references are provided. Dutch Elm Disease May Thrive In Storm Damaged Trees By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Elm trees, especially those damaged by recent winter storms, may be susceptible to Dutch elm disease this spring and summer, warns Oregon State University Extension plant pathologist Jay Pscheidt. "All those downed limbs and torn stubs in the trees will be real attractive to bark beetles in the spring," said Pscheidt. Fungi native to Europe cause Dutch elm disease. Bark beetles spread the fungi. (See accompanying article on biology and life cycle of this disease). If you think you may have a diseased elm, contact a professional arborist for diagnosis, treatment and removal of trees with Dutch elm disease, recommends Pscheidt. Do not save the wood from these diseased trees for firewood, as the wood harbors the beetles and the fungus that causes the disease. "Prompt sanitation is the best way to prevent this disease," he said. Prune and burn all dead wood and branches during the dormant season &endash; winter &endash; before beetles emerge in spring, including branches weakened by storm damage or drought. If you can't dispose of the elm wood right away, remove all the bark from the downed wood, because the bark beetles can complete their life cycle only in wood with some intact bark. Even small patches of bark are enough for the beetles to complete their life cycle. Do not save branches or logs for firewood unless bark is completely removed. To help keep susceptible elm trees healthy, monitor their health and promptly remove diseased trees. Elm trees may need watering or protection from nearby construction. Avoid developing gardens directly under elm trees. Communities without any Dutch elm disease or with low disease incidence should map all susceptible trees and regularly scout these trees for symptoms of Dutch elm disease, recommended Pscheidt. If you love elms or have lost one and want to replace it, there are elm species or hybrids resistant to Dutch elm disease, including American Liberty clones, Cathedral, Delaware, Frontier, Homestead, Independence, New Harmony, New Horizon, Patriot, Pioneer, Regal, Sapporo Autumn Gold, and Valley Forge. Many of these are also reported to be resistant to elm leaf beetle. The first of two North American epidemics began in the 1920s with the introduction of a relatively non-aggressive form of the disease that reduced the native elm population in the eastern half of the continent, where elms are native. A second, more destructive epidemic hit North America in the 1940s, and the fungus was found all the way west to Oregon. Diseased trees were first found in the region in Boise, Idaho in 1968. The next reports were from Oregon &endash; Ontario in 1973 and La Grande and Union in 1974. A single tree was found in Portland in 1976 and was removed promptly. No other infected trees were identified in the region until a new outbreak occurred in Eugene and Portland in 1986. Since then, additional Oregon locations include Hillsboro in 1987, Salem in 1988, Corvallis in 1995 and Heppner in 1999. The disease continued its spread with reports from Moscow and Weiser, Idaho and Spokane in 1990 and Tacoma and Bellevue in 1994. The disease is expected to continue to spread into the greater Seattle area. Detailed information about treatment and controls are on OSU Extension's "An on-line guide to plant disease control" website at: http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=435. Protect Your Pets From Poisons From University of Idaho's HomeWise While we're wishing ourselves a Happy New Year, let's wish our pets a Happy New Year as well&emdash;and a safe one at that. At the University of Idaho, veterinary toxicologist Patricia Talcott hopes Idaho pet owners will take precautions this year to keep their pets away from dangerous substances. In Talcott's experience, the most common causes of pet poisonings in and around Idaho homes are: • ethylene glycol or antifreeze • anticoagulant rodent baits, which include D-Con, Bar Bait, Boothill, Just-One-Bite and Ramik, and such strychnine-containing rodenticides as gopher killer, mole killer, gopher mix and gopher bait • ibuprofen&emdash;such as Advil, Motrin and Nuprin&emdash;and acetaminophen, most commonly sold as Tylenol • all sorts of human prescription medicines • caustic disinfectants and detergents, such as toilet bowl cleaners, bleach, floor disinfectants and dishwasher soaps • zinc toxicity from swallowing pennies and other household objects • and, by cats, eating lilies&emdash;including Easter lilies, Asiatic lilies and daylilies, among others "All of these can be prevented with owner education and by controlling our pets' movements," Talcott says. Kill Codling Moth Cocoons Before Buds Break From University of Idaho's HomeWise If there were worms in your homegrown apples and pears last year, there are probably overwintering cocoons of those same codling moth worms on your fruit trees right now. Before the buds break, consider treating those trees with dormant oil sprays, says Jo Ann Robbins, University of Idaho Extension horticulture educator. Dormant oil sprays kill even cocoons by interfering with life-supporting oxygen intake. To prevent the proverbial "worm in the apple" this summer, take other steps this spring as well. Clean up old leaves, twigs and fallen fruit that may be harboring codling moth cocoons beneath your trees. Set out monitoring traps that let you know when adult moths are flying and that allow you to coordinate in-season sprayings of botanical or conventional insecticides with peak mating flights. To pinpoint the best time to spray, you can even use accumulated heat units, like scientists do. Click on http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ippc/wea, pick the weather station nearest you and run the codling moth model to predict the next hatch. In addition, you can buy mating-disruption devices that emit pheromones and confuse male moths, although Robbins cautions that these devices work best in orchards 5 acres or larger. Another option: during the times the codling moths are laying eggs, try reducing egg numbers by releasing parasitic wasps. Codling moths start laying the first of several generations of eggs when sunset temperatures reach about 62 degrees Fahrenheit, says Robbins. If the moths can't mate, they can't lay eggs and you won't have worms in your apples. But if they do mate, the earlier you make a dent in their new generations, the fewer dents you'll have in your fruit. You don't have to share your apples and pears with worms, says Robbins. "Home-grown fruit can be a real treat." Don't Leave Stubs When Pruning Trees From University of Idaho's HomeWise If only a tree could say "ouch." Then maybe homeowners wielding pruning saws and loppers would stop making "stub" cuts. Stub cuts&emdash;which leave behind stubs and often prompt the growth of bushy-looking "witch's brooms"&emdash;are okay for hedges and fruit trees, but they cost most other trees their form. Because they're made mid-branch&emdash;where trees have no natural mechanism for quickly covering wounds&emdash;stub cuts can also cost trees their health and lives. The open wounds can let in wood-rotting fungi and other diseases and insects. According to University of Idaho Extension horticulturists, "topping" trees&emdash;leaving stubs on all major branches&emdash;is particularly harmful. Instead, make "thinning" cuts at the bases of branches, where layers of special cells can fill with natural decay-blocking chemicals. As you prune, try to leave these cells intact so they can do their good work for the tree. How? First, find the branch bark ridge where the top of the branch joins the main trunk. Then, locate the branch collar&emdash;the swollen region where the bottom of the branch attaches to the trunk. Cut in a straight line just outside the bark ridge and branch collar, without leaving a stub. Other pointers: • Thin back to a branch that's at least half the size of the branch you're removing. • Avoid using wound dressings. Research has shown that wound dressings and tree paints are only cosmetic and don't promote healing or protect cuts from insects or diseases. For more information, click on http://info.ag.uidaho.edu to download "How to Prune Deciduous Landscape Trees." Or, contact UI Ag Publications at 208/885-7982 or agpubs@uidaho.edu to order this 16-page bulletin. Price, with shipping, handling and Idaho sales tax is $3.62; request Order #1179. Methods To Grow Vegetables And Flowers In Small Spaces By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University If you have only a small space to grow vegetables, try planting closer together. Jettison rows of seeds or plants with traditional distances between them. Just plant the recommended distance apart without rows, said Pat Patterson, OSU Master Gardener program assistant. "With intensive spacing, there is more efficient use of space and water," Patterson said. "This method can allow you to shrink your garden up to 40 percent without losing planting room." Higher density plantings crowd out weeds and no new weed seeds are turned up, because there is no rototilling. But high density, intensive plantings need more fertilizer. Patterson also recommends making high intensity beds only as wide as can be reached into from each side. "Since I'm short, my planting areas are only about 3 feet wide." Never step on planting areas soil because weight compacts and degrades soil structure. If the garden bed is never walked on, it can be planted edge to edge. To save more space, design paths between the beds wide enough for a wheelbarrow at one side only. Patterson uses grass as a ground cover in the between-bed paths. She keeps the grass mowed or clipped close with a weed eater. "Grass paths are easy to navigate, increasing the growing and maintenance efficiency of the garden." Apply fertilizer and water to the garden beds only. Do not waste any on the grassy paths. Patterson's intensive patterns include planting carrots in 1-inch by 1-inch spaces and growing tomatoes in 3-foot by 3-foot spaces. Growing vegetables and flowers together is also efficient. "A mixed garden tends to be much healthier and encourages beneficial insects to move in and help with the pest control." Patterson lauds the ornamental worth as well as the food value of certain vegetables in her intensive home garden. "Red cabbage, rhubarb, chard, leaf lettuce and compact tomatoes are decorative as well as useful plants. You could plant vegetables in some flower beds and borders. Since the watering schedule for the food crops will be adequate for the perennial shrubs, this works." Patterson utilizes space that opens up as the season progresses. Not only does this increase yield, but it also leaves no room for weeds to take hold. "I plant rows of summer lettuce in the shade of larger vegetables. In milder areas of the state, plant your fall and winter garden between the summer garden plants as they finish up. For example, I plant bush beans in place of the carrots we pull up in June. Or we sow some seed for Oriental greens in the place of those bush peas that get starchy." She advises intensive gardeners to mulch areas that are harvested out and not planted right away. "This feeds the soil and starves the weeds," she said. Are Voles Vying For Your Lawn? By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University If you are noticing grassy trails and "runways" in your lawn, they are probably from rodents called voles. Members of the genus "Microtus," voles are rodents with stocky bodies, blunt noses and small round ears that are hidden by fur. They have short-looking legs and tails. In western Oregon, the most likely voles are either the gray-tailed or Town-send's, according to Oregon State University wildlife biologist Dan Edge. Both of these western Oregon species like grassy or meadow-like habitats. In eastern Oregon, the montane vole is the most likely lawn pest. These voles all build runways through and under low-growing vegetation, especially in rural areas. They are difficult to spot, as they seem to always be on the run. "Meadow voles do not walk along their runways &endash; they dash," wrote Chris Maser in his book "Mammals of the Pacific Northwest," (OSU Press, 1998). "When startled, a vole may emit a high-pitched squeak, gnash its teeth, and either freeze or flee. If it flees, it will, however, do so only along the runway." Active both day and night, voles are vegetarians, eating a wide array of green plants such as grass, clover, buttercups, false dandelion, and horsetail. Since some of these are lawn weeds, the voles may be helping to eradicate unwanted weeds. But if voles are turning your lawn into a rodent freeway interchange, you may want to do something about them. Vegetation management is the key to keeping vole populations in control. If you keep your lawn short and dethatch it yearly, voles will find less habitat on your property. Avoid using a lot of mulch, as voles use that for habitat also. Fallen fruit and food from bird feeders also encourages voles. There are no rodenticides registered for homeowner use against voles in Oregon or Washington, Edge said. You might want to encourage predators of voles, such as hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, weasels and shrews. Provide perches for large birds. For small populations, you might want to try trapping with a snap-type mousetrap, suggested Edge. Peanut butter or apple works well as bait.

Cheese Mold Happens From University of Idaho's HomeWise You can't eat too much cheese in this life without coming across cheese mold. Do you toss out the whole brick? Slice carefully around it? Try to scrub it off with vinegar? Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho Extension food safety specialist, has heard plenty of&emdash;er&emdash;moldy old tales when it comes to creative cheese mold management in the American kitchen. She cuts to the quick: By the time you see mold spots in cheese, the mold has already begun to put down its invisible "roots," or mycelia, in your Roquefort or mozzarella. Rubbing it with vinegar won't rescue a hard cheese; you'll need to cut away at least one-half inch below and around any visible mold. Mold-spotted soft cheeses should be discarded entirely; it's far too easy for the mycelia to have penetrated the product unseen. According to one sweet little tale, you can prevent cheese mold by storing your cheese in a plastic bag with a sugar cube. It's true that sugar cubes will absorb a little bit of moisture and may keep a small piece of cheese drier, possibly delaying mold growth, McCurdy says. But the moisture inside the cheese will soon overwhelm the best efforts of that sugar cube, forcing McCurdy to conclude that "this practice does not seem practical to me." Cheese mold, like lots of other annoying things in life, simply "happens," she says. Mold spores are everywhere&emdash;or at least everywhere there is air and moisture&emdash;and when they land on cheese, they start multiplying. They'll multiply more slowly in the refrigerator than at room temperature, but they'll eventually claim that cheese you'd intended for your sandwich. Don't fight them for it, cautions McCurdy: Some cheese molds produce toxic compounds, so no cheese molds belong in your mouth. Pest-Resistant 'Jerome' Wheat Outyields Competing Hard Red Spring Wheats By Marlene Fritz, University of Idaho A new hard red spring wheat that outyields its competitors, that is unlikely to lodge and that resists stripe rust, leaf rust and Hessian flies will be available to Idaho wheat growers in February. According to University of Idaho wheat breeder Ed Souza, 'Jerome' has yielded an average 115 bushels per acre in irrigated trials in southeastern Idaho. That compares with 110 bushels for 'Westbred 936' and 'Jefferson'&emdash;currently the state's leading hard red spring wheat varieties. Across its Pacific Northwest trials, 'Jerome' has typically outperformed both 'Westbred 936' and 'Jefferson' by about 5 percent. Souza characterizes the new variety's lodging resistance as "excellent," its stripe rust resistance as "very good" and its leaf rust and Hessian fly resistance as "good." He expects irrigated wheat growers in southern Idaho to particularly benefit from the top-producing 'Jerome' because these growers "really push the yields" and need lodging-resistant varieties that aren't prone to toppling as they grow. By comparison, rainfed growers in other parts of Idaho&emdash;including northern Idaho&emdash;"may not see a lot of advantages over 'Jefferson,'" he says. Reports from flour mills indicate that 'Jerome' has very good milling and baking quality and should perform well as a bread wheat both nationally and internationally. In particular, it tolerates a wide range of mixing times. Interested growers can order foundation seed from Kathy Stewart-Williams, coordinator of the UI's Foundation Seed Program at Kimberly, at telephone (208) 423-6655, fax (208) 423-6656 or williams@kimberly.uidaho.edu. During the growing season, they can also see 'Jerome' in the field in 40-50 on-farm Extension trials throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Idaho. For more information on 'Jerome', visit the website: www.agls.uidaho.edu/cerealsci, call Souza at (208) 397-4181 or email him at esouza@uidaho.edu. Don't Freeze Your Green Thumbs, But It's Gardening Time Already From University of Idaho's HomeWise With seed catalogs tumbling out of mailboxes, gardening thumbs everywhere are itching for spring. But there's no need to hold off on yard work until crocuses bloom. Slip on your coat, boots and gloves, because there are gardening chores awaiting you right now. At University of Idaho Extension, horticulturist Dan Barney, associate forester Yvonne Barkley and educator Wayne Jones put their heads together to come up with this list: • Brush the snow off your arborvitae and Lombardy poplars so an overabundance of the white stuff doesn't damage these column-shaped plants. • To keep branches of tall trees from breaking under snowloads, remove dead and broken branches or hire a certified arborist or pruning contractor to do this. Take the opportunity to clear your evergreens of crowded branches as well. • Check to see whether frost heaving has pitched any of your small or shallow-rooted herbaceous perennials out of the soil. If it has, protect the exposed roots by piling on mulch or soil before the roots freeze or dry out. • Sprinkle dark-colored sand, soil or coal dust on those parts of the garden where you'd like the snow to melt fastest. • Prune your summer- and fall-flowering shrubs and trees as well as your apples, pears, plums, peaches and cherries&emdash;but don't prune spring-flowering shrubs like azaleas, rhododendrons or forsythia until after they bloom. (No point missing out on those extra blossoms.) • Prune your blueberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries and blackberries&emdash;although, if your winters are generally wet ones, hold off until early spring to reduce canker problems. • After pruning and just as buds are swelling, apply a spray of dormant oil or a mixture of dormant oil and sulfur to control scales, mites and other pests and fungal diseases. • Keep your compost cooking by insulating it with hay bales and by covering the bin to keep out snow and cold rain. If the pile cools off and slows down, add rabbit or poultry manure to reheat it. • Finally, if you covered your carrots or potatoes with a thick layer of mulch when you put your garden to bed last fall, Jones says there's "nothing better than to dig up fresh carrots and potatoes in the dead of the winter." Parasites Cause Fish Deformities, Not Pesticides! From Oregon Wheat Newsletter, a publication of the OWGL Great News! Oregon State University recently released an interim scientific report positively identifying parasites as the cause of dish deformities found in the portion of the Willamette River south of Portland known as the Newberg Pool. The three-year, $500,000 study was made possible by a bill championed by the Senator Mae Yih of Albany. This scientific study shatters the ongoing rhetoric by environmental activists who claimed the deformities seen in over 50% of some fish species in the river were caused by pesticides and dioxins. Groups like NCAP, OEC and OSPIRG who were quick to point fingers at farmers, foresters and industry&emdash;will have to reconsider their positions. Larry Curtis, professor and head of the OSU Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology states, "At this point it's clear that virtually all of these deformities are being caused by two parasites, and we've demonstrated in laboratory studies how the deformities occur." Curtis also notes that exhaustive research on other possible causes of this problem (pesticides, dioxins, heavy metals, PCBs and "legacy" pollutants, etc.) showed no other concerns. For more details in the OSU press release or a copy of the interim report, go to the OFS website at www.ofsonline.org. You Can't Judge A Burger By Its Color By Diane Noel, University of Idaho Reprinted from UI's Programs & People, Winter 2004 Since E. coli-tainted hamburgers started making headlines in 1993, almost all of us have absorbed the advice that a safe burger is one with the pink cooked out of it, a nice brown-inthe- middle burger. "For years we've cooked meat by color. Everybody thought color was fine," said Sandy McCurdy, UI extension food safety specialist, "until somebody did some research." That research by the USDA surprised almost everyone by showing that a pink burger can be perfectly done and a brown one not done. Indeed, one out of every four burgers studied by USDA researchers in 1998 turned brown in the middle before reaching 160ºF, the temperature that ensures all pathogens in the meat are dead and the meat is safe to eat. Some patties looked done at temperatures as low as 135ºF! Ways We Judge Are Unreliable As it turns out, all the ways we tend to judge the doneness of ground meat patties and thin cuts of meat&emdash;color, texture, cooking time&emdash;are unreliable. The only sure way to know the meat is cooked to 160ºF, and not overcooked to dry toughness, is to take its temperature. Very few of us bother, however, with just 3 to 6 percent of households nationally using the instant-read digital or dial thermometers that work in thin cuts of meat such as chicken breasts, sausage patties, and pork chops. To get more of us to use instant-read thermometers, McCurdy and colleagues at Washington State University have developed an ambitious educational campaign funded by a $374,000 competitive grant from the USDA. Their brochure, video, recipe cards, and poster, as well as their curricula for high school family and consumer science teachers and extension educators, all tout the advantages of thermometer use. Currently, they are sending the materials to home cooks in Idaho and Washington and conducting surveys to find out whether their thermometer use increases. "I think we have taken on a difficult problem," McCurdy admits. Focus group participants in Idaho and Washington cited the "hassle" of using the thermometers as a deterrent. "If they have to wait 20 seconds for the temperature to register, that's annoying." Help With Speed, Reliability, Better Taste To help consumers choose the quickest, most reliable instant-read thermometers, McCurdy is measuring the accuracy and response time of a wide range of models. Her preliminary findings are that some thermometers respond in as few as 8 seconds while some take as long as 33 seconds. Among the best she's tested so far are several brands of dial thermometers (Acurite model 640W, Good Cook model 25111, and Norpro model 5979), but only one brand of digital thermometer (Redi-Chek model ET-3), which has a 10- to 15-second response time. She plans to make her full findings available to extension educators, and anyone else who requests them, when her study wraps up in January or February. Contact her at smccurdy@uidaho.edu. McCurdy says she uses a thermometer all the time now, and not least because it makes cooking a chicken breast so much easier. Before, "I'd always be cutting in to see if it was done," she said. Now, she can tell exactly when her meat is ready, neither undercooked nor overcooked. By taking meat off the heat in time, says McCurdy, you're not only keeping yourself safe, "You're going to have better-tasting, juicier meat." Burger Flipping 101 What's the quickest way to cook a burger to 160ºF throughout? When WSU and UI researchers studied the matter recently, the double-sided, clam-shell-style grill smoked the competition, cooking a burger in just 2.7 minutes. In pans or single-sided grills, the secret to speedy and even cooking turned out to be frequent turning. Burgers flipped every 30 seconds were uniformly done in 6.6 minutes. Burgers flipped just once during cooking, in contrast, took a full 10.9 minutes. End-Point Temperatures For Thin Meats Note: All bad bacteria die by 160ºF. The higher end-point temperatures recommended for poultry have to do with palatability, not safety. The USDA has yet to study fish temperatures, so for salmon, and other fish, flaky texture and opaque look remain the best gauge. 160º F Ground beef, lamb, veal, and pork , ham, game meat 165º F Ground turkey and chicken 170º F Chicken and turkey breasts Using Instant-Read Thermometers For Thin Meats Instant-read dial thermometers are inserted 2 to 3 inches into the meat. Instant-read digital thermometers are inserted at least 1/2 inch into the meat. STEP ONE Insert the probe into the side of the meat, at least 2 to 3 inches for dial thermometers and at least 1/2 inch for digital thermometers. (You may need to pick up the meat with a spatula or tongs to take its temperature.) STEP TWO Wait 15 to 20 seconds for the temperature to stabilize. STEP THREE Clean the thermometer between uses by rinsing it under hot running water for 5 seconds and wiping it with a clean paper towel. Life Cycle And Symptoms Of Dutch Elm Disease By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease of elms, is spread by several bark beetles, most importantly, the smaller European elm bark beetle (Scolytus mutistriatus), Oregon State University researchers say. The beetles breed in diseased trees but feed on healthy ones. The fungus produces spores in the tunnels or "galleries" that beetles carve beneath the bark in dead or dying wood. Spores on or in the beetle's body infect healthy trees. Beetles overwinter as larvae under the bark of unhealthy or injured trees or cut logs. Each spring, larvae complete their growth, pupate and change into adult beetles. Adults fly a short distance and feed on the bark of small branches of living elms from mid-May to early October. After feeding in the canopy of healthy trees, adult beetles seek breeding sites under the bark of dead or weakened trees or logs. They bore through bark and into the cambium area to lay eggs. The fungal spores that actually cause Dutch elm disease grow and secrete toxins into trees vascular systems, clogging the water conducting cells called xylem. This kills the living cells of trees. Trees are most susceptible in spring, during shoot elongation. Entire trees may die in a few weeks or take a year depending on how rapidly the fungus goes down to the roots. Early symptoms of Dutch elm disease include wilting leaves and sparse foliage &endash; first on single limbs, according to OSU Extension plant pathologist Jay Pscheidt. Later the entire tree may be affected. Yellow leaves and premature leaf loss follow. Symptoms may show up only a few days after infection has occurred. If any main limbs are infected via lower branches in spring, progress may be rapid, and trees can wilt and die in a short time. Or, if an infection is high and late in the year, disease progress may be slow. Symptoms may be confused with other vascular wilt diseases or summer heat stress. Infected sapwood shows brown streaking, especially in its current-season growth. A cross-section often shows either a broken or continuous brown ring in outer growth rings. Cambium layers may also be discolored. When elms grow within 40 feet of each other, their roots often cross and form natural grafts. Fungus in the vascular system of one tree can invade the adjoining tree through the graft. Many elm species are highly susceptible to the disease including American, Belgian, English, red, rock, September, European white, and winged elms. Intermediately susceptible are cedar, European field, and wych elms. Chinese, Japanese and Siberian elms have resistance. If you think you have a diseased elm, Pscheidt recommends contacting a professional arborist for diagnosis, treatment and removal. More detailed information about treatment and controls are on OSU Extension's "An on-line guide to plant disease control" website at: http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=435. CHURCH HUMOR "Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary."   "The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing,'Break Forth Into Joy.'"   "Due to the Rector's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice."   "Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community."   "The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy."

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