Newspaper Page Text
The Taylor County News, May 4, 2028, Page 6.
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you wed - 24/7 365.
GET TO A BETTER STATE’.
CALI UE TODAY.
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Butler Garden Club Visits Blackbird Farm
The Butler Garden Club members traveled, April 12, 2023, to Blackbird Farm near Buena
Vista for a tour of the aquaponic greenhouse. Owner\ Charity Ravn, led the group on the
tour, explaining every step of the way from the big tanks of tilapia and freshwater prawns
to the loop of filtered water that circulates to the lettuce growing in the nutrient rich
solution. She shared two heads of delicious bibb and romaine lettuce from the growing
tables with each member. Next stop for the club was The Coffee Club on the Square in
Buena Vista for lunch. Following lunch, a brief meeting was held. Vice President, Marilyn
Aldrich, presided in the absence of Co-Presidents, Sherry Waller and Mary Beth
Swearingen. Pictured (l-r) at The Coffee Club are: Sherry Laymance, Sybil Willingham,
Diane McGlaun, Virginia Coffee, Mary Luna Shepherd, Jans a Hobbs, Robbt Knight,
Montez Woodall, Frances Bell, Gayle Wy?ick, Marilyn Aldrich, Joanna Queen, and Eloise
Doty.
JOINERS CORNER...
by Neil Joiner, joinerscorner.com
Chinaberry Trees
The battle against Chinaberry trees in my favorite woods began several months ago. I felt a tad
guilty cutting big ones which were perfect for climbing, but I had little choice. Chinaberries are
exceptionally prolific. They are the rabbits of the tree world.
I’ve probably cut 50 or more. Many were small enough that my minimal chainsaw skills didn't
matter Some, however, tested the limits of my ability.
“Cut and run 1 ’ best describes my technique. Some people can point precisely to where they will
lay a tree. My pointing would just be downward, so I rely on escape routes.
There were a couple of incidents that made me nervous. One stubborn Chinaberry sent me
scampering for safety. 1 had no problem getting out of the way, but in my haste the rotating chain
caught my pants leg and ripped an L-shaped cut about ten inches long. Carelessness can he
brutally rewarded.
That near mishap reminded me of a conversation years ago with a former neighbor, Ronald
Everett. Jane and I built a house in 1977 just down the street from the Everett family. Our lot
was filled with pine trees which we heartily embraced, A million pine cones later, however, we
decided to heavily thin the stand.
Ronald cut trees as a sideline business and took out a hundred or so from our yard. One day
when 1 mentioned his adeptness with a saw, he pulled up his pants leg to reveal a jagged scar
from a wound that required 40 stitches.
Ronald’s scar occasionally comes to mind and helps keep me from biting olf more than I can
chew. He know what he was doing, yet still had some accidents which could have ended tragi
cally, One deep cut narrowly missed his spleen.
After my little scare, i revised my safety plan to he especially careful if working alone. Jane’s
presence might not prevent an injury, but she could call 911.
The tallest Chinaberries on the property are about 40 years old. I know that because my brother
and I cleared a small area for a pond back then. There weren’t any when we finished but now
there are plenty.
While trying to get rid of them, I recalled a story that Mike Joiner, a distant relative, shared
with me. Mike had some unwanted pines in his yard, so he sought advice from someone with
extensive knowledge in such matters,
Mr. Fred Moore spent decades in the woods with his logging crews and had a sawmill operation
in Vienna at one point. He knew' every aspect of the timber business.
“Mr. Fred,” inquired Mike, “when is the best time to cut pine trees in my yard?” Mr. Fred
always chose his words carefully. He paused for a moment and said, “Mike, the best time to cut
a pine tree in your yard is when you can hold it down with your foot and chop it with an ax.”
When that first Chinaberry tree appeared decades ago, it would have only taken a minute to
chop it down. Left alone, however, it kept growing and producing berries, Then some of those
berries became trees and had children of their own.
Besides reproducing in mass. Chinaberry trees are extremely resilient. Cutting them down
doesn’t kill them. New
branches will sprout from
what's left. To get rid of them
the stump has to be killed or
dug up.
Barney Fife’s law enforce
ment approach is the best way
to deal with them - “Nip it in
the bud,' If we ignore them
they'll keep growing and mul
tiplying, becoming increas
ingly harder to get rid of.
Sin works in a similar fash
ion. King David is a good ex
ample. He saw Bathsheba
bathing on her rooftop and
sent for her. He slept with
Bathsheba, knowing her hus
band was away from home,
fighting with the king’s troops.
After learning she was preg
nant, David hid their secret by
having Uriah killed. David
could have stopped looking
and longing, instead one sin
led to another.
Barring something unfore
seen, I’ll win the battle
against the Chinaberry trees.
It may take two or three
years, but eventually they’ll
all be gone.
Other seeds, though, will
surely sprout. If ignored,
they’ll grow until perfect for
climbing then beg to be spared.
When something takes root in
a place it shouldn't be, it’s best
to deal with it promptly. Inva
sive trees and sin share a com
mon trait. When one finds a
spot of fertile ground, it always
invites company.
ARTNERS
Customer Service Representative
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We offer competitive pay based cm experience. We also
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St., Butler, GA 31006.
19 S. Broad St. • P.O. Box 277
Butler, GA 31006
478-862-4644
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