The Rural Voice, 1998-10, Page 10"Our experience
assures lower cost
water wells"
98 YEARS' EXPERIENCE
Member of Canadian
and Ontario
Water Well Associations
• Farm
• Industrial
• Suburban
• Municipal
Licensed
by the Ministry
of the Environment
DAVIDSON
WELL DRILLING LTD.
WINGHAM
Serving Ontario Since 1900
519-357-1960 WINGHAM
519-664-1424 WATERLOO
RENT IT
* Skidsteers - various sizes
• Hydraulic breaker attachment
* Post hole auger attachment
12" x 24"
Broom attachment
* Mini excavator
• 9" wood chippers
" 16" cement saws in stock
Full line of construction
equipment to rent and sell
new or used
Stihl & Bosch Dealer
SAUGEEN RENTALS
Durham 369-3082
A.C. SCHENK RENTALS
Mt. Forest 323-3591
6 THE RURAL VOICE
Scrap Book
Plant research could help humans too
Research into how to preserve
the freshness of fruits and
vegetables longer could also help
human health.
University of Guelph
Department of Food Science
researcher Golpi Paliyath has been
looking into controlling the
degradation of cell tissue and cell
membrane. Fruits and vegetables
have their own defense against
breakdown — antioxidants. These
help reduce or prevent the
deterioration of cellular proteins,
nucleic acids and unsaturated fauy
acids. If they can find naturally -
occurring, food -based antioxidants
they would be more attractive to
consumers than synthetic products
such as diphenylamine, currently
used as a post-harvest dip to control
scale in apples.
Recent results show promise for
melatonin, a natural antioxidant that
has several physiological functions
in animals and plants. In humans,
some researchers believe that
increased levels of melatonin can
help with biorhythms, the immune
system and the effects of aging. In
plants, it helps reduce the rate of
tissue breakdown. Plant -based
melatonin can contribute directly to
levels in human tissue. Melatonin
occurs naturally, at least at low
levels, in such common produce as
apples, strawberries, tomatoes,
cucumbers and potatoes. New
research is underway to develop
means of increasing the level of
melatonin in tomatoes. The results
could have direct health benefits for
consumers and yield an inexpensive
source of natural antioxidants for
industry.
"Our research has also shed light
on the question of why fruit and
vegetable consumption may help
reduce the risk of some types of
cancer," Paliyath said.
Flavonoids, present in all fruits
and vegetables, have been
confirmed to be powerful inhibitors
of calmodulin -promoted second
messenger function, whose
abnormal function has been linked
to many cancers.
Other natural constituents of
fruits and vegetables affect different
sites involved in the development of
cancer. Limonene — a terpene
found in citrus fruits — acts at the
level of farnelyzation of proteins.
And sulphoraphanes, present in
broccoli, stimulate the
detoxification of carcinogens in the
body.
The study of the nutraceutical
qualities of Ontario's fresh fruit and
vegetables will continue to reveal
new information about these
important constituents.0
—Source: Agrifood research in
Ontario magazine
Growing vegetables under a contact lens
Farmers have been known to provide soothing music for their cows but stereo
for the birds? A California company is using an outdoor sound system to help
scare birds away from grain storage and aquaculture facilities, landfills and large
fruit and vegetable farms.
Called the Bird Squawker, the system is described as an affordable high-tech
sound device completely customized to combat the specific species of birds
causing the problem. Each Bird Squawker has a customized microchip which is
factory programmed with multiple sounds to scare the targeted birds away from
the arca, including: distress calls of the targeted bird species, mechanical and
synthesized noises, gun shots and more.
Speakers are set up around the problem area creating a "scare zone" of
"surround sound" with different noises and distress calls bouncing from speaker
to speaker, alternating in duration, length and type of sound. The birds, says the
manufacturer, Bird Barrier America, perceive danger and threats all around them
and flee the site. The basic system, which can cover an area up to 10 acres in
size, costs about $1,000. Information is available on the company's internet site
at http://www.birdbarrier.com
—Source: The Grower
1
1