Youth ages 8-19 will learn to make a fabric purse on March 12. The session is 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Extension Building. All supplies will be furnished for a fee of $5.00. Call 439-3178 to sign up. Anyone is welcome!

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop Set

If you are concerned about when and how to prune your fruit trees, come to the Fruit Tree Pruning class Friday, March 13, at 1:15 p.m. The class will be held at Bill Nicholson's residence, 17996 Biehl Rd., West Frankfort, Illinois. Ed Billingsley, Williamson County Extension Director, will be the instructor. Call Franklin County Extension at 439-3178, or Williamson County Extension at 993-3304 to register and get directions to the site. There is no fee.

Next Week is One of the Last Chances. . .

. . . to take the tests for applying restricted use chemicals. Dan Connelly, Illinois Department of Agriculture representative, will be at the Extension Building on Wednesday, March 18, at 9:00 a.m. to give any test that may be needed. There is no training and no fee. The only other session left in Southern Illinois this spring is March 19 in Williamson County.

Learn to Grow Small Fruits in the Home Garden

Growing small fruits in your home garden is easier than you think. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes are small fruits well-adapted to our Illinois climate. Once established these perennial fruits can provide years of bountiful harvest with a minimum amount of care. This lesson will provide many valuable tips on varieties, planting and care of these garden crops. You can soon be growing and harvesting fresh, inexpensive fruit right from your own backyard!

Plan to attend the session titled Growing Small Fruits for the Home Garden. It will be presented on Tuesday, March 24^th at 10:00 a.m. in the Extension Building. Growing small fruit is a rewarding aspect of home gardening, which can provide summer-long, fresh eating treats. With today's prices for fruit, growing your own helps trim the grocery bill, providing fruit for eating right off the plant, as well as for preserving in jams, jellies, or canning and freezing.

The workshop will be taught by Marc Lamczyk, Ag. Program Coordinator. Any

interested person is welcome to attend. There is no fee. Call 439-3178 to let us know

you would plan to join us so that we can have materials for everyone.

Chemicals Released from Burn Barrels Pose Health Risk

Many people use burn barrels to get rid of household waste. However, the waste generated by households today is much different than what was generated years ago. Bleached paper, plastics and other synthetic materials make up a large part of today's waste. When burned, many of these substances release toxic pollutants.

Duane Friend, University of Illinois Extension educator, says that since most burn barrels create low temperature, low oxygen fires, such pollutants as dioxins and furans are created and released into the atmosphere. The smoke containing these substances can easily be inhaled, and particulates can be deposited on plants and soil.

Dioxins and furans refer to a group of chemical compounds that share certain similar chemical structures and biological characteristics. Dioxins and furans are unwanted byproducts of combustion, both from natural sources like forest fires and from man-made sources like power plants, burn barrels and industrial processes. Both chemicals pose serious health concerns.

An E.P.A. study estimates the amount of dioxins and furans emitted from burning household waste in the United States is greater than all other sources, including residential and industrial wood burning and utilities. In fact, burn barrels produced dioxins at levels more than two times greater per ton of refuse than municipal incinerators.

In Illinois, the open burning of food waste, food packaging and diapers is prohibited. Other items that cannot be burned include furniture, construction debris and tires. Burning of household waste is permitted but only on the premises where it is generated, and the premises must be more than one mile from any town with a population of 1,000 or more. Some areas have more restrictive burning rules.

If a burn barrel is used, do not overload the barrel – this will allow more oxygen to reach the fire. Also, reduce the amount of material being burned by buying fewer disposable items, recycling, and composting if possible.

For more information on burn barrels, visit these websites: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.il.us, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov.