Education
Corn Husk Dolls

Corn Husk Doll is Easy and Fun !!

North American Indians were the first to invent a corn husk doll. Corn husks were dried, tied and fashioned into chiefs, warriors and women. Then faces were painted, and sometimes sticks were added for arms and legs.

The doll is created with corn husks and yarn, and - when correctly tied - will include all the body features with glue. To begin the project:

Gather 12 corn husks, yarn or string. To make the head, tie the husks a little way down from the top knot. Gather three of the husks and tie them together halfway down for an arm. Gather and tie three more husks at the opposite side of the doll to form the other arm. Cut away most of the excess corn husk that is below the knots.

To make the body, tie the remaining corn husks halfway between the head and their ends.

Make the legs by taking three husks and tying them together a little up from their ends. Make the other leg the same way.

Now that you doll is finished, use your imagination in decorating.

Fallen leaves are know as "nature's jewels" or "nature's fertilizer". They cover the forest floor with valuable nutrients, so use them to improve your soil.

Oak leaves are best for mulching and for covering shrubs and plants for winter protection because they are loaded with nutrients.

Different varieties of trees turn various shades of color, and it's this dazzling combination that makes the fall season so spectacular. Most of the intense color is supplied by only a few trees, such as sugar and red maples, sumac, dogwood, black gum, birches, hickory, beeches and oak trees.

The beginning of autumn is around Sept. 20, and by the time the "frost is on the pumpkin," most trees are bare.

MEDICINAL MUMS

Legend tells us that chrysanthemums originated in China centuries ago - even before reaching Japanese shores - so it comes as no surprise to learn that the Chinese to this day believe in the medicinal value of mums.

In traditional Chinese medicine, chrysanthemums are supposedly used to treat headaches, fever, hepatitis and swollen and painful eyes.

Among therapeutic benefits attributed to the plants are improve eyesight, detoxification, lower blood pressure and creating a soothing effect.

A soothing effect is the primary therapeutic benefit most gardeners get from seeing beautiful mums in their garden. Although chrysanthemum means "golden flower" in Greek, garden mums are no longer just golden and come in a multitude of eye-pleasing colors as a result of years of scientific breeding.

Of the six basic garden mum flower forms bred by the Yoder firm, one flower, the pompon, got its name centuries ago from the French reminded them of the wool pompoms on their soldiers' hats. The other flower forms are daisy, decorative, anemone, button and spider. Some garden mums come in a combination of flower forms, such as spoon-tipped daisies or quilled decoratives.

On top of the medicinal benefits ascribed to them by the ancient Chinese, chrysanthemums have been found to be an environmentally safe insecticide. There are two on the market. One is made with "botanical pyrethrins from chrysanthemum flowers" and another from the "dried and crushed chrysanthemum heads."

One advantage they are supposed to have over other insecticides is that they can be used on edible fruits and vegetables up to the day of the harvest, and the produce will still be safe for consumption.

C.Z. Guest is author of "5 Seasons of Gardening" (Little Brown and Co."