Quick answer: Most of what's out there isn't free. If it's free, it's from generalized papers and/or it's old. What you need is a library that has access to the scientific publications so you can read them and if they are what you're looking for, download them to a memory stick. In California, I would expect any libraries within the UC system to allow citizens (aka taxpayers) to use the libraries' computers. But call first. You would like to have access to the Springer pubs, to (I'm not remembering this correctly) something like Klewer..., to the American Phytopathological Society, to Agricola (Major ag and hort search engine) and to CAB (separate search engine that covers pubs from countries in the olde British Empire.) You can use Google-Scholar at home, but it will give you an idea of what's out there. But, surprise, surprise, when you do the same search at a library with paid links to the databases, the links appear on the searched finds. Perhaps the one article to start with is David Zlesak's excellent summary (out last year, so it's very, very timely) titled Rosa.x hybrida which is chapter 26 in the book "Blower Breeding and Genetics" edited by N.O. Anderson. It's pages 695-738. The bibliography is huge. To find the library closest to you with that book, enter the title and you zipcode on the search engine below. Here is a link that might be useful: world cat search page

phoggie: I'm with you and I don't think it's my age -- I try to stay up to date without being too trendy. I do not think that draperies need to be hung high. I personally do not want my windows or ceiling to look higher, and sometimes it's nice to bring attention to woodwork surrounding the window. I have extended draperies across similar windows and the wall to cover wall space, which makes the room look fuller and more complete.

Not just termites, but soil holds moisture, so it's best to avoid having it up against anything other than concrete, such as wood siding, due to the risk of moisture rotting the wood. Note, the old house guys say that 'dry rot' is a misnomer - it normally means the wood was wet for some time. If your vinyl siding comes down over the concrete and that's all that is behind it, then maybe it's not an emergency. I've seen termites where I live, they are everywhere, and we always leave an expanse of exposed concrete to keep them from getting behind the siding into the wall (or crawling upwards till they find the wood wall) without being exposed to light. Never soil up against siding because there is protected air space behind it that can be used as a highway for not only termites but ants and other bugs. I'm going to guess that if you showed this to your pest control guy during your annual inspection you might see a raised eyebrow. It's up to you to decide what is appropriate. If this were my house I would get some bricks or blocks and make a border along the back with an inch or two of air between the blocks and the building. Or a treated timber or 2x4 on edge. Just my two cents.

Jij, Maybe sometimes, but I know I don't always pull up my scatter rugs to clean underneath as often as I should, and often find grit underneath. It's interesting as I don't have pads under any, and never ever are shoes worn in the house. I appreciate that I can throughly clean under my rugs. Also, I've had both and now I like only hard surfaces under beds because too much dust can accumulate very quickly. After vacuuming and or dust mopping hard surfaces, I can see that it is clean if I want to look. Editing to add: I don't want to give the impression that I rarely move and clean under my few small rugs and that I find piles of crap under them, LOL!