It appears to be very climate, soil and water and varietally variable. Those which were introduced before budding was the favored propagation method, usually performed well in the old garden, unless chlorosis was an issue with them as the conditions were very alkaline. Many of the initially budded ones performed well there, too, but once the soil had been sufficiently amended with enough manure and water was laid down in abundance, most did quite well. The main exceptions were those which were just weak varieties to begin with. Most of them did much better when budded on Huey as that is the stock most suited to these conditions. Also, many, whether good in the mid desert own root or not, just didn't perform well in the colder, damper soils along the coast. It was quite interesting observing what did well with heat in the desert soil, then nose dived at the coast. I'd imagine your conditions in Oregon would be more like the coastal conditions here, Paul, only much more extreme. I can well imagine them not performing well, or as well, for you there own root. Of course, I'd also expect the increased fungal pressure you experience had a symbiotic relationship with their performance. Growing weaker would make them more susceptible to attack, and stressed by attack, they would perform more weakly. Very interesting, thank you! Kim

The thing you mentioned is actually an undergravel filter and is meant for filtering a fish tank by pulling dirty water and debris down through the gravel while fresh water is returned to the tank through uplift tubes that would have been attached to the upraised openings along the back of the filter. You could leave it in there for drainage but you would need to put some type of liner over it such as a layer of pea gravel or better yet, landscape fabric to keep the soil from washing down under it and eventually filling it in and stopping it from draining. I would do a layer of landscape fabric topped by a one inch layer of pea gravel and then build up your soil base from there. Be sure to plug the holes where the uplift tubes would have been as it appears at least one of them is missing its cap. The big advantage of re-using the undergravel filter is it's very light and if properly covered to prevent soil from infiltrating beneath it, it will provide good drainage and require less fill in the tank. Another thing you need to consider for the tank is the lighting. For a tank that size, I'd recommend compact flourescent lighting or a double or triple flourescent hood. The hood will fit the tank perfectly these types of light fixtures will provide ample light for the terrarium. With the double and triple lights, you can even add special bulbs that will simulate moonlight and such to give your plants as close to a natural experience as possible. A good place to look for them is drsfosterandsmith.com. They have really good prices and outstanding customer service. I've been doing business with them for years. You can talk to one of their technicians and they should be able to give you lighting and hood options for the type of terrarium you want to set up. The hood and lighting will probably cost a bit but you got such a great deal on the tank and stand that I think the extra money spend on the hood and lighting will be well worth it.

The Maltese cross is the symbol of the knights of Malta, used during the Crusades. The Iron Cross which is almost identical to the Maltese Cross became the symbol of bravery in Nazi Germany. It is now sort of a cult "biker" symbol....there must be some significance there but I don't know what it is. It isn't really a symbol of crucifixion. Linda C

This was my post on one of the 'Washer/Dryer' threads: Posted by lolamina (debmacjake@comcast.net) on Wed, May 14, 08 at 1:07 Can't speak on the washer/dryer combo...I have inclination to steer clear of 'combo' anything. But just purchased LG 7188 dryer (w/all latest bells and whistles) and I'm thrilled. Service, as for anything we purchase that we can't fix ourselves, is a concern...but if you take an up-front view of how often service has been needed on specific appliances...that greatly reduces it as a prominent decision factor. LG Clothes Dryers just received the 2007 J.D.Power and Assoc. HIGHEST RATING of ALL MAJOR BRAND clothes dryers! We searched for weeks, read hundreds of reviews, and really did our homework - LG hands down for best performance and best value. Also highly rated by all the 'subscription' consumer guides. Before you listen to any one persons 'service experience' and apply it to the entire Brand...get Pro-Active and see how often service is REQUIRED for your MODEL. Best bet until combos (one machine to do it all!) are perfected, side-by-side and stackable models may well out-perform and require less service. Good Luck!