FYI, the cause of Greenland being record warm, and eastern US being record cold are related. There is a super blocking high over Greenland, bringing the warmth, while forcing the cold down its west side into the eastern US. From this pattern the jet stream at times has ridden from western Greenland, up over the pole into Norther Siberia, and back across the pole down the eastern side of Greenland. A truly EXCEPTIONAL jet stream pattern. And really not so different to what brought Sandy into NJ. It was similar blocking high over Greenland that sent Sandy the way it went. Arktrees

In a former life, I used to work with inbred mice. The minimum number of generations of brother X sister mating was 20 consecutive generations before an "inbred strain" was considered established. In many cases, the number far exceeded F20. The advantage in that situation was that after 20 generations, the resulting population was considered to be genetically identical (or close to it). This has terrific potential in medical research. Theoretically, genetics is no longer a variable. A particular trait can be "highlighted" with inbreds. A rare mutant trait may become normal in all individuals. As bambi pointed out, fatal traits are often highlighted by chance instead of "desirable" traits. It is rare to get inbreds to F20 because they simply die out! In plants, this may or may not be desirable. Each individual will eventually appear identical. Nurseries would go broke--no variety! --Stitz--

Guten tag mein freund Christian, Welcome to this forum. I lived in Mannheim, Germany for 3 years and traveled to Italy were my father was born. I am also back on this fig forum with many of my good fig friends, Christian, Rafed, Art, Martin, Mario, Giuseppe, Aaron and many others. All of us here have been very helpful to each other in the past years and now here again at GARDENWEB-HOUZZ in the future years. It is cold here -3 degrees F. daytime temperature Phil from Northern Ohio

I have noticed the silver maples in south Springfield with very swollen buds, just busting to break open. We are going to the library later today, so will look along the route to see if any of them have "popped!" In previous years I was the grounds supervisor of a large hospital here in Springfield that was known for its annual tulip display. I remember one year we had all of the beds showing the tips of all the tulips in mid-January. There was a lot of cold weather still to come. Casual observers said that they were going to get killed before spring. However, they just sat there, growing just a bit more, and waited till Easter when they were up and bloomed! Hint: If you want a tulip that will always bloom on Easter weekend, plant Darwins. I have no idea how this tulip knows it is Easter, as Easter changes each year as to where it appears on the calendar, but they do. In 22 years of observing them, not once have they not bloomed on Easter weekend. Darwin tulips and Easter. Think about the irony of that for a bit. Rick Here is a link that might be useful: Cherty Rock Farmer weblog