Georgia Magazine - October 2012 - (Page 38B)

Gardens plant of the month Planting bulbs W COURTESY PIKE NURSERIES hile you're busy playing in the dirt this fall, include some little gems for spring. October is the best time to plant spring flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, iris, hyacinth, crocus and more. Don't let bulbs intimidate you; they truly are easy to plant. Keep in mind the three "D's" when working with bulbs: * Dig: Dig a hole about twice as deep as the height of the bulb. * Drop: Drop the bulb in pointy side up, then fill in the hole with planting mix. * Done: Wait to see blooms in the spring. It's best to plant bulbs in groups of at least three, but don't be afraid to plant bulbs en masse for a spectacular spring show. You can purchase bulbs individually, in a mixed- Bonus t n conte Planting bulbs, such as tulips, this month will yield colorful flowers when spring arrives. bulb package that contains up to 25 bulbs, or go all out and get the landscape crate filled with 50 bulbs. Plant bulbs throughout the garden, and place a few in container gardens to extend the season come early spring. Be sure to mulch the planting area over the bulbs to insulate the soil. Source: Pike Nurseries, www. pikenurseries.com Liberty notes Web exclusive The Electoral College T BY JIM JESS he Electoral College is not an institution of higher learning, but a group of individuals designated as electors by their state. Electors meet in their states in December, following the November election, and cast their votes for president. With a few exceptions in history, the electors' votes have always reflected the popular vote in their states. A state's electoral votes are determined by adding the number of U.S. House members to the two U.S. senators. For instance, Georgia has 14 House members and two senators, so the state has 16 electoral votes. The popular vote for president is not a direct vote for a candidate. According to Harvard Law School Professor Einer Elhauge writing in "The 38B Heritage Guide to the Constitution": "Current case law such as Ray v. Blair (1952) allows the states to present voters with ballots that list only the presidential candidates (even though the votes for a candidate are really for his party's slate of electors), and also permits the states to pass laws requiring electors to pledge that, if chosen, they will vote for their party's candidate." An obvious question is why the Founding Fathers did not provide for the direct election of the president in the Constitution. According to another author in "The Heritage Guide to the Constitution," Tadahisa Kuroda, a history professor from Skidmore College, the Founders believed that because the United States was an expansive More online at www.georgiamagazine.org country, it would be difficult for the people to become well-acquainted with all of the prospective candidates and, therefore, difficult for any single candidate to build a winning majority. Some argue that abolishing the Electoral College would be more democratic, but there are also benefits to retaining the system, as proponents of the Electoral College point out. The current system forces candidates for president to campaign widely, in many parts of the nation, while a system of direct popular vote, could-theoretically-allow a candidate to win with the votes from one region of the country or with just the votes from the nation's most populous cities. It also gives the states a role in the election of the president, and even the smallest states have at least three electoral votes. For more Liberty notes, see page 7. GEORGIA MAGAZINE http://www.pikenurseries.com http://www.pikenurseries.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Georgia Magazine - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2012