4 Lancaster Farming, Friday, February 10, 1956
Lancaster County’s Own farm Weekly Newspaper
Established November 4, 1955
Published every Friday by
OCTORARO NEWSPAPERS
Quarryville, Pa. Phone 378
Lancaster Phone 4-3047)
Alfred C. Alspach
Ernest J. Neill
C. Wallace Abel
Robert G. Campbell
Robert J. Wiggins
Subscription Rates; $2.00 Per Year
Three Years $5.00; 5c Per Copy
Application for Second Class Mailing Privileges Pending
“THANKS, MR. BENSON” '
In the Chicago Stock Yards the other day, a Lan
ark, 111. farmer told Secretary of Agriculture Benson,
“Thanks for trying to do a good job.” When asked by the
Secretary if he would care to change jobs with him, Bern
ard Crofton answered “Even with these low fariji prices, I
wouldn’t change my job for yours.” . .
Improvement in hog prices which was also in
cluded in the conversation between Mr. Benson and Mr.
Crofton has been one of the most encouraging news
notes in recent weeks. „ ,
' The Secretary promised something would be done
to narrow the spread between the pork producer and the
consumer, a spread that is now “too wide considering the
farmers’ rising expenses and low income. -
Meanwhile, the White House has refused to furnish
price supports for hogs. It would mean production con
trols, no practical means has been offered on -how the job
.could be done, other proposals will be presented for con
sideration, the White House added.
Pork processors were told to keep marketing mar
gins and profits in line and to pay farmers “as much as
possible” for their livestock.
“This is no time to take advantage of the Ameri
can farmer,” the Secretary told. “We simply cannot afford
to let him carry the full brunt of increased processing and
distribution costs, yes even increased profits, in other sec
tors of the meat industry.”
RABBITS AND TOBACCO MOSAIC
Rabbits are being infected with juices from diseased
plants to find some solution to several viruses, including
Potato X, tobacco mosaic and cucumber mosaic, the United
States Department of Agriculture reports.
In a living bank at Lincoln, Neb., rabbits now con
tain antisera of purified preparations. “Viruses, whether in
plants or animals, are made up largely of proteins. Any
warm-blooded animal will produce antibodies in response to
an injected virus ”
The reaction of the animals is similar to that of hu
mans injected with diptheria toxin-antitoxin pr small-pox
vaccine. They don’t get the disease, but antibodies specific
for the particular virus injected are built up in the serum
of the blood.
Now the rabbit in the tobacco field may be doing
more benefit than the day when he was chomping cabbage
in the garden.
“How you gonna keep them down on the farm,
once they’ve seen Paree?”
This statement from a World War I song is proving
more true day by day. The boys got a taste of the big
city. It was different from the farm. They liked it, and
they came home to move to the city.
During the five-year period from 1949 to 1954, an
average of 198,000 farm youths were mustered into serv
ice each year! But only 84,000 returned to the farm after
discharge considerably less than half.
This is a trend that has sociologists and agricultural
experts worried. The obligation of the farmer today is
greater, producing more and more for an ever-increasing
population, with less help than ever.
And sometimes Junior’s missing in this labor force.
ASPIRIN MIGHT HELP MORE
We suppose there is something to be said for the Internal
Revenue Bureau’s announced intention to ease as much as possible
the burden of parting with our hard-earned cash at tax time by
offering all manner and means of advice, counsel and guidance
perhaps even to taking over the tedious chore of removing the
com and, green from the pocket without it having to pass through
our tired hands A considerate gesture, we would say, and in the
absence of some real pam-easers, T.ve’ll settle for a little assistance
in putting dayhg n ’twixt us and our favorite brand of paper.
After all, it ,sn’t every day that someone is willing to grease
the skids to the poorhouse for you These fellows not only apply
the grease and give you a shove, but they make the reservation,
open the door and close it after you They are so generous that
they’ll glady do it whether you ask them to or not So until some
thing better comes along, we’ll be content to get a little help with
our subtraction and hope to draw a roundtnp ticket,
f ' , (Chicago Daily Drovers Journal)
STAFF
DOWN ON THE FARM
Publisher
. Editor
. Business Manager
Advertising Director
Cumulation Director
Voice Of
Lancaster Farms
and farm friends
(Readers are invited to write
comments on Lancaster Farm
ing, about currenf events, or
other topics. Letters should be
brief, and must be signeu.
Names will be withheld if re
quested. Editor;.
FLYING FARMERS REPORT
Kennett Square—l want to
thank you on behalf of the
Flying Farmers as well as our
selves for the wonderful cover
age given the state meeting. If
you stop by soon, wish you would
try to make it on Monday or
Thursday to see our operations-
Just accepted an order this week
for Rome. We have chicks going
to Belize, British Honduras, and
also to Georgetown, British
Guiana —L L Logan Poultry
Farm and Hatchery.
Flying Farmer Queen
Kennett Square—May I again
on behalf of the Flying Farmgis
of Pennsylvania and their Queen
thank you for what you have
done for us and our state or
ganization I know that you will
help us to keep Jlying and create
a greater interest in flying by
reaching people reading articles
in Lancaster Farming and seeing
pictures of what the Flying Far
meis of Pennsylvania are doing
—Lois M Logan, Flying Far
mers’ Queen of Pennsylvania
State Office
Harrisburg—We surely appre
ciate the publicity received
Ithrough the excellent pictures
you took during the Pennsyl
vania Flying Farmers meeting
at the Harrisburg State Airport.
—John W McFarlane, Executive
Director, Pennsylvania Aeronau
tics Commission.
Chester County
West Chester —Thanks for put
ting us on your mailing list to
receive Lancaster Farming. It’s
one of the best farm papers I’ve
seen—current items of interest
geared to the farmer and wile,
written m a complete and con
cise manner enabling the busy
farmer to catch up on important
farm problems ancl programs
Robert A Powers, Jr., Chester
County Agricultural Agent-
NICE LITTER.
FAIR LAWN, N J While
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mondelli
attended a picnic recently, some
body littered up their automo
biles with paper money
$297 in bills The Mondellis, who
live in Midland Park, turned the
“debris” over to police.
Cheap at Half the Price
50 Years Ago
This Week on Lancaster Farms
(This Week In 1905)
By JACK REICHARD
Snow of All Snows
Fifty years ago this week
Lancaster farmers were reading
weather reports from Luzerne
County, where farmers were
having the snow of all snows,
with the weather bureau report
ing the heaviest fall of snow in
that section within the history
of the bureau An official report
placed the fall as 16 inches at
Scranton. Unofficial reports in
the rural areas said the snow
averaged 19 inches.
Hungry Foxes Invaded Farms
In Berks County, foxes ven
tured close to farm buildings in
search of food, due to the ex
treme cold weather and heavy
snow in that section. John Gru
ber, near Eshbach, reported
shooting two red fox from the
window of his farmhouse within
a period of ten minutes.
Guernsey Cow Produced 14,920
Lbs Of Milk
Lancaster dairy farmers were
discussing the development of
a Guernsey cow, Yeksa Sunbeam,
at the Wisconson agriculture ex
periment station, which produced
14,920 lbs of milk, testing 574
butter fat Had the product been
converted into butter- the cow
would have produced 984 lbs
during the 12 month period, it
was estimated
One-half Bale Cotton Equal- To
40 Bu. Corn
Back in 1906 it was estimated
that one-half bale of cotton to
the acre to a southern farmer,
meant just about the same value
as 40~bushels' of corn to the acre
to a northern farmer. But there
were cotton growers in the south
who got one bale from the acre,
just as there were farmers in
Lancaster County who raised 80
bushels of corn to the acre, 50
years ago
Apples Produced $5OO Per Acre
Apple growers in Colorado
were turning their acres into
real cash It was reported that
orchards in that State had re
turned their owners as much as
$5OO per acre m 1905.
Farmers Too Much Interested
In Brewery Horses
A writer in the Des -Moines
Register complained farmers
were too much interested in
draft horses exhibited at state
fairs purely for advertising pur
poses by brewers. The writer
stated: “A fine horse never ap
pears to greater disadvantage
than when he is hauling a beer
wagon, or a man when he is
carrying a load of the stuff”.
25 Years Ago
Long In Looks, Short In Wind
Twenty-five years ago this
week farmers were telling the
story of a horse in the New
Park, 7 Pa- areas, where a man had
an animal to sell which was
“long” in looks but “short in
wind. One day a farmer came to
look at the horse. The animal
was harnessed to a buggy for
the prospective buyer to try out.
When he returned from a trip
down the road, the owner, de
siring to attract attention from
his short-winded horse, started
rubbing his hand over the sleek,
shining hair, saying, “See what
a fine coat he has”. The farmer
retorted: “Yes, but I don’t like
his pants.”
Gov. Pinchot Propused Farmers
Goud Roads
- At Harrisburg, Governor Pm
chot, ait a meeting of the Penn
sylvania State Association of
Township Supervisors, anouuced
the State would take over 20,000
miles of township dirt roads “to
get Commonwealth farmers out
of the mud ”
Uncle Sam Held Corner In Wheat
Twenty-five years ago this
week, Chairman Legge of the
National Farm Board predicted
'a wheat shortage. He reported
the carry over from 1930 was
■only about 40 per cent of* normal.
It looked like Uncle Sam was
certain of a profit on his corner
m wheat in 1931.
At a meeting of the lower end
Friendly Farmers’ Club at the
residence of Mr- Lester Gal
lagher, the endorsement of
Governor Pinehot plain for 20,000
miles of improved roads was
(approved, with instructions to
the group’s secretary to write
senators and representatives of
Lancaster and Chester counties,
informing them of the club's
action.
Other questions up for dis
cussion at the session included
whether the State and Federal
Governments should pay in
demity for "abortion reactors in
1831, and to what extent did
Government aid to mid-west
farmers effect markets in the
eastern part of the nation, es
pecially the dairy industry
At Lancaster, C- R. Nolt, pro
minent tobacco buyer, was re
ceiving daily deliveries at his
warehouse, paying ten and two,
25 years ago this week.
Prince Edward seed potatoes.
No. 1 government certified,
Green Mountain and Cobbler
varieties, were on sale at $1 75
per bushel.