Vol. 1, No. 23
Alternative
Farm Measure
Being Sought
Progress of the farm bill came
to a halt this week in Congress,
with a conference committee ad
justing Senate and House ver
sions of the propposed measure
Hopes for the “Soil Bank”
proposal dimmed and prospects
of a return to rigid pirce support
program appeared USD A of-
Farms Here Too Small
Since the size of Lancas
ter County farms acreage
wise, is so small, prospects
that the proposed Soil-Bank
program will not work here
appear more evident. In all
Pennsylvania, Raymond Co
nnolly, district fieldman for
the Pennsylvania Agricul
tural and Stabilization Com
mittee, told that no more
than 150,000 acres in the
entire state would be af
fected.
Mr. Connolly spoke at the
meeting of the Lancaster
County Agricultural Coun
cil.
ficials saw little opportunity for
the. new Soil-Bank plan meeting
approval, and indications grew
stronger that a presidential veto
might be forthcoming
-Planting Already Started
One disadvantage of the Soil
Bank plan at this time, it was
pointed out, is that it pays farm
ers for keeping land out of pro
duction, while the planting sea
son is already- under way in
many parts of the country.
School Milk Program
President -Eisenhower did sign
two agricultural measures this,
week, one exempting farmers
from the two-cents-a-gallon fed
eral gasoline tax for gasoline
used in farming operations This
would save farmers an estimated
$6O million annually.
The other measure raises
school milk program funds from
$5O million to $6O million for
the fiscal year ending June 30.
Thus the program is extended
two more -years, authorizing ex
penditures of up to $75 million
a year for each of the two years.
President Eisenhower said
meanwhile he wants to get a
good farm bill and to get it
promptly.
660 Farms Sign Up
In Soil Conservation
A total of 660 Lancaster Coun
ty farmers have enrolled thus
far in the 1956 agricultural Con
servation Program, a larger
number than last year’s total.
About 3,000 farms have been
contacted for 1956 wheat acre
age intentions, and about half
of this number are yet to be
interviewed-
May 31 is the deadline for ap
plication on 1956 corn support
loans at the $1.75 per bu sup
port price.
' Sheep on a hillside meadow, greening
grass, budding trees and a rippled pond
prove spring~has arrived for Lancaster
farming. This scene was photographed on
the farm of Arthur. Hess, 'RI Bareville,
Mr. Hess is a brother Hess,
PP&L Buys Laud
For Power Plant
Near Bainbridge
Pennsylvania Power & Light
Company recently completed pur
chase of a 766-acre tract of land
15 miles below Harrisburg for fu
ture use as a power plant site,
Chas E. akes, the utility’s presi
dent, announced today. The actual
purchased followed more than a
year’s investigation of the site to
deteimine foundation conditions,
stream flow and other suitability
factors.
Mi Oakes emphasized that pur
chase of the land on the west
bank of the Susquehanna River
near York Haven and directly
across the river from Bainbridge,
Joes not necessarily mean the
utility expects to build a power
plant of any type there at the
oresent time or in the near fu
ture
“But, to msuie a continuing
supply of electric power for Cen
tral Eastern Pennsylvania we
must lay the ground work for new
generating station capacity years
in advance,” the PP&L head said.
He pointed out that long-range
plans aie an integral part of the
utility’s operations In its plan
ning for the future electrical re
quirements of its 10,000 square
mile service area, PP&L projects
these needs many years ahead
on a broad basis with the plans
becoming more definite as the
customer needs become more
evident.
Quarryville, Pa., Friday, April 6, 1956
Spring Scene Near BaVeville
Chicago Steers
Score Top of $27
In spite of a three day supply
of cattle at 12 major markets
that totaled 188,000 head against
180,000 last week, fed steers on
the Chicago market at mid-week
sold uneven with high choice
and prime active, steady to $1 00
higher than Tuesday, averaging
fully 50 higher Reaching $27 00
on two loads of 1 192 and 1237-
lb steers, higher since last May
Next highest was $26 50, paid
for two loads averaging 1126
and 1185 lbs, and most prime
steers sold from $24.00-25.50
Choice steers 1100 lbs and down
sold steady to strong with other
weights and grades rather slow
averaging steady Bulk choice
steers in Chicago Wednesday
$l9 50-21 50, good $l6 -
75-18 50.
West Earl Twp.
Farm Sells at
$1203 Per Acre
Selling April 1, 1939 at $36,-
949 36, a West Earl Twp. farm
of 89 acres this week sold for
$106,000, or $1,203 an acre.
David W Martin was the pre
vious owner, selling to Edwin
B Nolt, Jr, who announced his
purchase was an investment
The farm is known as the Noah
L. Nolt Farm and sold to Mr.
Martin April 1, 1939 There are
two brick homes on the prop
erty, a 60 by 100 foot bank barn,
36 by 40 chicken house, tobacco
shed, implement shed, garage
and a milk house now being con
structed.
The price, although high in
Lancaster County annals, is well
below the record $1,832 per acre
paid in a 1950 auction for a
weaverland Valley farm.
Mr. Nolt is inventor of a hay
baler which has been developed
by New Holland Machine Co.
into one of the outstanding in
the industry.
nationally known sheep breeder whose
entries have "won many blue and purple
ribbons Earth is being turned, and the
tiny rows of small grains are shooting
higher, disproving March’s wicked weath
er.
Farm Women to
Meet Nov. 3rd,
Manheim School
Plans are being developed for
the annual Lancaster county
convention of 23 Societies of
Farm Women, to be conducted
the first Saturday in November,
Nov 3, at Manheim Township
High School.
Mrs Neal Clark, from Society
of Farm Women No 1, R 1 Lit
itz, and Mrs Clyde Hottenstein,
Society of Farm Women No. 5,
R 1 Manheim, were named for
the place committee, according
to County Piesident Mrs E Rob
ert Nolt of R 1 Lancaster
Within the next month, a pro
gram chairman and committee
members will be named, and
other committees will be ap
pointed later, probably in June
Arrangements were discussed
this week m a meeting of the
county executive committee at
the home of Mrs Henry Reist,
Mount Joy. She is president of
Society 4 Mrs Esther Weidler,
who heads Society 19, was co
hostess
Another meeting of the 'execu
tive committee has been called
for 2 p. m June 2 at the home
of Mrs C H. Remhold, president
of Society 10. East Petersburg.
Other dates announced in
which the County societies will
participate in include April 25,
Homemakers Day, at the First
Presbyterian Church, Lancaster;
April 25, also, members to be
hostesses at the Health Fair in
the Lancaster YMCA from 4.30
to 6 - 00 p- m„ and on Friday,
April 29, from 6 to 9 p. m. Camp
Swatara has been scheduled for
Aug. 19-21.
Program Committee
To Meet June 2
$2 Per Year
Precipitation in
March over Norm
In This Section
Prospects that soil is pretty
well saturated and will be fine
for working seem evident at
this time, according to the U.
S. weather bureau office in Lan
caster
Showers Wednesday morning
"delayed further start on spring
field work throughout Lancaster
County, and numerous com
plaints were voiced on the farm
front that already a 20-day delay
has been caused by soggy, un
woikable ground
WET GROUNDS!
Wet grounds caused post
ponement of yesterday’s Al
lis Chalmers Gigantic Field
Day. Instead, the program
will be next Tuesday, April
10,1956, at the David Witmei
Farm, five miles east of Lan
caster on Route 30, opposite
jthe Guernsey Sales Pavilion
starting at 9:30 a. m.
March left Lancaster County
like a cowardly lion Saturday
morning, and by afternoon turn
ed into a gentle lamb Easter
Sunday was mild, m direct con
trast to the trace of snow that
fell Satuiday morning
April About Normal
Precipitation in the County
last month was two'mches above
normal. When ordinarily 350
inches fall, the March total was
550 inches. During the month
the total snowfall in Lancaster
County was 12.2 inches, the most
inf 12 years
With a normal 425 inches in
February, a surplus in March,
and precipitation forecasts about
normal for April, the January
moisture deficit should be wiped
out, Bernard M White of the
Lancaster weather bureau office
advises
January’s total was but 175
inches.
Warmer weather prevailed
through Thursday here, with
scattered showers and thunder
storms Temperatures are ex
pected to remain quite mild
through April, averaging about
one degree below normal.
Two Oklahoma communities
were struck early this week by
tornadoes, when the Spring
twister season in the Plains
States got underway Tornadoes
struck elsewhere along the Mis
sissippi Valley area too
Outlook for April
In but three years of the past
40 has more snow fallen on Lan
caster County than in March,
1956. In 1944, a total of 13
inches was reported here, in
1941 the total reached 16 inches,
and m 1917 a whopping 17
inches fell on the Garden Spot.
But everywhere across the na
tion, the farmer’s eye is on the
(Continued on page three)
Keystone Dairy Sale
Top $7lO, Avg.s32l
Fifty head of dairy cattle
totaled $16,056 to^ average $321
in the Saturday safe at the Key
stone Sales Barn, Mount Joy,
reports Clarence Lyons, man
ager.
Tops recorded included $7lO,
while another brought $650 and
a third $5OO.