’•rrirmn'*
4—Lancaster Farming, Friday, Aug. 24, 1956
|ancaster '^Farming
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly Newspaper
Established November 4, 1955
Published every Friday by
OCTORARO NEWSPAPERS
Quarryville, Pa. 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
Entered as Second-Class matter at the Post Office,
Quarryville, Pa., under Act of March 3. 1879
Farmers like to talk best about conditions Conditions
' come in two varieties, good and bad, and farmwise they
usually fall into two major headings, weather and prices-
Talking to several from all parts of Pennsylvania this
week, several conclusions are to be drawn. First, weather
wise: conditions are ideal in many sections of the South
eastern portion of the Commonwealth in the Garden
Spot especially. Out west, it’s a case of pulling crops out
of the mud. Some Commonwealth farmers near the Ohio
line, around the Butler vicinity, have been forced to use
two tractors to pull combines through water-logged fields
to harvest a crop damaged by continued rain.
There’s encouragement in the cattle picture, now that
prices have gone up again, and readied improved levels.
The poultry man is a bit discouraged by present condi
tions, present price levels. However, they feel it is some
what normal, and improvement can be expected this fall.
Broiler prices on the Lancaster Poultry Exchange, for
example, last week averaged 19.29 on Thursday, a slight
improvement, though fractional, over the preceding sale.
Yet a year earlier, in 1955, prices were nearer the 30-cent
mark, averaging 29.05 cents Aug. 18, 1955.
Politics? There’s some talk, but the prime concern now
is crops and conditions. Perhaps there’s a distinct tighten
ing in luxury expenditures in the farm budget. That seems
evident from talking to a good many.'
Too wet, too dry, just right; prices too high, too low,
just right. Maybe it all boils down to the Goldilocks’ theme,
too hot, too cold, just right, or the only certain thing is
uncertainty.
One of the big reasons farm prices have declined greatly
since 1950 is that domestic production has gone up 12 per
cent, while demand has gone up only ten per cent since
that time, an lowa State College economist reports.
There’s been a sharp cutback in export demand: farm
population has decreased, farm size has increased, the
farm labor force has declined and the number of farms
has declined.
Can there ever be a balance between production and
consumption? At one time there was, but more is being
produced today on fewer acres than ever before; people
are eating better than they ever have.
Nevertheless, there’s a broad discrepancy between prices
at the farm level and the retail level one of the prob
lems farmers may face for some time to come, a problem
that even the Soil Bank can’t solve.
MORE STORMS TODAY?
Some have commented there seems to be more
violent weather afoot today than at any time in world his
tory. A few blame the atomic and hydrogen bomb tests.
One man thinks these tests may have thrown the world’s
revolving path into an erratic course. Science disclaims
such.
- Perhaps the best explanation might be in news
coverage the country now receives. A few years back a
storm in remote corners of the nation might be overlooked,
or news of the storm might reach the outside world too
late to retain value as news.
The Californians, the Floridians, the Com Belters
and the Pennsylvanians all can rightfully claim together
that this is unusual weather.
Just as the year may have 104 weeks or more—if you
count all the various and sundry designations—another
crop of Queens is coming up. Today the fashion is to des
ignate a week honoring some phase of industry, and invar
iably a Queen will be crowned.
There are beauty contests, Farm Maid Contests, Miss
America, Miss Universe, Miss Pennsylvania, Miss Petro
leum Industry, Miss Street Sweeper, on down the line.
Whoever said this is a man’s world should take another
look—unless he’s a manufacturer of Crowns.
i A tort?, nolmOf
STAFF
Conditions
Production vs. Demand
Queens by the Score
Publisher
.. Editor
~ Business Manager
Advertising Director
Circulation Director
50 Years Ago
This Week on
50 YEARS AGO (1906)
By JACK REICHARD
Octoraro Farmers
Club Holds Meeting
Weeds, insects, automobiles
and Negroes were the chief sub
jects up for discussion at the
August, 1906, meeting of the
Octoraro Farmers’ Club at the
home of James and Josephine
"Jackson. The discussion on
weeds was led by Lewis Baker,
based on a published article tell
ing of experiments by Luther
Burbank, who was trying to ed
ucate cutworms to work on dan
delions and other weeds, so that
vegetables and plants of value
might be saved from the rav
ages of weeds.
'•ls there anything we can
do to protect ourselves from
the automobiles?” was dis
cussed at considerable length.
The general opinion prevailed
that automobiles should be
made to stop until horses got
past them.
The discussion on Negroes
was based on a letter read by
James Jackson, received from
his son, Ralph, on a trip through
Texas and Arkansas during the
summer of 1906. The reading ot
Jackson’s letter was followed by
a report of the Second Annual
Farmers’ Conference at Law
.renceville, Va., read by the sec
retary, which stated, “the good
progress the Negroes have made
in this place has been the re
sult of encouraging them to buy
and pay for land and to show
them how to farm it intelligent
ly.”
2 It’s ThelLaw
“It’s the Law” with simple an
swers Is offered by LANCASTER
FARMING in cooperation with
the Pennsylvania Bar Associa
tion. General interest questions
are welcomed, and will be an
swered as soon as possible. Let*
ters must be sighed. Answer
will not be published on a speci
fied, requested day, Questions
cannot be ahswered by mail, and
LANCASTER FARMING will
reject any inquiry which is not
of general public interest. Ad
dress all inquiries to “It’s the
Law,” LANCASTER FARMING
Quarryville, Pa. (Fictitious ini
tials will be used tb protect the
identity of the questions).
Q. What is the tax on a $20,-
000 estate composed of a bank
account ahcl stocks and bonds
if there is no will and what if
there is a will? L.J.D.
A. The -existence or non-ex
istence of a will -makes no dif
ference m the amount of Penn
sylvania Transfer Inheritance
Tax which is payable. The tax
rate is 2 percent of the net es
tate (the value of the estate af
ter deduction of all debts)
which passes to direct heirs, i.e.,
members of the decendent’s im
mediate family, and 15 percent
of the portion of the estate pass
ing to collateral heirs or char
ities.
• •
Q. A man and wife are di
vorced in Pennsylvania. A sup
port order is on the man for
two minor children. Does the re
marriage of the mother absolve
the father from further pay
ments for the children, and
does their stepfather become re
sponsible for their support?
A. The natural father contin
ues to be liable under the sup
port order, until such time as
the children become self-sup
porting or are adopted by their
stepfather. The remarriage of
tlje mother, without more, does
not* absolve the father from his
support duties.
Lancaster Farms
25 Years Ago
■ Twenty-five years a|b this
week Wheeler McMillen,'associ
ate editor of Country Home, ad
dressed potato growers of Penn
sylvania at State ''College on
“How to Sell.”
“There is need to sell agri
culture, to itself and to the
public,” _ McMillen declared.
“Eternal harping on the dis
advantages and defects of a
product is poor salesmanship.
Farming may not be all roses,
-but as a business the country
over it stands in fair compari
son with other industries. It
Is high time for agriculture
to abandon apologizing and
start boasting.”
In illustrating one fault of the
market system, in 1931, he.
pointed out the fact that Bdt
falo, which is near Michigan,
buys seven times as many pota
toes from North Carolina as it
does from Michigan, while'
Washington, D. C., gets most of
its potatoes from the states of
Michigan and Washington.
Alarm Clock that which
scares daylights into you.
The Busy Bee, Guantanama Bay,
Cuba.
Background Scripture Matthew 4;1-
11. James 1.
Devotional Reading; Ephesians 6:10*
20*
Strength—How?
Lesson for August 26, 1956
THE nine short letters which
have Been the subject of the
Bible studies 'throughout the Prot
estant churches of America these
past two months are as different
among themselves as their writers
w'ere different The 3 letters of
'John were written
jone for whom the
things that "are
unseen are more
real than any
thing the bodily
eye can see. ‘The
let thr of'jstoes
was written by a
man who would
probably find
himself very
much at home In
the typical American go-gettmg, ‘
practical-minded church. He de_als
with many problem* in a short
spoken blunt fashion; and the
problems are ejcactly those that an
American pastor y/ould run into
most Often in talking with his peo
ple.
Why Must TWs Happen to ME?
One Question preachers are asked
'pretty often is something like this:' 1
“Why must this happen to me? I
have been a good citizen, I try to
be a good Christian, I do all the
good I can . . . and now this has
happened." “This” may mean a
■disappointment, disaster, sickness,
trouble of almost any kind James
has a surprising answer. “Count it
all ioy,”hesays, when such things
happen to you. The reason why trials'
ought to make us happy Instead of
sad is that trials make us strong
Of course there are always a few
abnormal people who don’t want
to be strong, or don’t care; but it
is perfectly normal and right to
want to be strong m every possible
way. No sensible Christian will
want to be healthy in body and
( mind, and yet be content with be
i mg a spiritual weakling —This does
not mean that troubles and trials
don’t hurt; indeed they do. There’s
no telling ourselves that we like
being hurt, —we don’t like it. Pam
is real, death is real disappoint-
V.M.B.
That Which
Change in Milk
Prices Announced
H. D. Allebach, president
the Inter-State Milk Prodm
Association, announced a
cent a quart reduction in t!
tail price'of milk' in Philadei
and surrounding areas. The
duction changed the stanc
scale of prices on grade B i
from twelve cents a quart. Gi
A milk retailing at 14 and
cents a quart, was reduced
thirteen and 14 cents. '
thirds of the reduction
taken by farmers, Allei
stated, 25 years ago this w i
* si *
That same week in Augu<
1931. a large barn on the
W. Hawks farm in Lower
ford Township, Chester Cot
ty, burned to the ground,
contents, including machn
and the season's crops w
destroyed. -The property i
occupied by the Thomas D;
son family, who were attei
ing a carnival at Oxford
the time of the fire. The cai
was not determined,
Blossom for Making
Insecticides
Fanners were watching
interest the progress in
growth of a new flowering pi
on the Lancaster County fai
Luther Cox, of Buck, who
planted, a half acre of
plants, set in rows, which
reported to bloom lolli
mg summer. The blossom, wl
was poisoiious, was to be
and the extract used m the
ufactuie of insecticides.
ment and frustration are 'real
—James would tell us—let’s
whine about such things Nobi
loves to sit in a dentist’s chair
all the same, sitting there the
tient may well be thankful for
tists. Lying on a bed of pain ot
may not like the pain but if it
from an operation one may i
thankful for the surgeon So «
have every right to thank God fc
the pains he sends us.
How Does Strength Come?
How does « coach build up
powerful football team? Not I
taking the boys out to the fi(
every afternoon in Cadillacs .
letting them watch somebody els
scrimmage. No strong team evi
took a ggme ye’t, that had not hi
a full share of aching muscles, p(
haps even broken bones, bef
hand. How does a recruit in
army put his muscles into shapi
Not -by tender words from » «
geant who wouldn't for the woi
hurt these poor young boys cc
mitte'd to his care. No, the si
geant is tough, and his job is
make the- boys tough (this does i
in the least mean-that they h!
to be profane or mean of crui
and you don’t toughen up by sitt
ardund. You do it by taking U
hikes, hikes a little too long, in fai
lifting loads you’d rather not ’
carrying a pack that you
should have been meant for
men. ‘How do students strength
their minds? Not by letting
teacher do the'work. The rot
effective teachers are those thi
make the students live hard So
is in -all walks of life. A stroi
bank is one that can come throul
years -of depression; any bank ci
make it on a wave of prosperll
A strong farmer is a farmer w
can keep on through drought >
grasshoppers and 801 l weevils
what have you, a man who si
with it while his weaker neighh
pick up and head for the end
the ralpbow. Troubles m*'
strength; without trial there "
be no strength.
God Knows What Ho Is Doing
Some people think, —Yes, this
all very true But there is such
thing as an overload What i i
so overloaded I break down 7 •
to that should be slmpl*
the thoughtful Christian. One '
believes in Providence will beh
that no trial comes to any
without God’s knowledge,
not without God’s sending
knows where we need strength
knows What it will take to maW
strong One who trusts his h**
the true God will be assured "
God knows what he Is doing
knows what too much would
and fa dops not send it
(Based on outlines oopjrtrbUd M
Division of Christian Education
tional Cooneil of tbi Churches oi
in the Q S A Released bf Co& r
Press Birvict.)