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4—Lancaster Farming, Friday, Oct. 19, 1956
laneasteF/ *Far|ifrtnc|
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 Publisher
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
There’s no open season on fires. As Lancaster
County well knows in recent weeks, fire has struck deep
blows on several Garden Spot farms.
Loss amounts to thousands and thousands of dol
lars. To those not native to this country, figures of $25,000,
$40,000, $75,000 loss in a barn fire seem extremely high,
but for those outside the Garden Spot the Lancaster Coun
ty barn stores crops, stalls, sometimes milking parlors,
livestock, grain, hay, straw, machinery.
In the West where acres are more abundant
machine sheds are the rule. Loss of a barn, consequently,
runs much lower.
Whatever the cause, it’s wise to check now to see
that your barn is safe. Storage of inflammable liquids, in
adequate or outdated wiring, spontaneous combustion
the causes are without end. Results are tragic, especially
with 1956 crops in the bins.
Several intersections in Lancaster County are gain
ing bad reputations as accident-prone corners. There’s one
in the northern end of the County, near Denver-Reams
town; there’s another in the south, where 372 crosses 72
at The Buck. The Gap Hill on 30 has also been the scene
of several mishaps.
Driving today demands more caution than ever be
fore. Even the best police system and Pennsylvania has
one of the best cannot regulate Tiuman mistakes.
In aviation, the PE Factor pilot error counts
too often. In automobiles, too often it’s DE driver error.
Highway safety is costly, but not nearly as costly as error.
Election day’s near. The pumps are being primed
Oratorical artillery has been sending salvos into city and
hamlet as each party blames the other for the nation’s
farm ills. Each takes high credit for the farmers’ prosperity.
Lard is being bought to bolster hog prices. Sur
plus eggs are being purchased. Uncle Sam’s buying ham
burger, turkey, plums, cabbage, sweet potatoes. Credit is
being expanded. The Soil Bank signing deadline has been
extended. Rules are being relaxed.
Politics, the Democrats say. Necessity, the Republi
cans sav.' - _
Soon it will all be water over the dam. Mr, Voter
will east his ballot, make his decision. Next year will be
the same story, no matter which party is in; the farmer,
the farm problem will be number one on the legislative
agenda. • v
Lancaster County’s 1956 Fair Season is over. What
a grand display it was. Although we a few weeks back
lamented the lack of a Countywide Exposition, the com*
munity fairs have done their share, in a magnificent man
ner.
To the showmen, women, superintendents, secre
taries and judges, a word of thanks is due for a job well
done
Wednesday and Saturday are the two most danger
ous days of the week for farmers, according to data as
sembled by Pennsylvania State University. Most hazardous
time of day was 2 to 4 p. m.
Keep an eye on your calendar, your watch your
safety.
FARM SHOW COMING UP
Although Mount Joy wound up the Lancaster Coun
ty community fair season, the big shows are coming up to
carry on what the proving grounds the community fairs'
selected.
Eastern National, State Farm Show, into the winter
and early 1958. Again, we’ll see you at the Fair.
STAFF
Advertising Director
Circulation Director
FIRE SEASON
TROUBLE SPOTS
PUMP PRIMING
FAIR SEASON’S OVER
DANGEROUS DAYS
i y; *$ ' » tt# * * in’*
Editor
Business Manager
50 Years Ago
This Week on Lancaster Farms
50 YEARS AGO (1906)
By JACK REICHARD
Combine Against
Farmers Investigated
Evidence of a combine against
farmers was brought out at a
hearing before the interstate
commerce commission at Kan
sas City, half a century ago. It
was declared that favoritism was
shown to the manager of the
Kansas City elevators of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail
road in the form of
grain rates. There was a ruling
in the Kansas City Board of
Trade that threatened its mem
bers with suspension for dealing
with “irregular” grain; a com
mittee of that organization dealt
with boards of trade members
who might buy from farmers and
others against whom the associa
tions had issued orders .by or
ganizing boycotts.
* h 1
Hides One-Fifth
Cattle Value
Fifty years ago, Swift & Com
pany demonstrated that the
value of cattle hides averaged
one-fifth in value of the cattle.
They bought 18 cattle weighing
a total of 23,800 lbs at a cost of
$3.60 cwt. amounting to $330.33.
The 18 hides weighed 1,288 lbs
and sold for $172, a - little more
than one-fifth the cost of the
cattle
✓ *
Near Washington, N. J.,
Frances and Della Mowery,
ages 14 and 6, were burned to
death; Jennie, their two year
old sister, was not expected to
live. It was the result of an
explosion of a kerosene can in
their home. Frances was using
the oil to start a fire in the
stove when the explosion oc
curred. All three children
were enveloped in flames. The
elder girl ran with her smaller
sisters to a nearby spring and
jumped in with them., Neigh
bors arrived a short time lat
er and palled the-children out,
but Frances and Della died
within a short time. The baby
was burned seriously. '
> s' ■?
Horse Bites
Man’s Nose
On the Lancaster farm of
Samuel Houck, near Neffsville,
a horse bit the nose of its own
er nearly off. When Houck went
into the stable with a bucket of
water that Sunday morning, a
horse bit another horse, catching
Houck’s nose between its teeth.
Dr. Witmer was summoned and
sewed the nose up.
On October 20, 1906 four
teen inches of snow fell in
northern South Dakota, a rec
ord in that section for so
early in the season.
Archers Off to Good
Start in Pennsylvania
The archers opened their spe
cial buck season in perfect wea
ther on Oct. 1. About 22,000 of
them, a record number for tins
state, bought' a license in time
to participate in the opening
day hunt. A large percentage
set out with strung bows and full
quivers of broadhead arrows, to
stalk or waylay an antlered deer
amidst the beauties of autumn
in the forests of Pennsylvania.
A few guck kills were re
ported in the early days of the
season. It is . anticipated, how
ever, that most of the deer
brought down by hunting arrows
will be taken later in the season.
There will be less .foliage on
trees and brush' in northern
counties then, where it will
therefore be less difficult to see
these big game animals.
25 Years Ago
According to a report issued
by John Barton Payne, chairman
of the American Red Cross, 25
years ago, the great drouth dur
ing the summer of 1930 extend
ed into the summer of 1931 in
the northwestern states. It also
caused other catastrophes in its
wake, such as forest fires, and
the grasshopper plague. During a
12-month period, more than 2,-
750,000 persons were given food,
clothing, medical aid, shelter
and other type of assistance. Suf
fering, faith and courage are
contained in a story told by a
volunteer Red Cross worker in
1931-
“Picture a happy little home
stead near the banks of Priest
River in northern Idaho. A fath
er, with a little son tagging at
his heels, is out tending crops
land adding to the clearing. Moth
ers at home making prepara
tions for another arrival. Then
comes the fire demon, sweeping
all in its path. While father
fights to protect his little home,
the stork announces its arrival.
“Mother and baby are bundled
in a quilt and loaded on a truck
for the race through the flam
ing forest. Father drives the
truck and the little boy tiits at
his mothers side, brushing away
Background Sorlptnrot Deuteron
omy 6
Devotional Beading: Paalm 78:1-7.
Home School
Lesson for October 21, 1950
NOT many people are bom in t
school-house. But most people
in America move to some school
house before they are two weeks
old. Because then they come home
from the hospital; and home is the
greatest school in the world. Ex
perts tell us that a child learns
more before he is
six than he ever
learns after-
ward; but at the
age of six he is
only just starting
to school, as the
saying Is. It’s
only a saying, be-
cause he has been
learning every
minute smce he Dr. Foreman
first blinked at the light, and most
of this he learned right at home.
Learning Is not just what is printed
in books. The child learns to un
derstand and to speak his mother
tongue; he learns to walk and run
and eat and play. He learns a lit
tle about how to get along with
other people. Among the most im
portant things he learns are wlpt
never gets into a book—prejudices,
habits, attitudes, both good and
bad.
Learning Religion at Homo
If it is true that our relation to
God I* more important than any
other relation of life, then it is
true also that the religion learned
in the home it more Important
than -anything else learned there.
Suppose a child’s home-school
teaches everything except religion,
how much hope Is there-, that reli
gion will become real to him?
There are 16# hour* in every week.
Take out 56 for sleeping (ft would
really be more for a child) and
you have left 112 Waking hours.
Let us suppose that little Johnnie
Doe, Jr., is sent oil to Sunday
School by Mr. and Mrs. Doe, who
take bun and fetch him after
wards, but never, no never go to
Sunday school or church them
selves.' That makes one hour of
religion per Week, 111 hours-of no
feliglon. How much of anything Is
Jjj £ I'/
the sparks which fall like rain,
upon the improvised litter.”
In the 'Kirks Mills section,
Lancaster County, C. Wiley
Shuler and W. A. Stafccy were
busily engaged during that
week in October, 1931, making
molasses from sugar cane
which they grew on their
farms. The operations were
watched with great interest by
natives of that area.
* *
Octoraro Farmers
In Session
The Oetoraro Fanners’ Club
met with Howard K. Walton and
family on Oct. 7, 1931. Speci
mens on display included sev
eral varieties of corn, peppeis, a
freak marigold with eight small
flowers growing out of a flower
head, one root of sweet potato
containing 13 well developed
potatoes a freak sweet potato,
(which the group christened
“Johnny Twist”;) Japanese
chestnuts, a pumpkin, dahlias,
quinces, apples, three varieties
of potatoes and purple-top tur
nips
K. * *
Elsewhere in Lancaster
County, Mr. and Mrs, David
Kreider, in the New Provi
dence area, entertained at an
apple “snitizing” party. Ap
ples were prepared for the
boiling of apple butter the fol
lowing day, 25 years ago this
week.
The Air Force has disclosed
the development of a research
rocket capable of speeds up to
5,000 miles an hour.
a child going to learn II heH«<
less than one per cent of his time
to put on it? II all the religion*
homes of America stopped teach
ing religion, the churches and,
synagogues would soon fold up.
But Can Religion Be Taught?
At this point someone may catch
us up. Can religion be taught?
Isn’t it “caught, not taught”? Quite
so. The genuine spark is kindled
only on the invisible altar of God.
But in your car engme, the spark
does not come to life in an empty
chamber. There has to be there the
right mixture of gasoline vapor
and air. Without that, the Sparks
shine for a brief Instant and go
out—and nothing happens. When a
gardener plants vegetables, he
knows that if the Seed is not fer
tile his work is useless. Every
thing depends on a germ he did no*
and cannot create. But that doesj
not give him leave to quit his job. j
The gardener’s job is to prepare 1
the seed-bed in which the living,'
seed will sprout and not die. So,
the home prepares the seed-bed mi
which the living seed of God’s
grace can bring'forth a harvest.*
Speakmg without parables, the
home can teach a great many
things about rehgiop which can't
be learned by inspiration or ab
sorption. The Bible is high among'
these; m the home begms the work
of filling the storehouse of the
mind with treasures from the Word
of God.
“When Your Son Asks You ..
The great sixth chapter of Deu-'
teronomy is perhaps one of the
most often quoted chapters of the
Bible. In It, father and mothers are |
commanded to be teachers. Qod
knows that rabbis and priests and j
preachers are never enoughr’Butl
we find in this chapter also (among
many others) this further thought: I
Children will not always under- (
stand hi! they, are taught. They (
will ask “Why?” So, when (in thei
words of Deuteronomy) -your son
asks, What is the meaning of the
testimonies and the statutes and
the ordinances. . . ?” The father
and mother are not to dodge such
questions. There Is nothing mean
ingless about true religion; on the
contrary, religion discovers life’s
central meaning. True religion is;
not a set of “scruples" as an un-j
sympathetic sociologist has put it, {
—not a collection of senseless:
“Don’ts.” A great phrase In Deu
teronomy pul a great deal In a few
words: true religion, all the com-j
mandments of God, everything we,
ought to believe and be and do, is j
“for our good always.” But father 1
and mother must learn that first
before they can teach It.
(Burnt o*tllnes •opyrlffhUd by Iho
DItUIoo of Chclitlan Education, No
ll »Wvt CbtmcU of tbo OurrtiJ? of ChHsl
111 A* O, «. A, BoHMOt hy O»tn«o»»y
P»n»» Botvioo.)