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Vol. 11. No. 8
€ounty€rops
1n1955 Pass
$95 Million
Farm products in Lancaster
County during 1955 had a value
of $95,268,637, or3l per cent of
Pennsylvania’s entire farm pro
duce of $311,915,000 last year.,
Drouth, heat, hurricanes, gov-
ernment controls —none had any
- great effect on the productivity
of Lancaster County’s fertile
farmland, yards and lots
.First in rank, eggs "dcclilied
slightly from 1954, but had a
total value of $18,218,000 last
year year. The 1954 total value
was $19,088,100. The decline
' in egg prices accounted for
part of the total County de
cline, some $2,500,000 from
the $98,590,317 in 1954.
Milk values on Lancaster
County farm increased, from
$15;887,400 m 1954 to $18,145,800
: last year
For the Keystone State as a
whole, total value increased m
the farm field, from $290,525,000
in 1954 to $311,915,000 m 1955.
Here are Lancaster County’s
first five farm crops by rank
and value: 1, eggs $18,218000;
2, Milk $18,145,800; 3, all poul
‘ try, $14,815,507; 4, beef cattle
' $12,012,750; 5, tobacco, $lO,-
310,700._
Tobacco declined -from $lO,-
952,000 in 1954, corn from $9,-
625,700 two years ago to $7,661,-
500 last year.
Although numbers of beef
cattle on Garden Spot farms in
creased in 1955, lower market
prices reduced the total gross,
from $13,585,00 on some 80,000
head in 1954 to $12,012,750 on
97,800 head last year.
County Crops
All Lancaster County crop
figures follow:
•Efts 518,218,000
Milk 18.145,800
All Poultry 14,815,507
Beef Cattle 12,012,750
Tobacco 10.310,700
Corn 7,661,550
Har 4,688,500
Wheat 3,343,900
Truck Crops . 1,430,850
Potatoes 1,348,300
Barley 944,000
Swine ” 863,800
Oats 547,100
Apples 325,000
'Peaches 291,490
‘Sheep 181,400
.Cherries 4Q.990
Rye J 58.700
Wool 26,100
Honey ... 26,100
3,600
•Buckwheat . -... 200
July 1
In US. 168 Million
' Total population of “the United
States last July 1 was 168.091,-
000'— made up of 149,823,000
whites and 18,268,000 nonwhites
' The median age of the popu-
Jation has declined slightly front
302 years to 29.9 years in mid
'l9s6, due to the recent high
birth rate level. This is the first
'decline in the median age since
1800, the Census Bureau report
ed.
FIVE FUTURE _ FARMERS ‘of America
from Solanco High School will be awarded
Keystone Farmer degrees this year during
the Farm Show at Harrisburg. The degrees
will be conferred at 1:30 p. m. Wednesday,
Jan. 16 at the Education Building. Receiv
ing the honor are, left to right: Glenn Au
ment and Calvin Keene, who are in their
fifth year of FFA work; and Robert Bucher,
Marion Findley and Clair Carter, who are
completing their fourth year in FFA. The
Keystone Farmer degree is-awarded at the
state level. The number of persons receiv
ing the degree cannot exceed 2 per cent of
Farm Show Will
Blaze Trail for
Future Farming
HARRISBURG Featuring
-rural youth activities tied in with
the theme “Pennsylvania Agri
culture 'Builds for Tomorrow,"
the 40th Anniversary Pennsyl
vania Farm Show here Jan. 14-
18 .should excel all others. State
Agriculture Secretary* William L.
Henning declared ’ todayT
Compared with 1917,'when the
first Farm Show was held, the
lOS?-'exposition will be far be
yond the highest hopes of its
farmer founders, he said.
Trends in every " phase of
the Commonwealth’s modern
ized agriculture will be reflect
ed in the record number of
farm products and commercial
exhibits, and 125 scheduled
events during Farm Show
week, including educational,
meetings tor 34 statewide farm
organizations.
Pennsylvania 40 years ago had
(Continued on Page Three)
QuarryviUe (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday. Dec. 28. 1956
Solanco Keystone Farmers
Hattie, Hawaiian
Hen, Sets Record
HONOLULU Hattie, a hen
of a new Hawaiian breed, has set
what her owners believe to be an
unofficial world’s record for
eggs. Hattie, owned by Kazuo
Onitsuka, of Waipahu, Oahu, laid
403 eggs m the last 12 months
Onitsuka attributes his hen’s
State Flying
Farmers Meet
January 16-17
Plans for meetings of the
Pennsylvania State Flying Farm
ers Association during the Penn
sylvania Farm Show at Harris
burg next month have been an
nounced by * officers, with ses
sions Jan 16 and 17.
Opening at 10:30 Wednesday
morning will be greetings
from John Gehman, state pres
ident, followed by remarks by
John McFavlane, state direc
tor of aeronautics. Meetings
Wednesday will be at the Har
risburg State Airport near
New Cumberland.
(Continued on Page Five)
the state FFA membership, or about 220
boys. Keystone farmers are chosen on the
basis of a-boy’s farming pro
gram (he must earn over $5OO from his
agricultural projects); leadership -in and
outside of FFA; participation in FFA and
community activities and high school scho
lastic achievement- Above, the Keystone
Farmers display the new chapter hannei:
received Thursday, Dec. 20. The club has
changed the chapter name from “Ground
hog” to “Solanco.” (Lancaster Farming
Staff Photo).
success to new breeding techni
ques that have led to a new
registered breed, called the
Hawaiian Reds.
NAMED 'EDITOR OF LANCASTER FARMING Jan. 1 is
Robert E. Best (left), from the Corn Belt, who replaces
Ernest J. Neill (right), editor since Lancaster Farming came
into being. Mr. Neill, who resided in Quarryville, is joining
the agricultural department of a New York City advertising
agency.
New, Former Editor
ROBERT E. BEST
$2 Per Year
Robert Best
Named Editor;
Neill to New York
Robert E. Best, formerly of
Farmington, Mo., will become edi
tor of Lancaster Farming, Jan.
1, replacing Ernest J. Neill who
has accepted a position with a
major New York City advertising
agency.
Mr. Best, 25, is a native-Mis
sourian, born at Jefferson City
and raised o«a Missouri dairy
farms. Prior to the death of
his father, Ellis John Best, he
helped operate a dairy farm
that carried some 35 head of
Guernseys. As a Four-H Club
member, Mr. Best was at one
time selected as the outstand
ing 4-H Clubber in St. Francois
County, working at that time
an a dairy project.
He attending the University of
Missouri following graduation
from the Farmington, Mo, High
School In 1953 he was awarded
a bachelor of science degree" m
agriculture
Serving three years in the
Navy, with assignments in the
Pacific, he joined the staff of the
Columbia Daily Missourian as
farm reporter Married, he will
'bring his wife to Lancaster Coun
ty soon to establish a home.
Mr. Neill, who came to Lan
caster County in August 1955
and helped launch Lancaster
County’s own and only weekly
farm newspaper, will join the
Veterinary and agricultural
promotion staff of the William
Douglas McAdams agency, a
leader in the pharmaceutical
advertising field,' in midtown
He will reside in
Rowayton, Conn.
• Coming to Lancaster County
after serving withthe Corn Belt
.Farm Dailies m the middlewest
from 1946 to 1955, Mr. Neill has
become well known in agncul
turaUcircles. He has been a mem
ber of the Quarryville Memorial
Church and the church choir, a
member of the LanChester Chor
us, and served on the budding
committee of Post 603, Quarry
ville American Legion.
ERNEST J. NEILL