Prof F L Ferguson
AG -Journalism
Penn state U
NexfWgaFS! l *
your Lancaster Farming
will reach you one day late
as the staff takes a day off
to celebrate-Christmas with
their families.
VoL 111. No. 6.
Economists Say
Farm Income
May Shrink
Three Penn State agricultural
economists told the truth about
what farmers can expect in the
coming months of 1958, a—s they
see it, at” a meeting Thursday
night at the Farm Bureau Coop
erative.
And as usual, the truth hurt a
little bit.
They said that present indica
tions are that farm prices will
stay about the same, costs are
going up, but that no general de
pression is m sight.
Now on a circuit of the state
after attending the National Out
look Conference in Washington,
are Kermit Birth, Wayne Kelley,
and William Johnson, all of the
PSU Agricultural Economics De
partment.
Johnson said that the general
business situation is experiencing
a contraction, but said that it ap
pears to be little more than a
breathing spell before the next
pioduction increase.
He said that he is “cautiously
optimistic” about an expanding
demand for farm products during
the next 12 months.
Birth brought out that prices
have continued to increase and
probably will continue to do so.
This means that prices paid to
faimers will share in the general
price rise structure, but that
prices paid ordinarily fail to
match the prices farmers have, to'
pay for products used on the
farm.
Kelly emphasized this situation
in predicting that off-farm pro
duced terns will increase in price
faster than will on-farm produced
goods.
For the poultryman, the predic
tions were a mixture of good and
bad.
Record supplies of live poultry
are expected again next year with
puces little better than this year’s
lows on turkeys and broilers.
Eggs, on the other hand, will hold
up well for at least the first six
to nine months of the coming
yean A down-trend is expected
during the last quarter of 1958 as
(Continued on page 12)
Now Is The Time . . .
By MAX SMITH
County Agricultural Agent
TO KEEP WATER PIPES FROM FREEZING--
This is no doubt belated advice after recent weather
conditions However, much time and effort may be
saved by either covering the water pipes at least
24 inches deep, insulating them where they ap
proach the ground surface, or by using electric
heating cable; the latter method is commonly used
inside buildings Be sure the water pipe is grounded
and do not change the length of the heating cable.
TO WATER EVERGREENS—As water sup
plies permit, all evergreens should go into the
winter well watered, this will help to keep the roots
from drying out during cold weather. This is es-
Max Smith pecially true of all fall-planted trees and shrubs.
TO UTILIZE CORN STALKS—Corn stalks will furnish some low
cost roughage for wintering steers, heifers,- or beef cows. Also,
shredded corn stalks are one of the best bedding materials in the
livestock industry. Frosty mornings have been used to beat down and
bale corn fodder for the above uses. Fodder in bundles or shock may
also be shredded for improved use.
TO INSPECT STOVE PIPES AND CHIMNEYS—A number of
fires are caused each winter by defective pipes and chimneys in local
tobacco sheds. Here at the beginning of the tobacco stripping season
it is suggested that growers be sure their heating system is in good
condition. Sheds, barns, livestock, and equipment are difficult and
expensive to replace.
TO IMPROVE FAMILY RELATIONS The holiday season
should provide one of the greatest opportunities for family fellowship
and better understanding. With the many activities of different mem
beis of each family there are only few occasions When all members
of the family are at home Christmas time might be a good time to
catch tip on knowing your family better.
SHOWN WITH THREE OF his five chil
dren is Elvin Hess Jr., R 1 Strasburg,
selected by the Lancaster Junior Chamber
of Commerce as Outstanding Young Farm
er of the Year. Hess operates a 92 acre
dairy farm and milks a 21 cow herd of
Farm Show Dairy Cattle Entries
Largest in History with 690 Head
' The ‘ Pennsylvania- Farm. Show
Commission Monday anounced
that advance entries in the live
stock divisions of the 1958 Farm
Show should assure the largest
dairy display in the history of the
exposition. The 1958 Farm Show
opens Monday, Jan 13 and con
tinues five days and four nights
in the 14-acre Farm Show build
ing.
The combined livestock depart
ments of the 42nd Farm Show
will have approximately 2,000
head of horses, beef and dairy cat
tle, swine and sheep, about the
same as in other years, State Agri
culture Secretary of Agriculture
William L. Henning reported.
Entries for the dairy cattle de-
Quarryville (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday, Dec. 20, 1957
partment -total €9O, head repre
senting the six leading Pennsyl
vania breeds. Beef cattle at ap
proximately 400 head include a
new division for Polled Herefords
for the first time with 71 head en
tered by Pennsylvania breeders.
There will be 130 head of 4-H
Club baby beeves entered in com
petition for the grand champion
club steer of the show.
Although 362 head of swine
were entered for the coming show
the number had to be cut to 294,
the limit that present pen facili
ties provide, Henning said
Sheep entries total 371, includ
ing 39 pens of three lambs each,
entered by 4-H Club members.
Horse entries total 114 head,
Godfrey Gives
‘Honeymoon’ to
Sooner 4-H Clubs
OKLAHOMA CITY TV and
radio showman Arthur Godfrey
last Wednesday presented his
$31,1)00 grand champion Hereford
steer, “Honeymoon”, to the 4-H
Clubs of Oklahoma, which in turn
will present it to the National
Cowboy Hall of Fame and Mu
seum.
Godfrey purchased “Honey
moon” for a record price of $3O
a pound after the steer was named
grand champion at the Interna
tional Livestock Exposition in
Chicago.
Announcement of future plans
was made here today following
telephonic conferences between
Godfrey, Roy J. Turner, former
governor of Oklahoma and a di
rector of the Hall of Fame, and
representatives of the American
Hereford Assn.
Plans are being made to place
'the steer on the auction block
again with proceeds going to the
Hall of Fame. The auction is
scheduled to follow the ground
breaking ceremonies for the Hall
of Fame at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan.
7. The ceremony and auction will
be one of the features of the three
day convention of the American
National Cattlemen’s Assn, in Ok
lahoma Jan. 6, 7 and 8.
registered HolstQins. Shown here are
Randy, 1; Eddie, 3; and Donna, 5 Not
present were Carol, 9, and Kenneth, 10.
Mrs. Hess is the former Miss Velma Landis
of Witmer. (LF Photo)
Automation Next,
Dairy Specialist
Tells Farmers
Bulk milk tanks and pipeline
milkers that can be cleaned in
place will soon become standard
equipment on dairy farms, pre
dicts Penn State dairy specialist
Ivan G. Parkin. His prediction was
made at meetings held Thursday
at the farms of Elvm Hess Sr., R 1
Strasburg, and Melvin Martin, HI
Gap.
Parkin said that the change is
inevitable because it is easier and
less costly. The bulk tank indus
tiy, now in its infancy, is due to
come up soon with a good practi
cal method of in-place cleaning to
do away with some of the hard
labor now Required.
One of the major subjects of
the meetings was the proper size
ox tank to buy.
The tank should be able to
hold six milkings of the largest
herd the farm will eventually sus
tain, Parkin said.
He also discussed some of the
problems which have been en
countered by bulk tank users.
They concern mainly the proper
handling of the milk and efficient
safe cleaning of the storage unit.
To get best readings on a fat
test, Parkin said, the milk must be
agitated at least four minutes.
Proper handling of the milk re
quires that the blend temperature
never go above 50 degrees^
To assure adequate cooling of
any amount of milk stored in the
tank, the compressor should have
a rating of one horsepower for
every 100 gallons of milk the tank
must cool in 24 hours.
Manufacturers recommendations
in cleaning a tank must be ad
hered to strictly, he admonished.
Failure to do so may result in
corrosion.
Each manufacturer lists dif
ferent strengths of solutions to
use as required by the alloy used
in the tank construction.
After cleaning, use of water un
der pressure and with a hose noz
zle is required to rinse all the cor
rosive residue from the walls. He
told the farmers never to use
chlorine for cleaning since it is
not a cleanser and will damage
the walls if used for that purpose.
Do You Know That...
Lancaster County leads
the state m swine produc
tion 9 Some 43,000 head were
reported on farms as of Jan.
1, 1957. They were valued
at $1,066,500
Leaf Buyers
Paying 26-12
For 1957 Crop
Buyers for the 1957 tobacco
crop moved during the last few
days ending some of the specula
tion on what they are wiling to
buy this year.
Some tobacco moved at 25
cents during last week. This
price was being paid for straight
pull-off However Tuesday buy
ing started in earnest with a
price of 26 cents for wrappers
and 12 cents for filler seeming to
be standard.
No premiums were reported
offered for sized tobacco.
Irrigated tobacco was the first
to move, some of it having been
purchased as much as a month
ago
As has been their practice for
the past several years, the
American Tobacco Co was first
of the “Big Three” in the field.
General Cigar Co buyers follow
ed shortly There have been no
reports of sales to the Bayuk
Cigar Corp. Last year also, Bayuk
held back in buying until nearly
the end of the season
Many farmers had been hold
ing back in stripping their to
bacco because they didn’t know
how the tobacco was to be pur
chased Now, however, there
seems to be little doubt that sort
ing alone will be all desired by
the buyers
Farmers also seem more pleas
ed at being offered the 25 cent
figure for straight run tobacco.
Many feel that due to the season
there will be little of their crop
that will grade as wrapper.
As one put it, “I sold my crop
for 26 and 12, but it was only be
cause I wasn’t offered 25 for
straight run ”
It is also belived by many that
this year’s buying will end the
practice of sizing the leaves.
PCA ? NFLA Name
New Directors
At Meeting
Stockholders of the Lancaster
Production Credit Assn, and the
National Farm Loan Assn, of Lan
caster Friday elected two new di
rectors each Fnday at the organi
zations annual meetings.
Named to the PCA posts were'
Samuel Ober, Rheems, and Rich
ard Mull, Quarryville. Samuel B.
Williams, Middletown, and Rich
aid B. Lefever, R 1 Quarryville,
are the new NFLA directors.
Some 250 stockholders of the
two organizations gathered at the
Mt. Joy Elementary School for
the business session held in thfj
morning. After lunch they re
turned to the school to hear Wil
liam H. Johnson, extension repre
sentative from the Baltimore
barm Credit District speak on
“Building Fences to Keep Things
Cut.”
In his address he said that some
organizations are building ‘fences’
to keep young people and new
ideas out of the group.
Young people, he said, are
thought by these groups to be too
enthusiastic, requiring too much
work from the members.
“New ideas hurt,” he said,
“since to accept a new one, we
have to give up an old one.”
The danger of fences was de
scribed as the effects of disputes
over them. “Nothing has cluttered
up the courts with as little conse
quence as disputes over line
fences,” he added.
Turning to cooperation, he said
the greatest failures he in lack
of cooperation as individuals and
organizations, unwillingness to
take a position on controversial
issues and reluctance to share ex
periences.
S 3 Per Year