Mary K. Bettendorf, Librarian lw AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY
Agricultural Library THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE euLLtet
VoL 111. No. 28.
April Chick Hatch
13% Greater Than
In April 1957
Broiler Chicks Lead
Increase; Egg-type Birds
Gain 10 Per Cent
The 11,368,000 chicks produced
by commercial (hatcherymen m
Pennsylvania during April was
13 per cent above the 10,043,000
hatched in April last year, ac
cording to figures released by
the state crop reporting service
this week.
A breakdown of the April
hatch shows 5,284,000 broiler
chicks, 17 per cent above last
year, and 6,084,000 egg-type
chicks, 10 per cents more than
in 1957. Eggs in incubators on
May 1, 1958, in the middle Atlan
tic states were seven per cent
above the same date last year
NATIONALLY, commercial
hatcheries produced 10 per cent
more chicks in April 1957 than
they did a year previous Chicks
produced for broiler production
were up 15 per cent from April
last year. Egg-type chicks were
up by five per cent.
Production of broiler chicks in
ithe first third of 1958 totaled
587.702.000 compared with 531,
592.000 during the first four
months of 1957. This is an in
crease of 11 per cent.
BULK OF THE increase was
in broilers as seen from the
modest rise of six per cent m
eggtype chicks during the first!
four months of the year. |
ißroiler demand is strong and
a much larger May hatch than a|
year ago is in prospect. The
number of eggs for broiler type
chicks in incubators on May 1
was 20 per cent more than a year
ago
The May hatch of egg-typs
birds will also be larger that,
in May 1957. The demand for
egg-type chicks has improved
considerably over that of recent
months. The number of eggs for
eggtype chicks in incubators on
May 1 was 15 per cent more
than on May 1 last year.
TURKEY RAISERS indicate
that heavy breed poult produc
tion during April was nine per
cent smaller than in April 1957.
Light breed production was two
per cent smaller. Heavy breed'
poults produced during April
totaled 2,131,000 heavy white
~ (Continued on page 14)
Four of 21 Pennsylvania Delegates
To Holstein Convention from Here
„ , ,
Four of the 21 delegates from
Pennsylvania to the 73rd annual
convention of the Holstem-Fne-
sian Assn, of America are rom
L a "f aster Co li nt3 f - T r. C f
They are: Earl L. Groff Stras-
burg, Clarence E. Lyons. Lancas-
ter Harvey Rettew, Manheim;
and Paul G. Longenecker, Stras-
u ur „
An all-time high of 182 dele-
gates will represent the member-
ship of the association in Boston.
This compares to last year’s high
ot 179. Total attendance dele-
gates, members and guests is
expected to exceed 2,000.
L _
THE N AT IO NAL orgaiwation
has more than 48,000 members.
Quarryville (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday, May 23, 1958
IT USED TO BE THAT cattle were turned
on pasture during the suipmer. But now
the trend seems to be changed to bring
the pasture to the cattle. These steers at
Revised Standards for Potatoes
Effective July 15 Issued by USDA
Revised standards for potatoes
were announced today by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
to become effective July 15.
There were objections by a
majority of the potato industry
to several provisions in the pro-
posed revision published on Nov.
8, 1957 These proposed changes
—relating primarily to size re-
quirements, cleanliness, and tol
erances for defects—are elimi
nated.
As a result, the primary change
in the U.S. No. 1, U.S. Commer-
cial, and U.S. No 2 grades con-
sists of modifying definitions of
damage and serious > damage by
certain factors rn order to clari-
Pennsylvania each qualified for
one additional delegate this year.
The third new delegate will
re p resen t the special election dis
tr|ct ma de up of association mem
hers living outside tjxe contential
Umted States .
dpt pcatfs from
OTHER DELEGATES from
Pennsylvania are Clark Bowen,
Wellsboro; H. M. Gans, Cans;
Albert B. Craig, Pittsburgh; Paul
Anthony, Strausstown., Ralph
Sands . Wyoming, Hubert S.
Ml ller, Myerstown, C. S. Erb,
Middletown;
R °y s - Bo '^ n ’ Wellsboro; Jo
nas Gruber, Thomasville; B. L.
Hmdenach; Easton; Norman E.
R]shelj York; Leon Ballardi Troy;
Albert w S mity, Spnngville;
Musser Farms near Mt. Joy are feeding on
grass silage made this spring. This allows
all the grass to be utilized, thus increasing
the pasture capacity of a farm. (LF Photo)
fy and improve the standards
THE U.S. EXTRA No. 1 grade
name is dropped and this grade
and the former U.S. Fancy grade
will actually no longer exist. The
new standards provide for a new
U.S. Fancy grade which is simi
lar to the former U.S. Extra No.
1 grade except for the following
differences:
1. Higher requirements for ma
tunty, shape, and cleaness.
>2. An increase in the minimum
diameter from 1% inches_ to
‘ 2 inches, unless otherwise
specified,
3. A change from the tolerances
of 6 par cent for external de
fects and 5 per cent for in-
temal defects to a total tol
erance of 5 per cent for both
internal and external defects
4. A reduction in the restricted
tolerance for southern bacter
ial wilt, ring rot, or late
(blight from 3 per cent to 2
per cent and a reduction in
the tolerance for soft rot, wet
breakdown, or frozen potatoes
from 1 per cent to onehalf of
one per cent
OTHER CHANGES in the
standards include changing the
Size B classification from a range
oilVz to 2Vi inches, and adding a
Size C classification with a range
1 to IVa inches. The tolerance for
oversize is reduced from 15 per
cent to 10 per cent.
The scoring of defects, in all
grades, is based solely upon the
extent to which the individual
potato is affected. The standards
no longer provide for considering
the general appearance of the
potatoes in the lot in determining
damage.
Farmers Finally
Get Full Week
Of Good Weather
The past week saw the first full
week ot farming weather uninter
upted by ram during the 1958
crop season.
Lancaster County farmers,
caught short m their field work
by the extended cool wet spring,
worked both day and night to get
com ground ready and to get the
crop into the ground.
Tomato plants are arriving in
volume from the South and plant
ing for processing is underway in
south and central sections of the
state.
TOBACCO SEED beds are grow
ing, but need warm weather to
stimulate their growth. In many
areas the setting out of the plants
is expected to be a week to 10
days behind schedule.
Pastures and hays are making
excellent growth. Prospects are
good for a heavy hay crop. Cat
tle have been turned on pastures
and grazing is very good. In some
cases, the forage is more than
the cattle can clean up, and some
famers are converting the excess
into grass silage.
Barley is in head and rye is
being cut for silage. Com plant
ing is now about 30 per cent com
plete, but if the weather holds,
the bulk of the planting should be
accomplished before the begin
ning of next week.
CHERRIES AND strawberries
are taking on size. Prosects for
strawberries are good, but warm
weather is needed for plants to
mature fruit. Apples are in bloom
in the extreme northern part of
the state.
An occluded weather front ex-
$2 Per Year
Poultry Industry
Combines Queens;
Contest June 7
Entry Form May Be
Found on Page Five
Of This Issue
There’s not going to be a Penn
sylvania Poultry Queen this year.
Instead the fortunate young lady
is going to be known as “Miss
Pennsylvania Poultry Industry ”
The State Poultry Federation
changed the contest this year and
dropped the titles of “Turkey
Queen” and “Poultry Queen” to
make the contest more represen
tative of the poultry industry.
However on the local level
things will work about as before
This June 7 a new county queen
will be selected at the Poultry'
Association’s annual barbeque at
Lititz.
QUEEN CONTEST chairman,
Claud F Smith, Lancaster, this
week announced that applications
are being received from interest
ed and eligible young women
To qualify as “Miss Pennsyl
vania Poultry Industry” the con
testants must be a resident of
Pennsylvania, must be single and
from 17 to 24 years of age as of
Aug. 23, 1958.
To keep, the contest in the in
dustry, she must be a daughter,
sister, niece or in-law of a turkey
grower (300 bird minimum 1,
broiler grower (minimum annual
production of 1,000 broilers), egg
producer (300 layers minimum),
hatcheryman or processor.
All contestants will be screen
ed before the county contest.
SMITH POINTS out that this,
is more than a beauty contest. It
is to give recognition to the young
Jadies who so unselfishly give
their labor and inspiration to
agriculture.
“It also help develop leaders
from our talented and deserving
young ladies by furnishing an op
portunity for experience in public
appearances, and gives the young
people a position of importance
in agriculture to encourage them
to remain on farms as our future
agncultural leaders.
“For the industry the contests
make a very effective avenue for
public relations. There is no sub
stitute for the pretty girl ap
proach for advertising our Penn
sylvania poultry,” Smith said.
The county queens will com
pete for the state title at Hershey
on Aug. 23.
While beauty counts in the con
test, half the score is given to
personality and a record of
achievement in hobbies, activities
and honors.
tending across Pennsylvania south
to Texas was expected to cause
fairly widespread precipitation
the beginning of the week. How
ever only minor rainfall was re
ported m the Southeastern Coun
ties, although the front did bring
cooler weather.
The weather station at Safe Har
bor reported only .05 inches of
rainfall during the last week,
making a total of 7.32 inches since
April 1.
THE MAXIMUM temperature
reported at Safe Harbor was 73
degrees, reached on five days of
the past week. The minimum was
48 reported on May 14 The av
erage high was 71 and the aver
age low was 54 degrees.