Vol. 111. No. 36.
Weather Still
Slowing Wheat
Harvest, Haying
Pennsylvania farm activities
were slowed down this past week
because of wet and humid weath
er, the State Department of Agri
culture reported Wednesday
Fields were too wet for culti
vating corn and combining wheat.
In the North Central areas farm
ers were unable to get into fields
to harvest barley. Lodging of
small grains was also prevalent
throughout the state and could
damage the wheat crop
Second cutting of hay in the
South and Central areas were
greatly impeded due to rams
Fields of hay in many areas were
cut but not cured. First cuttings
still lay in the fields in many
northern tier areas. Pastures re
mained in fairly good condition,
with some being slightly short
WHEAT HARVEST in the
South and Central counties will
begin this week, the Pennsylvania
Crop Reporting Service stated
Buckwheat is being planted m
the Central and Northern coun
ties Barley yields are reported
good
Picking of sour cherries fov
processing is well underway in
the Adams-Frankhn County fruit
belt Yellow transparent apples
are beginning to ripen m the
South
Early maturing varieties of
peaches, Early East, Sunrise, Dixi
red and Sunhaven, were reported
in southern counties and limited
supplies should apear in markets
by the close of the week.
TOMATOES FOR BOTH fresh
market and processing are show
ing good progress and harvesting
of tomatoes for green wrap is ex
pected to get underway m the
Luzerne County area about Aug
1.
Potatoes in and around the
Conyngham Valley area are in
Farmers May Net $13.3 Billion
This Year; 1957 Was Poor
Farmer’s realized net income
in the first half of 1958 was at
an annual rate of approximately
$l3 3 billion. This was 22 per
cent higher than the revised es
timate for the first half of 1957.
Cash receipts were 11 per cent
above the first half of last year,
with prices of farm products
averaging eight per cent higher
and the volume of marketing up
three per cent.
Production expenses were also
higher, but by less than four per
cent.
These figures were given in
the semi-annual farm income sit
uation report issued by .he
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing
Service.
THE REPORT SAYS that part
of the increase in income and
marketings reflects delayed sell
m gof some crops, such as corn
and cotton, where harvests were
delayed by unfavorable weather
conditions.
During 1957 farmers netted
10 8 billion dollais, down 10 per
cent from 1956 Much of this
decline resulted from the wet
fall and delayed harvest
Cash receipts from farm mar
ketings in the first half of 1958
totaled about $13.8 billion, 11
per cent higher than during the
Quarryville (Lancaster County) Pa., Friday, July 18, 1958
THE LANCASTER COUNTY tobacco crop
this year is predicted to be 16 per cent
greater than last year, from "July 1 indi-
cations Acreage this year is estimated to
bloom,
Harvesting of early and mid
season cabbage is underway in
South and Central Counties Snap
beans in some areas of Potter
County have been replanted due
to unfavorable weather during
germination.
Weekly precipitation at num
erous places throughout the state
exceeded that of any comparable
period of the current giowmg sea
son and temperatures averaged 2
to 6 degrees below normal
same period in 1957 Prices av
eraged 'higher and the volume
of marketings was also greater
RECEIVED about
$9.11 billion from livestock and
livestock products in the first
half of 1958, and about $4.7 bil
hon_ from crops The livestock
total was up 12 per cent, with
prices offsetting a volume drop.
, The 1957 figures show that
farm operators did $30,775 mil
lion worth of business during
the tf year. Cash expenses took
$23,213 million of this gross and
resident cash wages took another
$1,44S million leaving net cash
income of $9,003 million for the
year.
Tins net is the lowest since
1942 Total cash receipts were
about steady with the preceding
est since 1951 and 1952.
year, but expenses were the high-
When compared with his city
cousin as far as income is con
cerned, the farmer did not do
so well in 1957 The average an
nual farm income per worker
was $1,793 The government es
timated that there are 7,649,000
persons engaged m farm labor,
the lowest in history.
Factory workers, on the other
hand, averaged $4,284 a year
or $2 07 an hour Both these are
the highest averages wages ever
Potato Leafhoppers Greatest Threat
To Forage Crop in Chester County
Potato leafhoppers are the
greatest thieat for the remainder
of the season to forage crops m
Chester County, county agent
Robert A Powers reports
At present leafhopper numbers
are not high in most places be
cause the cool rainy weather of
early summer has prevented their
buildup They do not over-winter
here, and must migrate up from
the South each spring
Early summer has been un
favorable for them Recent warm
v/eather will favor their build-up
and leafhoppers may attack the
third cutting of alfalfa during
the next few weeks and until late
August
POTATO LEAFHOPPERS are
slender, wedge shaped, greenish
yellow “grasshopper-like” insects
less than a quarter of an inch
long They move rapidly and are
hard to see. Damageresults when
Holstein Breeders Field Day Aug. 1 At
Leßoy Andrews; McGonigle Speaker
The Leßoy K. Andrews farm, mens, womens and junior divi-
R 7 Lancaster, will be the site of sion.
the annual Holstein Breeders
Field Day on Aug. 1.
The farm is located south of
Lancaster between Hildebrand s
Hctel along Route 72 and Elliot’s
Corner on Route 222 and about a
mile north of Brubaker’s Sales
Barn.
Paul G Longenecker, Richaid
Landis, and Melvin Peifer, the
field day committee, have ar
ranged for William Cunningham,
vice president of the state Hol
stein association to be the official
judge for a contest to be begin
at 10 a m.
AWARDS WILL BE made for a
paid.
The farm rate actually slipped
fro mthe $1,894 average estab
lished m 1956.
be 29,000 acres, down 400 from last year,
The crop has gotten off to a fine start this
year and is showing better than normal
growth. (LF Photo)
: the insects such sap from the
' giowing plants
i Feeding by leafhoppers results
; in stunting the growth of the
plant and reducing yields Alfal
; fa leaves often become yellowed,
■ plant vigor is reduced because the
tcod manufacturing processes ot
■ the leaves are impaired
EFFECTIVE CONTROL mea
sures require that the insecticide
be applied as a preventative be
foie injury occurs Injured plants
\ull not improve after spraying
until the cutting is removed by
mowing
Spray when the new growth is
four to six inches tall with three
p.nts of Methoxychlor an acre
This treatment also holds good
for birdsfoot trefoil which is also
attacked by the leafyhopper. Stub
bit spraying is not effective
Spittle bugs, alfalfa weevils and
pea aphids all have disappeared
Ice cream and milk will be fur
nished for a noon-time picnic
Those attending will bring their
own lunch and eating utensils.
During the noon hour. Miss Rose
Mary Andrews, daughter of the
host and a candidate for Queen
of the Furrow, will present a pro
gram of organ music
GUEST SPEAKER for the aft
ernoon program will be Arthur T.
McGonigle, Republican candidate
for governor of Pennsylvania. He
will be introduced by state Sena
tor Edward Kessler of Lancaster.
Also on the program will be
Arthur Nesbitt, slate Holstein
fieldman; Cunningham; and Lan
caster County agent, M M. Smith
Anyone interested in dairy cat
tle is invited to the field day,
even if they are not Holstein
breeders.
Tobacco Acreage
Estimate Now
29,000 Acres
Production of tobacco in Penn
sylvania * for this year is esti
mated at 47,850,000 pounds or
16 per cent above the 41,160,000
pounds for the drouth hit 1957
crops, the state Crop Reporting
Service predicts.
Growers indicated planting of
28,000 acres compared with 29,-
400 acres in 1957 and 32,000 for
the 1947-56 average July 1 re
ports on condition of the crop
indicates a yield per acre of
1,650 pounds. Yield m 1957 was
1,400 pounds, m 1956, 1,700 and
for the 10 year average, 1,564
pounds
Cool, wet weather here de
layed transplanting and on July
1 some plants remained to be set.
Abundant soil moisture and
cloudy days gave most plants
the best start in years Stands
generally are good, but some re
plant is necessary due to cut
wor mdamage
Warm weather in late June
and early July favored growth of
plants Soil moisture in most
areas is adequate for continued
development m July.
BASED ON JULY 1 conditions,
total tobacco production in the
United States- is forecast at 1,-
689 million pounds, nearly two
par cent above last year, but
about 21 per cent below the
1947-56 average At this - level,
production would be second only
to last year as the smallest since
1943
Cigar filler production is placed
at 53 2 million pounds or 16
per cent above last year Filler
acreage has been set at 32,000,
down only slightly from the 33,-
100 acres estimated haivested
last year.
Present conditions point toward
a binder crop of 26 4 million
pounds This is about six per
cent below production m 1957
and represents the lowest pro
duction of record
At 15,500 acies cigar binder
acreage is three per cent below
1957. Acreage in the Connecti
cut Valley continues to drop
sharply while Wisconsin shows
about a one per cent increase
over 1957 During the past two
seasons, allotments for these two
areas have been set separately.
EARLIER THIS YEAR the
Ci op Reporting Board had esti
mated Lancaster County
Type 41 acreage would drop
about five per cent However the
figures now show that the acre
age dropped only about one per
cent if that muv”)
Last year the crop averaged
20 5 cents a pound, second lowest
price average in the past 10
years This year production is
up 16 per cent and carryover is
at record highs
If tobacco prices follow the
usual laws of supply and demand,
the 1958 crop could set new rec
ords for low prices paid The
low now stands at 19 cents a
pound for the 1951 crop
$2 Per Year