AGRICULTURAL VOL. 5 NO. 3 Pruning - Good Wintertime Chore PRUNING APPLE TREES WILL HELP trees bear bigger fruit and fruit with, better color. Dr. Carl Bittner, extension fruit spec alist at Pennsylvania State University, on the ladder, told fruit growers at the pruning demonstration Wednesday afternoon on the farm Of H. R. Oberholtzer, Bareville Rl, that a rule of thumb in pruning apple trees is take everythmg off the bottom of the limbs and thin out the branches on the upper side. Not more than about 15 per cent of the previous years growth should be removed from a well pruned tree. Helping Dr. Bittner in the tree is Harry Oberholtzer, son of the farm owner. lf PH O'IU WHAT'S NEXT Govt. Asks Capette Ban The Government Thursday announced steps to halt the use in poultry of a fattening hormone suspected of caus ing cancer. Secretary of Welfare, Ar thur S. Flemming outlmed a voluntary program to remove front the market all birds known to have been treated with the synthetic hormone known as diethylstilbestrol or Stilbestrol. Secretary Flemming re Farm Outlook And Agribusiness Meet Set By Extension Agribusiness and the Agn cultural Outlook will be the topics up for discussion at the extension meeting sched uled for next Tuesday even ing, December 15, in the Farm Bureau Auditorium, Ddllerville road. The panel, scheduled to begin at 7.30, will be com posed of Kermit Birth and Charles Porter, both Agri cultural 'Economists from the Penn*. State University; E. Sntveiy Garber, Willow Street Dairyman; and a rep resentative of one of the banks-In Lancaster County This promises to be a very interesting meeting with rep resentatives of the Universi ty 'bringing the national out look -and local persons to add the point of view of the farmers Of Lancaster County. ported that the action was taken after minute quantities 0 f the hormone were found m the skin, liver, and k:d neys of slaughtered birds. oae was und inaither the dark or whlte meat - Flemming told a news con ference that tests indicate that the substances may cause cancer in some animals ' taken in large quantities rjver a lon § Period of tme No traces of the drug have been found in any of the oth er meat animals treated with the hormone Beef, lamb and mutton have been cleared by the department as safe for use, and all poultry with the exception of birds injected with stilbeslrol. j n Lancaster County a very small percentage of chickens grown are fattened with the use of the synthetic hormone Poultry officials estimated on Thursday that only about 5 or 6 per cent of the birus grown and marketed in the (Turn to page 13) Farm Calendar Dec. 12—2 - 5 p.m. Poultry Barbecue at Lancaster Poultry Center. 230 By pass and Roseville' Road Dec. 14—8:00 p m. Soil Con servation District meeting at Court House. Dec. 18—7.30 p.m. Pcquca Valley Watershed meeting sponsored by the Pequea Valley Future Farmers of America and Lancaster Co. Soil Conservation District. Lancaster. Pa., Saturday, December 12, 1959 Calf Chain For New Holland FFA In recent weeks, three lo cal donors have each present ed a registered Holstein calf to the newly organized chap ter of the Future Farmers ol America at the Garden Spat High School at New Holland, Pa These calves were given to three outstanding boys in Vocational Agriculture who were winners in an essay contest. Eleven boys compet ed in writing essays on the tope “How I Would Raise A Calf ’’ A committee composed oc two young dairy farmers in the area, Fied Overly and Earl Witmer, both of East Earl RD, Along with Robert Herr, adviser of the F. F. A , read each essay and ranked them by their assigned num ber In this manlier the three boys were selected The boys selected were. John S. Weber, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Weber oi Mohnton RD. who won the calf presented by the Farm ers Bank and Trust Company of New Holland; F Roy Wea ver, son of Mr and Mrs Fred Weaver of Terre Hill RD who won the calf pre sented by Winsor View Farms of Narvon RD 1 and owned by Mr. Robert L. Yohn; and Wilmer L. Martn, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Martm of New Holland RD 1 who re ceived the calf presented by the Blue Ball National Bank Blue Ball, Pa. The three calves, selected from some of the finest heids m Lancaster County, are giv en to the boys writing the (Continued on Page 13) Small Fruits Sometimes Missed, Orchardists Told Blueberries are probably our most neglected small fruit crop, Co. Fruit Growers were told at their meeting on Wednesday evening at the Production Credit build ing. Dr. Carl Bittner, Extension Fruit Specialist from the Pennsylvania State Univer sity told the association mem bers that blueberries can be one of the most profitable small fruits for the home gardner or the commercial producer. He said that new varieties large enough to cover a nickel are now avail able to growers and have al most made the accepted vari eties of a few years ago ob- Committee Plans Dairy Day for 60 Antibiotic and pesticides for use around the dairy and on dairy cattle will be one of the subjects to get a going over at the annual Lancaster County Dairy Day scheduled for March 3 from 9.30 am. to 3 00 p m. Other top .cs suggested by the committee which met on Tuesday were Power equip ment for emergencies. Bulk tank and milking equipment cleaning and care, Ketosis and Lepto-Spirosis control and prevention, Butter Kit variations, The Pennsylvania State University forage test ing program, Barn remodel ing and ventilation, and dairy herd management. Details of the program will be announced at a later date by County Agent Max Smith and committee chairman Wil lis Esbenshade. Others in attendance at the meeting were Paul Ank rum, president of the county Guernsey breeders; John Paes, president of county Ayrshire breeders; Henry Kettering, president of coun ty Holstein breeders; B. Sua vely Garber, representing ag riculture extension; Simeon Horton, Mount Joy Farmers Co-op; Robert Keene, Queen Dairy, Inc and Richard Wea ver, Abbots Dairies. Dairy day to be held at the Guernsey Sales Pavilion will also feature displays of dairy equipment such as con veyor systems, bulk tanks, pipelines, washers, and gut ter cleaners.' FIVE - DAY WEATHER FORECAST Saturday - Wednesday A general warming trend with rain is expected for the next live days. Temper atures will average above 4 degrees above the normal range of 43 in the after noon to 27 at night. Rain is expected Saturday morn ing and again about Tues day and Wednesday with a total precipitation of about 3 i inch. A general warm ing trend and rather warm temperatures are expected to continue through Wed nesday. $2 Per Year solete. Dr. Bittnor mentioned a few varieties only a few years old and still consider ed good such as Dixie, Early Blue and Jersey, but they are rapidly being replaced by newer varieties. He mention ed that the Herbert look very promising One reason for the lack of interest in blueberries in the past was the lack of know ledge of cultural practices. Research ms shown that yields will be improved if 3 or 4 inches of sawdust is ridged up around the plants. “This is a very essential part of the program said Dr. Bittner, “And it takes an awful lot of sawdust.” Another requirement ler the berries is an acid soil condition For this reason the specialist recommended ap plying 0-20-20 fertilizer and supplying the nitrogen in the form of Ammonium Sul fate which leaves an acid residue. The meeting came as a climax to the day of meet ings which began with a pruning demonstration hi the orchard of Robert C. Herr, Lancaster R 2, and an other demonstration on the farm of H. R. Oberholtzer, of Barcville R 1 Dr. Bittner told the group of over thirty fruit producers that there have been no drastic changes in pruning or spraying recommendations (Continued on Page 13) !ke Visits Mela At World Fair President Eisenhower this week visited the first World Agricutlural Fair in New Delhi, India. The American exhibit at the fair is a joint effort by members of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and Commerce and the Atomic Energy Commission. Visitors to the fair rcceiv ng the official guidebook will see the introduction to the contents in the words of President Eisenhower, “Wel come to Mela XJSA! (Mela is the Hindi word tor country fair) I am delighted through Mela - USA—which embodies the spirit of the American county fair—to extend ou • Nation’s tribute to India’s farmers and to history’s World Agricultural Fair. Traditionally, - the county fair, held at harvest time, expresses the American for mer’s piide in the fruits oi his honest labor and symbol izes many of the values, which he cherished. The val ues and goals highlighted in Mela USA—Food, Family. Friendship, and Freedom are among those shared bv our two groat democracies I hope Mela USA will servo to deepen our bonds of under standing and cooperation and serve to strengthen our resolve to acnicvc mankind’s greatest goal: a fruitful and flourishing world at peace "
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers