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 "