— Lancaster Farming. Saturday, March 5, 1960 4 FROM WHERE WE STAND - Beware The Ides Of March Kite flying time is here again. It is one of the oldest and best juvenile di versions, but it appears there have been quite a few changes in this ven erable and respected pastime. Consider this list of “Don’ts” for kite flyers printed recently by a gas and electric company in San Francisco. With the possible exception of one of the eight rules, Grandpappy, or even Pop, in his childhood days would not have needed any one of these rules which are very worthwhile today. Here are the rules as listed: 1. Don’t fly a kite with a metal frame or tail. 2. Don’t use tinsel-string, wire or twine that has any metal in it. 3. Don’t fly a kite near electric power lines. 4. Don’t fly a kite over radio or TV aerials. 5. Never pull on a string or climb a power pole to loosen a snag ged kite. 6. Don’t touch fallen electric wires. 7. Don’t run across the streets or highways while flying kites. 8. Don’t fly a kite in the rain. We believe these are good safety rules for rural as well as urban chil dren before they try their hands at the ancient skill. We can’t help remembering, though, one of our favorite kites from quite a few years back. 'As many of you will remember, you couldn’t go to the cor ner store and purchase a ready cut kite including string, frame and paper. If you wanted a kite, you made one out Mi 10 | Davidson The answers are in now on a questionnaire which Senat or Allen Ellender, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, sent the U S. De partment of Agncutlure and a group of Land Grant Col lege economists lapt fall The question he asked was: What would be the effect on farm production, prices and income if government pro duction controls were elimin ated and price supports low ered to the free market level over the next five years 7 This has been the nub of the debate over farm pro grams and policies for the the past several years, Secre tary of Agriculture Exra Taft Benson has favored low er supports while Congress lias refused to agree to as great a reduction as the sec cel ary wants During the past seven years price supports have been re duced an average of 25 per cent Farm production has in creased 15 per cent, prices have gone down 28 per cent and net income down 23 per cent On the other hand, farm program costs have gone up toy more than 500 per cent and CCC holdings hswe in creased 1,000 per cent Government Out of Farming Mr Benson has pleaded ■with Congress to “'get the Lancaster Farming [_«ncaste< County'* Own Farm Weekly P O Box 1524 I nr T-tcr, Penna Offices: 5 Noith Duke St I •’nonstor, Penna. Phn - .- I innnter Express 4-3047 Jack Owen, Editor Koben O Campbell. Advertising Oirirtn? \ Business Iflin.igiT Est.i’ lislird November » lUm Put 11*01* d every Saturday by Lane iK r Farming. Lancaster, Pa. Rntnid -f- nd olas- m liter at I ann l< r Ps under Act of Mar. *. I«7'> additional entrv at Mount Joy P,i SutiH riprlon Bates - 32 per vear: thr*-- team J 5 Single copy Price ti cents Itrembt--. Pi Newspaper Pubisb i-n a* soeiation. National Editor. 2i! *=e of ntjon. THIS WEEK —ln Washington With Clinton Davidson The Big Question government out of farming” and to restore to farmers “the right to make their own production decisions based on sound farming practices and market demand ” There is unanimous agree ment that present production control and price support programs qre both costly and ineffective Controls have not reduced production and sup ports have not maintained farm income Department of Agriculture expenditures have increased from less than $ll billion in 1952-53 to $5.7 billion this fiscE,l year. The USD A inven tory of surp’us commodities have increased from $1 bil lion in 1953 to $lO billion. The average of prices re ceived by farmers has declin ed from 94 per cent in 1953 to 77 per cent of parity. Net farm income has gone down from $l4 4 billion to about $ll 5 billion last year Farm ers are almost $lO billion deeper into debt than they were seven yeairs ago. Difference cf Opinion There is no argument over the figures They’re a matter of record But there is a wide difference of opinion both over what caused the present farm situation, as, weJ r,s over what should be done to reverse the trend Mr. Benson wants produc tion controls discontinued on all crops, as they were last year on corn. Those who op pose this point to the 15 per cent increase in corn acreage and 500 million bushel addi tion to surpluses in 1959 to back up their arguments Benson counters by citing what has happened in pota toes r,nd milk, for example, on which farmers were free to make their own produc tion decisions. These two commodities, formerly in large surplus supply, both now are in balance with de mand The only farm surpluses of any consequence, Mr Benson points out, are those on which there are both produc tion controls and price sup- of whatever materials were at hand, This favorite kite was a really big one made on an umbrella-stave frame and covered with wrapping paper. We didn’t have a string strong enough to stand the pressure, but we did find some fine wire that would do the trick. It took the combined efforts of three small brothers to launch- the mammoth thing, but finally it was airborn and we tied the wire to a fence post. A gust of wind snapped the wire and our precious behemoth was last seen wobbling out over the woods toward the river. Probably it was a blessing that the thing did get away considering the rules laid down by the power com pany, but in our back pasture, the nearest power lines were almost a mile away. The highway was an equal distance; the 7 only" radio aerial within miles was strung between the corner of opr house and the chicken coop just slightly more than head high, and the only TV antennas were about 15 years in the future. The season of thunder storms was several months a way, but if we could have kept our giant on its leash, we would have had it until mid summer. Any whay,-the rules for kite safety in this day are worthy of note. Perhaps this is what the poet meant when he said, ‘Beware the ides of March.” At least that’s how it looks where we stand, ports. He backs this up by pointing out that livestock growers have fared very wel’ without either supports or production controls. Sen Ellender, however, wanted the “expert opinion" of leading farm economists, with no political ax to grind on what would happen by 1965 if controls and 'price supports were dropped. (Editor’s note: .Their an swers will be reported next week in the second of two columns on the farm debate) ~USDA Reports May-June Poults Best May and June are the best months for hatching turkey poults, according to Penn State studies of body weight and per rent of grade A birds E. G. Buss, poultry re searcher at Penn State, re ported these findings ait a re cent meeting of the Turkey Division of the State Poultry Federation Dr. Buss discussed experi ments by Paul H Margolf which showed consistently high percentages of grade A carcasses among turkeys hatched in May and June. “January - hatched poults gave the poorest perform ance for body weight and per cent of grade A carcasses,” Dr Buss said An August hatch showed the best feather condition and the least dressing loss from live to drawn weight. Additional studies must be made to distinguish between the effects of temperature and light on growth and other traits, Dr Buss pointed out. Rural Rhvthms Winter comes and winter goes, But spring will always be Just waiting for the warm ing sun To burst on every tree On cold a,nd wintery days we should Recall these words to mind, The poet said, “When winter comes “Spring isn’t far behind.” By C. D. H. SPRING IS COMING By C. D. H. Bible Material: Acts 22.30 through 23.35. Derotionai Beading: Psalm 121, Lesson for March 6, 1960 WILL, take care of you” the -name of a popular song, and is a popular idea. But some of the bitterest experiences of life come when a person dis covers that this sentence does not mean quite, or perhaps' at all, what he thought it did. The name given in the church to the truth that God watches ’over us and all things and all men, is “Providence." In fact all, that God does, m relation to mankind, and to Ms Universe,-is summed up;-in two words, Crea tion and Providence. But the current lesson from the Bible, part of the story of Paul, may. help to untangle the truth about Providence, God’s care for his creatures, - from some wrong ideas about it Will God Keep Me From Ail Harm? . We sometimes say that God will keep us from all harm; but if we stop to think about it, if we see how God has acted m times past and what the experiences of Chris tians have been, we shall realize that to say that God will keep me from all harm is saying more than the facts will support. God will not keep you from dying. He has not kept many of his' children from death. Even his only Son Jesus Christ actually died on Calvary. We sometimes think a man is peculiar if he keeps a coffin in his house for future use; but while it may be unusual to do that, it isn’t crazy. Unless you die at sea, or get vaporized by an H-bomb, or something extraordinary like that, you may as well buy your casket now. What is left of you will need a coffin of some kind. This is true no matter how good you are. God will probably not keep you from all suffering. Even if you never have an ache or a pam in from Now Is MAX SMITH TO ORDER TREES AND SHRUBBERY The mo" March and April are good times to plant most anj k ; a tree or shrub; early planting is important to tage of spring rams and to get maximum root fore hot, dry weather comes. TO TOPDRESS WINTER WHEAT- Wheat fields that bit thin, or got off to a late start fall, will nitrogen applications this spring A 1 so, wheat g' o "'; sandy, gravel, or shale soils may need extra nilrofi' best results In these cases an app.ication of 30 to 40P per acre of straight nitrogen fertilizer made wher i starts in the spring should give good results Hov.cid heavier, fertile soils following tobacco or potatoes i= recommended because this nitrogen will cause growth and lodging will be a prob’em Also, if is to be seeded down to "clover or alfalfa, nitrogen* er is not recommended. TO CHECK THAT CORN PLANTER- Now is a to check all fr(-m machinery, especially the f crtl ', Kachment on that corn planter. If you have a SL ’ J ' corn planter be sure the fertilizer divider has 110 away; this may cause the fertilizer and the seed together and injure the stand Side band replication 5 tihzcr with the corn planter are strongly recomn* cll most equipment dealers can supply them for corn planter. Both nitrogen and potash fertilized most seeds; be sure your fertilizer helps, rather ders, your corn crop this summer. Providence The Time . . . BY MAX SMITH TO PROVIDE SPECIAL LIVES CARE—Spring is the time of the that many pigs and lambs are bon cold weather many of these infant get a poor start unless the hand to provide warmth and atti During lambing and farrowing ' many good managers will check animals every few hours during bo‘> r(id night Brooders will improve warmth and dryness in the pens a« vent chilling Special care at birf pay big dividends. your body, even if j with all your teeth as even if your friends a so that you never ha their deaths —if youi at all, if you shaie Christ, you will be to passion, as he was, hj of the millions withe#' The more Christian more the sorrows of t weigh on you. From Final Evil What God will keep what we might call we think over the j Christians and saints what God’s Provide# their lives. Take Pa example. There at j t did not save lum frot killed, though he dids being.-killed. He sav being scourged, but hs him from being a pn is always a worse sot which .God spares ui And what is the woi is this; that a man! hopelessly and Anally | Creator and Father suffering may'keep m God: but n<r darkns ' us from knowing tbit The Christian may h in the valley erf the shj —and what- greater there T There is one g ness - -than this, the H which man has lost! But this does not conn of faith. Paul more thought he was going finally was killed; bull God. Is God My Bodyguard! When, the President! States goes on a trip, few blocks, he does not his personal safety Service men do the > him. As his bodyguat responsibility to seo tl comes to him. He can but he is surrounded bj sides. Is God my bodyguarj take all responsibility! sonal safety? Can Ilj worrying to him ? Wed worrying to him, yes, j a personal responsible can say that God kepi the agony and danger] scourging; but how 9 J not spoken up when] told the officer that] Roman citizen, he won] scourged anyway. GoJj works best when we act! ship with him. I (Based on outline MI the Division of Christo National Council of fht Christ in Jthe U. S A Community Press Servin
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