4—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, June 11. 1960 FROM WHERE WE STAND - M-H 30, To Spray A June first news release from the United States Department of Agricul ture cautions tobacco growers against the use of Maleic Hydrazide (MH-30) for-the control of sucker growth on to bacco. The US DA acted, the report said, after it had received numerous strong protests against the chemical from the major tobacco companies. The USD A apparently is worried that the use of the chemical" could seriously jeopardise the tobacco price support program as well as the domes tic and foreign markets for United States tobacco. It appears we are on the same old merry-go-round we stepped on last year when some of us who played it straight stepped off to get our faces full of dirt. Tobacco companies last year cau tioned against the use -of chemical growth inhibitors at the risk of severe price penalties for treated tobacco. Many conscientious tobacco farm ers took the companies at their word and went through the agerold chore of hand suckering, while some of their adventuresome neighbors risked price cuts for the convenience of chemical suckering. When the buyers-hit the sheds last Davidson It is always good news had declined from $l3 bil when something turns out to hon in 1958 to $ll billion be better than you had ex- in 1959. It looked then like jpected. That is the way most more of the same in 1960. farmers feel now about farm The parity ratio which the prices and income. economists use to measure Six months ago, farmers the fairness of prices reciv were warned by the U. S. ed by farmers when compar- Departmenl of Agriculture to ed with prices they pay for expect anoiher billion dol-. machinery and other things lar decline this year in their used on the farm, had drop net income. That, coming on ped to a 20-year low last top of a two billion dollar fall. The ratio was 77% of drop in 1959, was pretty dis parity, compared with *afair eouraging. price of 100% of parity.' The forecast of another That meant that the av round of belt-tightening for earge of prices received by farmers wasn’t surprising, farmers was only a little though, because farm prices more than three-quarters of and income have gone down a fair price. Production costs in nine of the past 10 years, took 70 cents out of every The only exception was 1958. dollar farmers received fr- However, instead of con- 0 m the sale of their products tinning downward farm pri- Unexpected Reversal ces have been rising at a Then, unexpectedly, prices rate of about one per cent received by most farmers a month since the start of began to go up in January, this year. That has been the Economists shook their heads national average for all farm and said it couldn’t last, that commodities. Naturally, so- it was only a temporary re me farmers have fared bet- versal and that the down ter than others. ward trend would be resutn- Ouilook Forecast ed. Last fall the Department of Agriculture, as it has for the past 30 years, invited agricultural economists from all parts of the country to participate in an Outlook Conference to forecast mar ket demand, prices and in come for the year ahead. The economists took a dim view of 1960. Farm prices, they noted, had dropped an average of 7 per cent dur ing 1959. Net farm income Lancaster Farming Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly P O Pox 1524 Lancaster, Penna. Offices: 53 North Duke St. Lancaster, Penna. Phone - Lancaster Express 4-3047 •Tack Owen Editor Robert G Campbell, Advertising Director & Business Manager Csta' lishcd November 4, 1955 Ptib'ished every - Saturday by Lancaster Farming Lancaster, Fa. Fntf red as 2nd class matter at Lancaster, Pa under Act of Mar K 1379 additional entry at Mount Joy, Pa. Subscription Rates- 12 per year; three Kars $3, Single copy Pnco r cents Members Pa Newspaper PuVi'lsli < » A ssoeiation. National Editor- I ,1 'ssociation. THIS WEEK —ln Washington With Clinton Davidson Farm Income Up - But when the slow but steady climb in the average of prices continued in Feb ruary, March and April they began to concede that they may have been mistaken in their earlier predictions that 1960 prices would show an overall drop of three to five per cent. By late spring the price average had climbed from 77 per cent to 80 per cent of parity. The most spectacular increase was a 25 per cent climb in hog prices, from an average of $l2 in January to $l6 a hundred pounds in April. Prices of other live stock also increased, though not by as much as hogs. The economists still have their fingers crossed on the remainder of this year, but around the Depatment of Ag riculture there is a grdwing feeling that farmers have escaped, for this year at least disastrously low prices that could have forced many tho usands of them into bank ruptcy. Advertisers will be glad to have you mention Lancas ter Farming when answering advertisements. Or Not To Spray fall, most of the tobacco was sold be fore the conscientious farmers had time to sav, “But I suckered mine by hand.” What happened to the promised differential in price? Several farmers reported that the buyer did not even ask how the suckers were removed from the crop. .The release mentioned, go,es on to say that while, the buying companies insist that they will not_ knowingly buy treated tobacco, they-readily ad mit that treated tobacco, in many in stances, does not show adverse physic al effects that can be detected on the auction floor. Tobacco bought on the auction floor is one" thing, but the Lancaster county tobacco market is another, In many c«ses the buyers were on the farms during the growing season, and still no premium was paid for the hand suckered crop. If the tobacco companies intend to discriminate against the chemically treated tobscco, they made a poor start last season. There will be many more farmers willing to test them out again this yyear. At least that’s how it looks from where we stand. Farm Work To lift or to destruction? ■Life end destruction are oppo sites. You would think any one could see that. But to judge from Conditions for farm field the way many people act, It Is plain work were somewhat", im- that they think the same road leads proved during the past week, to destruction and to life, although rains and wet Many "a man walks the broad road ground continued to plague with plenty of company, knowing Pennsylvania farmers, the tor at least having heard) that the State Crop Reporting Ser- road ends destruction. But he vice said in its week’y crop think* Life la a wayside stop, in and weather roundup. he rather pities the poor fools „ , . that took the narrow rocky road to Surplus moisture was re- j^ ei W hen it is so much pleasanter ported m fewer areas than to UUe the t, road road . truth the previous week but low i3> on the contrary, that you can’t spots are still soggy in all .reach Life by the road that goes to areas. Destruction. You have to choose. Catching Up Vegetable production was benefited by some overall Plscipllno improvement in weather Why Is it that the road to life is conditions Higher tempera- sparsely traveled and the road to tures are now needed to put destruction crowded? It isn’t that most crops on normal grow- people prefer destruction. It’s the ing schedule. Final plantings S*oad that attracts them. Let’s look of tomatoes have been made •■t one attractive feature (that is but the total planted acreage to say_,_ one-that does attract un may be 10 per cent or more m ( below original intentions. j\oW |Q I (IP Timp Strawberry set is average L vv X • • • or above m most areas due to heavy precipitation and with favorable weather a bumper crop could develop. Local berries- are at their peak and quality is mostly excellent, Tree fruits are sizing and some dropping has been re ported. Corn planting is 50 to 90 per cent complete in. Lan caster County but planting is TO KILL LEAF HOPPERS ON ALFAi nearly two weeks off last FA When the second growth of alfaHa years schedule and well be- - is 4 to 6 inches tall, three pints per acrt hmd normal. Overall condi- MAX SMITH Q g 25 % emulsion of Methoxyclor will I 11 1! hopper and increase the tonnage of the second year ago. Some LSSrs are TJ 1 ’ 5 lns f t 13 t>£tel > «>« of a stunted SS XgS -TO SS C S AUnON U m CORN CLLTIVATION _ The - com or other crops. of too many corn plants are injured by the cultivator, si Most alfalfa hay is only of corn gets larger the cultivator must be set moie shallow fair quality. Weather - * has and farther away from the row. The shearing of the 1001 hindered - spraying of. forage injures the plant and reduces the yield, , crops and has resumed in f O MAKE SILAGE FROM WINTER WHEAT, AND WIN S£* e a J? a th t 4a ? ,y TER OATS - Both of these grains are about in the fields are beguiling to turn ?°. m to mi k a ge when they are at their best to be color and considerable ’odg- jnto Brass silage. They should be chopped directly n » ing is reported -‘Generally. ? ilg without any wilting period; many growers will try large heading- of wheat is mix some c’over or alfalfa with the load in order to reported, "" J prove the qua ity. A preservative should be used similar . _ that used with other kinds of grass silage. Grovvcis Rural Rhythms extra acres of winter wheat might consider this means rnrmvrsctnv get jing the most out of their crop. „ By: Carol Lean Huber ' TO BE CAREFUL WITH NITROGEN One hundred and fifty years tr °E en fertilizers will give quick growth of new P - 0 ago sues when used properly; however, in the case oi i j ot A man named Phil Durand plants, extreme care should be used. If more gi een {ol , Decided food -would keep if or faster growth is desired, then the inorganic forms o sealed *trogen such as nugreen or nitrate of soda may he u sc Into an airtight can. the rate of 3 to 4 pounds per 1000 square feet of had) ever, softer plants will result if fast growth is reali# 1 s . a comp ete kill the plants will be made if 1 g jn ic mounts are used. Dried blood is a good source of ° r nitrogen at the fate of- 3 to 5 pounds per 1000 and will not make the plants as soft or tender. AH 0 should be washed down after each treatment. The farm wife used a can of glass, But his was tin you see: Farms growing canning crops' will share -' - '*■ This Can-niversary. Bible Material: Matthew 7 13-14; Luke 15 11-32. Devotional Beading: Psalm 1, ' Lea Son for June 13, 1960 THE NOTION that you can find out what Is right by seeing how many people do it, is not an idea you can find In the Bible. If what the majority of people do makes anything right, then you are really deciding right and "•'? by voting on it. The truth ’ people are wrong at least as often ' as they are right. Jesus believe* that hrhb* day, ai gay, rate, the mi- ImtSLWM on th< wrong road There are tw« ways or“road through thl. world, he said, one. Is broad and the other narrow. One ia r eaay te find, .the ether you cannot find so easily. What is more’, the broad road is popular and the narrow road is not. But the real question to ask about any road is: Where does It go? Where shall I land If I follow it? The Two Ways BY MAX SMITH TO SPRAY ALFALFA STUBBLES - Oi many unsprayed alfalfa fields the alfalfa weevil are waiting upon the second growth; if these fields are not sprayed a| once, little or no second crop can be taf vested. Growers are urged to spray willi one pint of Malathion immediately afto taking off the first crop. thinking travelers) of highway. It is hke ih o \ ll ‘ Crete highways that tion. Wider and tast G SS °« being built all the tim. r ° ij accident rate keeps Ko , ’ reason why the bioad ferred is that you don’U^ ll your brakes on it vei 7fJ n 1 are no stop-hghts on way for most of its c i h , t!lt ' forgetting about bi a i dangers. There used to vl hi of road in North Caroi°* st equally divided between 8 *’ 1 straight shoot thiough V 5 and a very crooked st e J? the Blue Ridge For y e there was not a fatal a( W.' the narrow, steep a „ fl part of the road, but w? dents on the straight ntml east. Going up the rnoul down, drivers weie Cai "“‘ once down, they woul d m brakes go and zoom off-Jr them to early death So ih persons or for nations; hf,L brakes goes swiftly to dest! And the name for th a £ have to apply to ourselves h. Discipline. A* Important at steering There are three things 4 a, have, at the very least It have power to move, it m U3t a steering mechanism that w and It must have brakes so the driver can slow down or So it is on the roads of hf ( traveler must have power, he be able to steer, and he' a able to hold himself down Bi are every bit as important u buretor or steering-shaft Soil life of every man; without cipline he is running justuj a risk as if he had no diiitigp at all. Discipline means being to say No to yourself Disc! means being able to choose' Is unplgasant, if it is right ft line means loving yourself lei means, in the first place, dm a road because it leads to Life not because it is easy No one would ventme to whether today, as In Jesus' the wrong road is crowded i than the other. But sometime! wonders. A nation made up in of people who never say K themselves, a nation made ol izens always want the; for the least, who translate “I’ It" into “I must have it,” is j tion like that going to be t than its-people? (Baled on outlines cnpuicM the Division of Chmtna E&k Nation*! Council of the Clwrcl Christ in the V, h A Community Sonite)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers