—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 17, 1960
4
FROM WHERE WE STAND -
Heigh Ho! Come To The Fair
Heigh Ho, come to the fair! Almost
since the beginning of recorded his
tory, fairs after harvest time have had
a place in the life of rural people. The
desire of the farmer to exhibit some of
the fruits of his labor and the thrills of
competition with his neighbors has
kept the age-old tradition alive down
to the present time.
Fairs take many different forms
and themes from the strictly agricul
tural exhibitions to the other extreme
of a carnival atmosphere with some
farm exhibits to give it a slightly rural
flavor.
The earliest fairs were of the first
kind where farmers exhibited and sold
their produce and livestock. Many of
the first fairs were more like a market
place than a fairground as we know
them today.
Later, contests of skill at farm tasks
were added to the program and farm
ers could show off their dexterity as
well as the products of their lands.
Soon, athletic events were included at
many fairs and the holiday atmosphere
took over the fairground.
With the fiesta spirit came the
games of chance and with the games of
chance came the sharpers with the
dodge games to separate the unsuspect
ing adventurer from his hard earned
cash.
In many places the holiday theme
became so strong that the fair bore
little resemblance to the original ex
hibitions. Many fairs were staged for
the benefit of the carnival operators
who used the county fair theme as an
excuse to gather together a crowd to
be duped into spending money on ques
tionable games
In recent years the fairs have fol
lowed several different courses. We
feel that Lancaster County is fortunate
to have several good agncultural'fairs.
Several counties in nearby areas have
almost forgotten the rural aspect of
ihg- fair and more space is taken up on
the fairground by the midway than by
all the tarm exhibits and exhibition
arenas.
The experience with these fairs
seems to indicate that a successful carn
ival and a successful farm show can
Davidson
What kind of a program do
the farm organizations want’
That’s a question that has
stumped Congress and puz
zled a lot of other people.
"*To gcc the answer for
readers of the more than 850
newspapers which use this
column, wc invited the heads
of the three general farm or
gan rations to give us their
recommendations
S'-nce the 850,UU0-member
National Giange is the oldest
f 93 years) of the general farm
groups, the first report has
oeen prepa.ed by Herschel
Lancaster Farming
Lancister County’s Own Farm
Weekly
P O Box r>2l
Lancistu, Pcnna
Offices
fP, North DnK<* St.
Lancaster, Pcnna
Phorn
- Lanc.istri
ss 4-J047
Jack Ov * n IMitor
Robert O CimpbMl, Advertising
i>n'(tnr &, uusmws some comparab.e lift above
Esto'lisled Nmcmlxr A, 19V> , . , . „
Puimsiw pv, r > - Saturday by that determined by the free
Lancaster Panning Lmctbter. Pa maiket, comparable, that it,
EntP-f(l ,v 2nd clis; m-itl.i nt to the lift Which IS given
I anensfrr Pa under Act of Mir
e isti additional entry at Mount non- agricultural prices and
Joy ' r ' wages by tariffs and import
;' s :T i^°^. r! rIrn 1 r n; 1 e J2 ,ei:r; and by ia WS which
fi cents Birotoct the rights of indus-
M, mbui Pn Niuspapor Publish* ,: 3 i w .„„, „ arTlAr _ fp
<*n» National "editor H wage to mim
lai Awnt't.n | nun wages and collective
*- _-s . oargaimng
THIS WEEK
—ln Washington
With Clinton Davidson
* *
The Grange Program if
D. Newsom, whose title is
Master of the National Grange
Subsequent columns will
report on the views of Char
les .Shuman, president of the
American Farm Bureau Fed
eration, largest (16 million
members) of the three, and
James Patton, President ol
the FarmeiS Union.
Newsom Says;
“Farm income, at present
levels, is not capable of gen
eral ng the capital needed to
continue the technological
revolution that has made
American agriculture the
most productive in the world
‘ Clear'y the compensation
of farmers (less than half the
national per family average),
and of agriculture as a whole
is not proportionate to our
contribution of the national
welfare It has not been for
several years
“We must find effective
mechanisms to try to give
farm prices and farm income
not occupy the same grounds at the
same time. In the fairs holding both
agricultural exhibits and midways, the
two are so nearly divorced from each
other as to be almost two different
areas entirely. There has been talk al
most every year of a county fair for
Lancaster County. Each year there are
supporters of such a move, but there
are those who also paint out the disad
vantages of centralizing the activity
and eliminating the local incentive and
pride.
The local fairs do have many ad
vantages and there are doubtless many
farm boys and girls who could, not or
would not exhibit at a centralized fair.
Most of the local fairs would likely
have to fold their tents if a county ex
hibition were organized, but if all the
effort now' going into the staging of
the local fairs could be combined into
one centralized show, a top-notch fair
could be produced.
One of the biggest problems faced
by the local fair boards is the furnish
ing of enough space under-roof for all
the exhibits. A county fair association
could probably build facilities to house
all-the animals and showring facilities
for what is now paid for canvas by the
local fairs. ■> r-i.
Many facilities could -be furnished
by a county fair with the pooling of
the capital available to all the fairs
with the possibility of staging a really
good exhibition. Even with the loss of
the local fairs, we feel that the forma
tion of a county fair association could
be a good thing for the agriculture of
the Garden Spot.
But we would like to put one reser
vation on the endorsement of the coun
ty fair idea. We feel that any show
representing the agriculture of the
county should do just that. An exhibi
tion based on the State Farm Show
would be representative, of agriculture
sncl the wholesomeness of rural Lan
caster County __
If the county fair were to "develop
on the theme of carnivals and' side
shows, then .we are far better off with
the good, small, local shows we now
have
At least that's how it looks from
where we stand.
“It s imperative that we
do something much more con
structive about the problem
of dechn-ng farm income
down 35% since 1952) than
to s mp 1 y perpetuate the ar
gument over the level of
price supports, for neither
provides a full answer.
The Cost-Price Squeeze
“We must attack the basic
problem of the gap between
farm operating costs and
prices received by farmers.
The real measure of a fair
income for farmers is what
is left after he has sold what
ho produced and paid the
cost of production
“Substantial progress has
been made in tailoring cer
tain commodity programs
(such as wool, sugar & milk
market ng) to fit the pecular
ihea of production, process
ing a.id distribution of those
commodT’es. ' '
“We have a diversity 'of
farm prob’ems which, cannot
be so’ved by a single, shot
gun approach. This diversity,
however, certainly does not
(Turn to Page 5)
Rural
Rhythms
TIME
By Carol Dean Huber
Summer days have all been
spent;
I wonder where all the warm
days went
When I was just a child they
said
There would be such days
ahead
Childhood’s time will creep
or s 4 and
Yie'd ng not to youth’s de
mand
As you older grow, the years
Flow faster than a widow’s
tears.
«*OTICK to the Gospel and leave
G politics alone,” is advice often
given, to preachers. Whether it’s
good advice depends on what is
meant by it. If “Leave politics
alone” means that a church should
not become a political party, then
It is good advice. But if it means
that the preacher
must never men
tion anything so
worldly and con
troversial as
housing for the
poor, wage levels,
dirty politics, dis
honest police, in
competent
judges, or bad
leadership In high Dr. Foreman
places, then "Stick: to the Gospel”
is bad advice.
Not only that, but a preacher
shamed or scared into silence about
the live Issues of hia time and
community is false to his Bible
The prophets of old were bold
preachers. They pointed their fin
gers at sin wherever they saw it
And when they saw the supposed
leaders of their country setting
bad examples, when they saw bad
foreign policy, when they saw the
weak oppressed and the shady
characters given the medals, the
prophets did not pull their punches
or preach soothing sermons about
heaven. They preached some of
thfeir most powerful sermons
straight to the top-flight citizens
of their time.
One of the great evils that Micah
(for instance) nailed down, was
what we call upside-down morals,
preached and practiced by influen
tial people. It is much worse when
such people get twisted-up about
right and wrong, than when ob
scure people do. A bum in a slum
can try to tell you that wrong is
right and you pay him no atten
tion. But when nch or famous or
powerful people take a wrong
slant, you get mixed up. You think,
“Well, surely a man as smart [or
Now Is The Time . . .
TO MAKE SORGHUM SILAGE Mai
acres of forage sorghum will be made in
silage yet'tins month; the proper stage!
cutting is when the sorghum seeds are
the dough stage; the crops will decrease
feed value if lire seed-heads are allow
to get hard and mature If mixed with sc
beans, it is best to allow the sorghum c
velopment to be the guide rather than t
soybeans, which are usually cut n t
small-bean stage No preservation shou
MAX SMITH be needed with the forage sorghum cid
TO MAKE GOOD USE OF SWEET SUDAN GRASS -Swe
sudan grass is one of the very popular summer pasture
also, it may be made into grass silage if the growth ge
ahead of the livestock Local growers are urged to utilu
the Sudan grass growth to the fullest extent in the
two weeks so that little growth will be present when tl
first killing frost comes Grazmg, green chopping, 01 niai
mg silage are methods of preserving or using the ciop S
dan grass makes a very course textured hay crop |W
making into silage a preservative should be used sumlai
mixtures of timothy or orchard grass
TO USE CAUTION AFTER A KILLING FROST S'«
sudan grass becomes poisonous after a killing imsl nr
shouldn’t be _ed to livestock as fresh pasture or giccnsho
ped forage, however, it may be made safely mto siiase a
allow to ferment for at least three co four weeks A so y
ghum may be made into &i age after a killing frost
any danger of toxicity However, the second growth ol 0
of these crops after a killing frost may be po sonous
livestock should not be allowed to graze upon A
TO PLANT WINTER OATS—Mid-September is the
mended time to sow winter cats m southeastern Pcn'i--'
vama. Use e ther Dubois or La Conte varieties and son
the rate of two bushels per acre on well drained land
TO PACK AND SEAL THOSE TRENCH SILOS—With t
heavy growt’ 1 o" corn' fodder this fall temporary
eluding trench or bunker sdos may be more wideh a
The corn or forage should be chopped fine (Vi to ’■> JIIC .
that it will pack more tightly. A heavy wheel type t
on the silage during the filling operation will help P 1
the air pocket'; and assure better quality Within 48 1
alter the trench is filled and the top crowned or lP ° ul J ifl
the surface should be scaled by using either ground
stone or tlm b’ack plastic covers, the latter is the
popular and ‘■Vuld be held down with earth or an ad
al 6-inch layer or chopped weeds or poor-quality f° r£lg
rich, or educated, or Slln
he ia, can't be moa#?'
Robbing the People
Another evil M lCa} ,
sharply and plainly „ s t>
in plain language ,l b
people. Unfortunately’ T*
done sometimes qmte i
means that a wealthy?*'
can get wealthier simpw?
charging the consumer b
charge is a polite w or 7® n
ing. There is a lai ge J*°
southern mountains *
years was bare as th
desert, a desolate desm,,.
in the midst of g.J 1
mountains on all sides a
poration was letting
go out from its chn?' 1
hindered, killing all gr ,.'
for miles aiound It toov
time before the gove lnffi !„
ped that. Anothei m,ii 1
turmg asbestos, exposed !
ployees to asbestosis an i„
disease of the lungs can
asbestos lint in the air
workers died, but it Was
fectly legal... till finally t
stepped m and lequued J
vices that stopped the w
mgs. But where was the c
Not a voice was raised so
this writer ever heard, agau
mg either the green countrv
human beings. Theie weiei
phetic preacheis, no p n
churches, to call a spade a
Preaching for Money
The prophet Micah calls (
judgment another kind cf
who only loads on to nnn ;
the kind of prophet ( m
preacher) who preaches to
those who pay him best Thi
worst kmd of bad leadersni
the minister of the Gospel
posed to a man of God, hr
he preaches only whatTns v,e
contnbutois will appioie, t
ceases to be God’s spokesm
wears some man’s colhi
very early da>s of Cnnst
just after the New Testame
finished, theie was a book
gave regulations and adn
church officeis. It seems thei
many traveling evm;ehsl
missionaries, then as now,
for money. This little booii
rule which was veiy useful,
visitor begs tor otheis, hei
genuine, if'he begs foi h
throw him out. The pie?cl
i<Sr himself fiist of aU sets
ample that pashes las pcoj
ther on the load to lum
BY MAX SMITH