V-Lancaater Farming. Saturday, December 3. 1960 FROM WHERE WE STAKD - Serendipity ~ What Can It Do For You? Some people get more done by ac cident than others do on-purpose. - It’s true tliat some " people just seem to get " th- accomplished. Sometimes it seems that even their mistakes turn out for the best. One day in 1923, USD A scientists at Beltsvzlle, Maryland tested a culture of' Brucella Abortus taken from -the milk of a cow infected with Brucellos : is. The strain preyed virulent. -The' story might have ended here had not the test tube been laid .aside on-the desk of research veterinarian J, M. Buck and remained there for over a year at room temperature. Instead of throwing away this old culture, Buck tested it again and made an astonishing discovery;" the bacteria had weakened,-then stabilized at this low virulence. The possibilities were, evident. This strain could be innoculated into calves to organize their body defenses against more virulent strains. Research even tually gave ushStrain 19 vaccine, one of our most effective weapons against Brucellosis. Such happy accidents have played an important part in all fields of re search. A young Scottish chemist failed in his attempt to synthesize, quinine and; recognized in his test tube our iirst coal tar or analine dye A few decades back a French phy sician noted a drop in the level of blood sugar of typhoid patients treat ed, with sulfonamide and pointed the to a diabetes, treatment. Tragic accidents have produced many noteworthy achievements. A young French chemist was un nerved by an automobile accident in ■which his pretty young wife had been badly cut by flying glass. In his labor atory he dropped a bottle of collodion, a*, sticky substance which dries quickly Davldf Pemocrats in charge of both Congress and the White Homse for the first time in eight years will make new fatm egislation one of their first 1961 objectives. President-elect John F. Kennedy has named special committees of non-govern ment experts to work with the next Secretary of Agri culture in developing recom mendations he plans to send Congress in ate January or ear y February. Most observers here think that a though Congress prob ably will make changes in farm legislation, these are j&He y to be delayed by ex tended debate until too late to ,136 made effective for 1961 ■CTO ps 'There are many changes m present farm programs which Lancaster Farming Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly P O. Box 1524 Lancaster, Penn*. Offices: 51 North Duke St. Lancaster, Penna Ftvano. - Lancaster Express 4-3047 Jack Owen Editor Eoln rt G Campbell, Advertising Director & Business Manager Esta* lished November 4, 1955 Punished every - Saturday by Lancaster Farming, Lancaster, Pa Entered as 2nd class matte- at Lancaster. Pa. under Act of Mar 8 1979 additional entry at Mount Joy. Pa Sui scnptlon Rates' $2 per year; three \ears $5, Single copy Price fi Cents Members Pa Newspaper Publish er*. Assoei ition: National Editor ial Association. THIS WEEK —ln Washington With Clinton Davidson New Farm Program ii the Secretary can make without additional legis a tion. Discretionary authority granted him under present laws will permit him to raise most price supports and to impose stronger production controls. Parity of Income Promised Mr Kennedy has told farm leaders here his recommen dations will be ''substantial ly those I proposed during the campaign.” They will be aimed, he said, at (1) raising farm income, (2) reducing surpluses, and (3) adjusting production to demand at rea sonable- prices. The key farm promise was to “secure full parity of in come for the American farm er,” He defined parity income as one “which gives average producers a return on their invested capital, labor and management equal to that which similar, or compar able. resources earn for non farm emp oyment. That promise became a hot campaign issue when the Department of Agriculture estimated it would require a 50% increase in prices re ceived by farmers and result in a 25% increase in food costs. Mr. Kennedy said both figures were too high. , Supp'y Management “We intend,” Mr. Kennedy said, “to assure this parity of income primari’y through suppy management—the ad justment of supply to de mand at parity income pric es.” This, he. said, would be, ac- in air. To his surprise the bottle did not- shatter, but the pieces stuck to the collodion and shatter-proof car win dows were born. ■' /hat about tMs ability to good things we don’t set out to look for—this serendipity, as it is called? Is it luck? Is it accident? Is it coinci dence? Yes, but it is more than that a great deal more than that.' In looking at each of these inci dents we see a scientist in the 'tradi tion of scientists asking, “What hap pened?” and “Why?” His, mind was not' confined to the thing he to happen. He did not, accept failure and forgot the entire incident. He used the unexpected result to broaden his knowledge and lead to other 'discover-' ies. Farmers can. make use of serendip ity. AH too often we miss a good les son when we make an error in fertili zation or cultural practices with a crop. All too often we are prone to say, “Well, that was the wrong thing -to do. I won’t do that again.” without really learning anything from the mis take. There is reason to believe that ser endipity can be encouraged. By expos ing farm boys to as many experiences in the field of agriculture as possible, we can create a favorable atmosphere for these so-called accidents, by giving the farm boy the best possible basis for recognition of new uses of old practices and products. Serendipity, of course, is no substi tute for a well planned and controlled experiment. It is not an excuse for making mistakes or using practices that are known to be unsound, but it demands attention when we see farm ers miss an answer which might come easy to one who recognizes it. At least that’s how it looks from where we stand. complished through loans and purchases, marketing quotas, land retirement, and diversion of surpluses thru an expanded Food for Peace program and establishment of an “emergency reserve” of foods and fibers. Mr. Kennedy said produc tion and marketing control wou d be put into effect “only when at least two thirds of the producers vote their approval in a referen dum ” He warned, however that in order to attain full parity income farmers must be pre pared to accept “sacrifice and discipline.” He added he believed farmers will be wil ling to accept whatever con trols that are necessary to reverse the long decline in farm income. The issue of controls vs. free markets sharply divides the farm organizations in Washington. It is the issue, too, which we expect to be most Hot’y debated by Con gress in 1961. The word “agindustry” has coined by Dr. Lyman E. Jack son, Dean of the College of Agriculture at the Penn sylvania State University. Dr. Jackson believes the term “againdustry” defines more fully the whole''indus try of agriculture The Penn State dean introduced the term in a paper he wrote for the U. S. Oftice of Education. Rural Rhythms WORK WELL DONE By Carol Dean H’Jber The corn is gathered in the crib; Tobacco’s hung to dry; The Winter wheat has all been drilled, The hay and straw stacked high. I look around my little farm At shed and barn and field. And satisfied, see the resu'ts Of summer’s heavy yield. Bible Material: Jeremiah 31, Luke 1.67- 68. 78-79, Romans 8, Devotional Beading; Hebrews 9 11-15. New Covenant Le»s<m,;for December 4, 1960 ALL OF US live under laws, we have never read. But there is one law in thb'United States which is at the base «of all others. Laws which conflict with this one are de clared to be “nulT and void” (empty and nothing, to you), un constitutional.” For the Constitu,-- tion of the U-S.A. is the basic lawpf the land. It is' not long, it can" be read by any one with a high school education. If every community had a public cere moijy once a year at which thia Constitution would be read, preferably by every one there in unison, it might be a very good thing. Is there—it is a, bold question— anything corresponding to the Con stitution, having to do with the relations not among men, but be tween men and God? Is there any Agreement or Plan in line, with, which God and men can have deal ings with each other? Can God Ba Dapended On? One answer to that question is NO. It is not the Christian answer, It is not the Bible answer, but you may hear it from many people. Such people believe that God is more like lightning, or the wind, than he is like a person. The ex pression “Act.of God” often refers to something not only unpredict able, like a tornado or an earth quake, but something horrible and devastating, wiping out the works and the welfare of man. Granted, God is not all “sweetness and light.” He is not a Grandmother-in-the sky. Nevertheless, the Bible never speaks of God’s wrath without a good reason for it. God is not a capricious pnma donna with an un governable- temperi God’s wrath is anything but a tantrum. His good ness is not dependent on how he feels —as ours is. God does not have Now Is The Time BY MAX SMITH MAX SMI' TO STUDY YOUR SOIL BANK A COUNT—Did your 1960 crops overdraw your soil e erne account? If this did happen,'no one will send you a notn of an over-drawn account. Each farmer is his own so account banker and must be aware of this danger. If yo did over-draw on your soil elements, then next year’s croi will suffer. A complete soil test is the way to learn wli each field needs for a good 1961 crop. Draw samples no before winter sets in and be prepared for next spring. :th .TO WATER TREES AND SHRUBS—During the winl< trees and shrubs need moisture to keep from winter-kil. ini .The ground at the present time isn’t as wet as we mig> think. Therefore, we’d recommend that home- owners sos the ground around trees and shrubs before the groin l freezes for the winter Water slowy so that the moistut will go down to the roots. This is especially important i the case of plantings that have been made during the pa year. ' TO PROTECT WATER PIPES—A zero morning is poor tune to thaw out or repair water pipes. Some advau( attention in this respect will eliminate the prob'em ofj frozen water lines and save valuable time. Pipes may i buried, "wrapped with insulation, or protected by electn heating cable; however in the case of the cab'es’your elec rician or power company representative should be consul ed before installation; improper connections and' method may be a fire hazard. "moods,” he does not do y does "just because .. The Old Covenant On the contrary, God’s c with his people, the ancient ofLlsrael, followed a patter that God is not free to acl will; free to choose any j free to act on, any line. having chosen the pattern, t the way of dealing with rn« does not give that up (as wt say) without notice. The characteristic path God's dealings with Israel wj ed a Covenant. Another wo that is Agreement. It means sided arrangement. "Bargi not a good word for it, becai word "bargain’ suggests ha; each side trying to get as mu give as little as possible. Co Is a good word, if we ren that no agreement betwee and man can be dictated b; God, not man, sets the terms Many times in the Old Test there is a, story of the malm remaking of the Covenant. (I 24 and Joshua 24 describe tw occasions.) The-people chooa God chooses the people. The choose God and'promise t< hi® hot in order to bribe hi choosing them, but because chosen them. Th* Ntw Covenant Jeremiah makes two thingj, about this "Old- Covenant.” £ that the people Invariably bcs The other is that Gotx will ita new one,, and this will be iS on men’s hearts, not on thjjjj or in some document outside]! If wo give a-name to the 01:1 enant it would be Law; if wi a name to the New, it must bn Jesus called the Conununiqa "the new Covenant in my j because his blood would be j a "pure sacrifice of love ” ■ To put this in. another way ' dealings with men, with the? i knew him best, once upon i t was In the pattern of Law. 'y | acts In the pattern of Lover j does not mean that God nev J ed out of motive of divu 3 before Christ came. We mii| fancy that Christ somehon * aged to induce God to loi;j world of men. We cannot (and the Bible does not su|: that God began to a God < i j just recently. Some of the ! | saints and seers m Old Tesi I times saw that the law its*. j an expression of God’s love ■ (Bawd on outlines copj ri?li tils Division, ol Christian Jsdi National Council d’C tlio Chui Christ in the C. $. A. Relea Community Press Service.) TO SPRAY FOR CHICKWEED TH FALL—Many alfalfa producers discov chickweed 'damage next spring when i too late; we’d suggest that the field sprayed during "November or Decemt when the young plants are easy to ki The DiNitros for warm weather and grass mixtures and, the Chloro’ IPC f straight alfafa stands in colder weath are recommended. The important thing to spray this fall and not next spring. ♦ 4 ♦
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers