—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. July 15. 1961
4
FROM WHERE WE STAND -
Not long ago a neighbor mowed his
hay one evening when the weather
was threatening. When we asked if he
weren’t afraid it would get wet, he
answered, “You can’t get it up till you
get it down.”
This was so reminiscent of some of
the observations Dad used to make on
the weather that we had to reflect on
some of his sayings. Dad used to say,
“Many a day's work has been lost by
people waiting for it to rain.” Our
neighbor knew this. He didn’t deliber
ately mow his hay so that it would get
a soaking, but he knew he would never
cut it if he waited until he were absol
utely certain it would not get wet.
When we were boys on the farm,
we thought it would be a wonderful
thing if wt could turn the weather on
or off at will, and we expressed-these
sentiments to Dad. When he said, “It is
a blessing that we can’t control the
weather.” we could not understand
why he thought so.
At a_ meeting of farmers a few
weeks ago the discussion got around to
The weather, as it usually does- at a
gathering of rural people. One farmer
said it lookd like rain but he thought
be didn’t need any more for awhile.
was in the midst of hay making).
Another farmer in the group opined, “I
figured we need it whenever we get
it.”
and large, we believe most rural
people have this philosophy. They
know their livelihood—in fact, their
very lives—depend on the weather, and
are willing to accept whatever comes.
We were rejoicing, with the fields
and gardens, in the midst of a day-long
sod soaker earlier in the summer. The
soil had begun to dry out and plants
had that melancholy look they get
when they need a good long drink.
We were enjoying the revival of
the plants and thinking what a won
derful rain this was and how many
farmers would be able to pay off a few
more of their debts because of this
rain, when we met one of our friends
who had planned a day at the ball
game. “Ain’t this a lousy day?” was his
summary of the weather.
Now he is not usually a grumpy
al church magazine for four
years and for more than half
a century I have taught Sun
day School classes continu
ously and still teach, high
school boys. I have about 500
young people in a religious
-summer camp on my farm
teach July and August.
I shall greatly miss the
weekly column, though I
hope that two or three times
, , , a year I may be permitted
Editors Note: For the past several years we have to vls i t with you and ' your
printed THIS WEEK m Washington in this column. We readers through a column
will let Mr. Davidson tell you in his own words why the when I have something I
column is being discontinued The foJowing letter received regard as important to dis
llus week speaks for itself. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR A cuss.
Dovid<«ii
NEW FEATURE IN COMING WEEKS,
Dear Editor:
It is with considerable re
gret that I have found it
necessary to discontinue is
suance cf the THIS WEEK
—ln Washington column af
ter more than five years of
publication.
I stall maintain the same
interests in the growth, un
derstanding and prosperity
Lancaster Farming
f-ancastep County’s Own Farm
Weekly
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Let's Just Let It Rain
THIS WEEK
’—ln Washington
With Clinton Davidson
Farewell
of rural America which ori
ginally prompted me to offer
the column to like-minded
editors
To those who have made
the column available to
their readers over the past
few years I am grateful.
Now, because I am 73
years old and want to de
vote more time to my re
ligious work, I deem it ad
visable to discontinue the
column In saying good-bye
I should like to give you
some background informat
ion which I have hesitated
to do heretofore, because I
wanted acceptance or re
3ection of the column solely
on its merits
I began the column in
1956 as what I conceived to
be a contribution to the un
derstanding of agricultural
issues and problems
At no time have I attempt
ed to obtain personal gam
from this column, nor have
I used it for personal publi
city
During my 73 years, I
served eight as an ordained
minister of the gospel, pub
lished a 74-year-old nation-
sort, and he does not normally com
plain any more about the .weather than
most of us, but the weather of the day
just didn’t fit in with his plans. That is
what Dad meant. The ram that made
one farmer’s corn crop and spoiled an
other’s hay crop caused him to miss
out on an expected day of entertain
ment at the ball park.
One farmer told us recently he had
lost all confidence in the weather fore
cast carried by this newspaper and had
decided henceforth to put all his con
fidence in a certain television person
ality. On the following day he made
a special effort to get the barn chores
done in time to catch the television
weather forect.
Clear skies and high temperatures
were predicted for several days. The
farmer put. his boys to mowing and
crimping hay because he expected to
get it made before bad weather caught
him.
Can you guess? It began raining be
fore noon and didn’t clear off for two
days.
' And this brings us back to where
we started and to another saying of'
Dad’s. He would pique the curiosity
of his young sons by saying when they
commiserated about the rean “I’ll
tell you what let’s do if it is
going to rain! Let’s just let it rain.”
And isn’t that the best thing to do
after all?
At least that’s how
where we stand.
Secretary of Agriculture Freeman
said recently, “We must seek to meet
human needs, rather than dispose of
surplus stocks, in our special programs
for sending food to countries in need.
“The great opportunity in Food for
Peace lies in the role it can play in
giving free societies the victory. Amer
can agricultural abundance can be of
invaluable influence if effectively used.
For to those who are hungry—food is
more meaningful than a man in space,’'
Feeding the hungry peoples of the
world is a noble project, but to be ef
fective it must be done with “nb
strings attached”.
At least that’s how
where we stand.
In saying au revoir I want
to “give credit where credit
is due” and mention that
'Fred Bailey of Washington,
whom I believe knows more
about agriculture than any
other writer in America, has
been most helpful in prepar
ing the agricultural columns
of THIS WEEK—In Wash
ington.
Finally, I want to say to
you, the editors of rural
papers serving agriculture,
that I believe you are doing
one of the best jobs in A
merma in saving this count
ry from Communism, Social
ism and Atheism.
Cordially yours,
Clinton Davidson
RID LAWN OF MOSS
John C. Harper 11, Penn
State extension agronomist, TO RECOGNIZE COMPLETE TESTS—This valuable
warns that moss on lawns is ~ , , „ , , , non
u-ually due to low fertility, vice 15 ava ’ lable to all land owners at a very v
poor drainage improper wa- charge Land on which any type of late summer
tering, too much shade, or a seeding is to be made should be tested for both >
combination of these factors, requirement and other soil elements Alfalfa and "
Remove moss by hand or by feedings should be made on’y after the complete so '
spraying with copper sulfate requirement has been satisfied Land that it to be sCC "
App yat the i ate of five ozs. wm t er grain and then to alfalfa or clover nevt -
ZfsrjSfUfizt. b vr; d , and r ltae appued ” d ;r™
feet. After the moss is re- 5011 11x13 fall before G - e Sram is seeded Get U«
moved correct the cause' “ made soon and avoid-last-minute delays.
looks from
it looks from
were not only unpatriotic, n
•were usually dishonest ’tj' c
were no fixed tax rates; (
the collector could take ovoi C
above a ccitain amount, he Cw ';
keep for himself. Only the C |,
collectors got rich; ana h c !
Matthew uas not a chief c ,
lector. Ills office was
just a table on the road, p ei
by the city gate Wherevcn it,,
MatthCW 9 ' 9 ' l3 ' 10 1-4 i anybody carrying anything' 1
Demotion*! Reading: Psjlm iifl.l2-19 leading a mule or camel cjj ,
mg a load, had to stop and',,,
up bcfoic going on his ;
Turnaround
Lesson for July 16, 1961
THE names ol Chust’s Twelve
Apostles are given several
times in the New Testament, but
never twice quite the same list.
There Is one name, among others,
which turns up on all the lists,
namely Matthew.
The first time we
hear of this man
is in an incident
which is told by
Luka just as it is
in the gospel by
Matthew, with one
interesting differ
ence; Luke says
the man’s name
was Levi. This
curious difference of name has
been explained In different ways,
but the simplest explanation is
the traditional oner Levi was the
man’s name in his earlier days,
but Matthew was his name after
lie became a member of Jesus’ in
ner circle, the “Twelve,” If this is
the case tas we shall assume it
is) then the change of name may
suggest a total change in the man
himself. Knowing Jesus made
such a difference--in his life that
Ins old name no longer would do;
he had to have a new name to go
with the new man.
The Man Nobody Loved
Nobody loves a biueaucrat,
though the civilized' world has
never been able to get along
without them. They are the people
who run the machinery and do
the paper-work of government. If
you sometimes think your state
or national capital is in a mess,
take out all the buieaucrats and
then see how much worse the
mess is. Back in Levi-Matthew’s
day, in the Roman Empire, one
class of bureaucrats were uni-'
versally hated: the tax-collectors.
Remember Palestine was a con
quered country, Rome held it
down with an aimy of occupa
tion. The taX-COlledorS were lEastd on outlines copnWiK
s „ - _ T, , „ Ihe Pnision of Cbiisiian 1-dnca
AVQXKing Roni€, snd SO were National Cornu il of the ChiircJit
hated even more than native Christ in the v. s
Commuml) rress Service)
Romans were, jf possible, They
Now Is The Time ♦ <> *
-TO IRRIGATE LAWNS DURING
DAY—Home owners arc urged to reft
from watering the lawn during the e\
ing or night hours. Lawns should be
tered during the daytime so the grass
have time to dry before night-fall W*
ing at nite keeps grass wet longer peri
of time and turf diseases will have a I
ter chance. When watering it is best
make the applications heavy, so
water soaks into the turf for seveial ■
es, rather than to water several tun'
week with only a light application
MAa
TO PREPARE SOIL FOR SUMMER SEEDING Fan
planning to make a mid-August seeding of alfalfa sin
start preparing the ground 4 to 6 weeks prior to the
ing operation As soon as the small grain and shaw n
moved the ground should be either plowed or disced,
ly discing or harrowing wi.l kill the weeds and obU
firm seedbed. Whether the ground is plowed or
several times seems to make little difference in the icsli
either method may be used to prepare the seed-bed
TO PROVIDE FRESH WATER—During the hot slin ’ r
months all livestock and poultry should have free a £Ce
fresh water a. all times. During any month of the
fresh water is essential to top production, however in
weather the animals will consume larger amounts 01 *'
in an effort to keep comfortable More efficient P lo “ liC
during ihese periods will-repay this special effoil
Man Of Decision
It has always been a p
Why did this man leave his nj
ness all at once? He yid
up and walked off, leaving (1
table and the money-bag andt]
soldier light there by the Joj(
He did not stop to balance &
books, he did not wide a ] ci(
of icsignation, he did not y
time to think He just got up j.
went with Jesus, when
said “Follow me." One e\pi ;
tion of this is that maj be
lli an Levi, or Matthew, hated'
job and had hated it foi a
time. But he couldn’t see hos
could leavc it. “A man mu-siiii
he may have said to himself
one day the gieat moment c;
He didn’t have to lue l b
Jesus said, “He that loseth
for my sake shall find
Matthew didn’t have to noa
what that meant. He lost
living, he found a life, when
went out with Jesus That
decision changed the j
changed Ins job, changed
name, changed his life.
Man Of No Distinction
Matthew is never mention®
the “Acts of the Apostles"
was not, like Paul and Petci
man of distinction. But v.her
look it up, you find that mos
the Twelve were also men i
distinction. Nothing is sa«
Acts about more than a fei
them. We can take heart 1
this. Jesus deliberately chos
man like Matthew, and this
mean a great deal to most
There arc hundreds of peopi
no distinction to every man o{
distinction (“Men of distinct
in the ads, aie generally picfi
holding in their hands what
wipe out their distinction i
hurry) Yet this man Wat'
obscure as he was and remai
had tno distractions that
Christian, even the hum!
may have. For one thing, ’
membeied and tieasmcd
passed on the teachings of
BY MAX SMITH