VOL, 10. NO. 4
Agriculture In Libya
By E. I. Robertson, Ph. D.
(Ed. Note - Dr. Robeitson,
Director of Nutrition, John W
Eshelman & Sons, recently re
turned from a 3-month as
signment in Libya with Food
and Agriculture Organization
of the 'United Nations (FAO)
The purpose of the appoint
ment was “to advise the gov
ernment of Libya on foimu
lating animal feeds and on
nutritional problems in the
operation of a feed mixing
plant.” Lancaster Farming
asked Dr. Robertson to share
the following observations
with our readers )
Libya whose northern bor
der is the Mediterranean Sea
extends deep into Africa’s Sa
hara Desert. It is about three
times the size of Texas, ap
proximately the same area as
all of the United States east
of the Mississippi River with
a population of about 1 5 mil
lion people. The nationals are
Arabs and Arabic is the of
ficial language Priests call the
Moslems to prayer five times
daily with a loud speaker
from the steeple of Mosques.
Their Book is the Quran and
a frequently used term is “It
is written. ’ The nation is a
kingdom under King Idris but
operates through ministries
under a council of ministers
headed by a Prime Minister.
Gaining independence m
1951 under a United Nations
charter, it was a poor nation
until development of its oil
resources in 1959. The oil
boom in Libya has been de
scribed as the fastest in oil
industry history as no other
area has reached a million
barrels a day pioduction with-
CAMELS, “SHIPS OF THE DESERT”, FULFILL MANY PURPOSES IN
ARID AND SEMI-ARID AREAS, They serve as producers of milk and meat
andf for transport. The camel, “Gemel” in Arabic, can go for long periods with
out water. Its hump is used to store fat, not water. The ability to conserve water
is due to its blood plasma. About one-third of all the meat produced in Libya in
1961 was camel meat.
in thiee years of its first
shipment.
Profits fiom the oil indus
try, estimated at 250 million
dollars in 1964, are used by
the government for education
and other programs to bene
fit all the people In 1951
theie were only 16 high
school graduates, but 10 years
latei 279 Libyans weie study
ing in colleges abioad and 218
thousand children were en
(Continued on Pace fit
Small Game Season
Reopens Dec. 26
Pennsylvania small game
hunters will have another
chance to test then skills as
the 1964 extended small game
season on grouse, rabbits and
squirrels i e-opens Saturday,
December 26, and closes Jan
uaiy 2 This will be the sev
enth consecutive year that
Pennsylvania has offered a
late small game season Daily
shooting hours will be 7 a.m
to 5 p m. each day except Sun
day, December 27 when no
hunting is' permitted
Daily bag limits, the same
as during the regular season,
are foui rabbits, six squirrels
and two grouse Hunters are
reminded, however, that they
may not exceed season bag
limits of 20 rabbits, 30 squir
rels and 10 grouse and must
include any of these species
killed during the regular small
game season m November
Also included in the extend
ed small game season is the
legal hunting of snowshoe
haies statewide Bag limits on
snowshoe hares have been set
at two per day, six for the
season
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 26, 1964
Federal Crop Ins.
Reaches Record
Of $550 Million
The USDA annoutuvd at
then yeai-end loundup of Fed
eial Ci op Insuiance activities
that nearly $550 million in
faim crop production invest
ments were piotected in 1964
This is the highest figme in
the 26-year histoiy of Federal
Crop Insurance
“With ci edit becoming in
creasingly important to funn
els as the agncultuial revolu
tion increases its pace, the use
of Fedeial Crop Insurance
(FCI) policies as loan colla
teral is becoming an important
management tool for farm
operators,” says Manager John
N Luft
“The combination of credit
value and investment protec
tion offered by FCI is a major
factoi in the growth and public
acceptance of this service to
agriculture,” Luft said
In 1964, Fedeial Crop In
surance protected farmers in
1,187 counties in 36 states Six
of these counties, including
Lancaster, were in Pennsyl
vania
Ed Camber, District Director
of the FCI office in York,
told Lancastei Fanning that
possibly 1,000 crops are cur
rently insured in Lancaster
County About three-quaiteis of
these aie tobacco He said that
on tobacco insurance farmers
in Lancaster County have one
of the lowest piemium lates
of any county in the East
Camber felt that the loss
ratio for corn was fanly high,
and for that icason more farm
ers should consider insurance
for that ci op
Elias Frey, Rawlinsville,
(Continued on Page 5)
Recreation Boom May Be
Answer To Lower Income
On Some Farms In County
Population in the United
States is expected to reach 350
million by the year 2000 That
is almost double today’s pop
ulation, and it is the most
important factor shaping the
dein? 11 Ter increased recrea
tional provisions in the U S
Early in this century two and
one-half cents of every con
sumer dollar went for recre
ation, now the figure is five
and one half cents
Another factor effecting this
demand is higher family in
comes Studies show that fam
ilies in the $7,500-$lO,OOO-in
come range have the highest
participation in outdoor rec
reational activities. With more
people moving into that fi
nancial bracket there will be
more time and money avail
able for outdoor recreation
Leisure time is definitely on
the increase, and with con
stantly improving means of
transportation distance is a
shrinking problem But out
door recreation does not have
the field all to itself, it has
competition fiom such spare
time activities as music, tele
vision, spectator sports, or
such backyard projects as gar
dening and lawm work
In 1962 Uongress passed the
Food and Agriculture Act
Secretary Freeman said this
Act “was especially signifi
Brubaker And Skromme Named To
Co-Chair Farm & Home Campaign
An agricultural leader and
an industrial executive have
been named CcnChairmen of
the Farm and Home Founda
tion Campaign, Willis Z Es
benshade, ipresident of the
Foundation’s Board of Direc
tors, announced today
Levi H Brubaker, of Roh
rerstown, and L H. Skromme,
Lancaster, will head the drive
which has a $375,000 goal for
the construction of a Faifin
and Home Center and the es
tablishment of a Scholarship
Fund to aid students major
ing in agricultural studies.
The project, first undertaken
several years ago, was delayed
until a favorable ruling was
obtained from Internal Rev
enue that gifts to the Founda
tion will be tax-deductible.
A "challenge gift” of ten
acres of ground for building
the Center has been assured
by an anonymous donor on
condition that adequate funds
are raised in a public drive.
Upon completion, the struc
ture would serve as a meeting
place for farm and civic or
ganizations and provide office
facilities for a number of ag
ricultural agencies which
serve both farm and home
owners. The building will also
$2 Per Year
cant, for it enabled us to ap
ply multiple-purpose conserva
tion principles to puvate lands,
thiough state and local agen
cies ” It enabled the USDA
to provide technical assistance,
cost-sharing, and credit to in
dividuals, organizations and
groups in developing recrea
tional facilities to meet the
increasing needs of an expand
ing population, and to divert
unneeded agricultural land to
other uses
One federal agency immedi
ately involved in assisting
with the recreation (business
(Continued on Page 4)
Tax and Social
Sec, Meet Tues.
On Tuesday, December 29,
a meeting for state and reg
ional income tax and social
security training will be held
at the Avalong Diner, east
of York
The purpose of the meet
ing will be to acquaint farm
ers, and those filing for farm
ers, of any changes in tax or
social security regulations
that would effect them
Anyone interested in attend
ing the meeting is asked to
contact Victor Plastow, Asso
ciate County Agent, not later
(Continued on Page 9)
contain a conference room,
and a large multi-purpose
room fitted with banquet ta
bles for about 500 persons.
(In addition to the two gen
eral Chairmen of the drive,
announced by Esbenshade,
Area and District Chairmen
have been named to lead in
organizing the Farm Gifts Di
vision of the appeal. Named
to head major areas are:
Northeast: C. Warren Lein
inger, Denver, R.D.; and Wil
lis Esbenshade, Lancaster;
Northwest: Noah W. Kreider,
Manheim RiD., and Phares S-
Risser, Elizabethtown; South
west; Amos Funk, Millers
ville; Jay Garber, Lancaster
RiD; and Robert Bushong,
Columbia RiD.; Southeast:
John H. Herr, Lancaster BiD
(Continued on Page 10)
Weather Forecast
Temperatures for the five
day period Thursday
through Monday are expect
ed to average near normal,
turning colder over the
weekend. Normal high for
the period is 39 degrees and
the low is 24.
Precipitation will occur as
rain and drizzle, accompanied
by fog, on Friday, Saturday,
and possibly again on Mon
day.