4— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 1,1967
From Where We Stand...
Form Bill To End Form Bills
There is seme legislative hope at
the moment that a new farm bill recent
ly introduced into Congress may free
farmers forever from federal shackles.
The new legislation put before Con
gress by Representative Thomas B. Cur
tis (R.) of Missouri is, in fact, a bill to
end farm bills. It proposes to wipe out
federal subsidies and acreage control
programs.
The fact that the Curtis bill has a
fair chance of passage, according to those
on the Washington scene, is further evi
dence of the declining political impor
tance of the American farmer.
Once represented by the mighty
Farm Bloc —■ the most powerful lobby
ing unit in Washington farm groups
were able to get most of what they
wanted from Congress. Those days are
gone, and that fact may be the best thing
that ever happened to American agricul
ture.
It took the population explosion
and declining farm numbers to lick the
surpluses that thirty years of federal
farm programs were only able to perpe
tuate. With the period of critical food
shortages that is predicted for the U. S.
land the rest of the world, farmers will
have to operate unhampered and for
profit, not just for fun if famine is to
j^aten
The primary federal help farmers
will need in the immediate future will
be restrictions on cheap imports which
come into this country-under foreign
subsidization. As time goes on, the in
creasing world population will keep
those “paper surpluses ’ off the mar
ket, and the efficient American farmer
will, finally, be able to function as
only he can.
The best thing Congress could do
for the farmer and for the -
WfOtrld be to liberate him from federal
“help”. Like the fella once said to a
Wouldbe helper who unintentionally
'lqspt getting him into problem after
problem “Look, do me a favor don’t
do me any more favors'”
★ ★ ★ ★
Coming Up The Road
At the turn of the century people
used to be amazed when they’d see, com
ing up the road, a snorting, popping
horseless carriage. They’d gawk and
sometimes they’d snicker or yell “Get
a horse’”
Nowadays with more than 80,000,-
000 of the contraptions crowding us hu
mans off the streets and great open
spaces of the United States, the gas bug
gy is no longer a curiosity But some of
its by-products, such as air pollution, are
decidedly unpleasant, so humans are
starting to take another look at the
Frankenstein monster they’ve created. _
Now, coming up the road, there is
a new kind of horseless carriage the
electric car. However, it isn’t exactly
new. A half-century ago rich people rode
around in glass-enclosed living rooms
that were propelled by storage batteries,
and while these electrics are now rare
there are a lot of trucks in our big cities
that never have to stop at a gas station,
unless they need free air.
But something new is being added
to electrics and that is a lot of concen
trated research It’s an old saw that
“necessity is the mother of invention,”
and there’s increasing pressure for a
practical electric automobile. And when
big outfits such as the automobile manu
facturers push on a project you’re likely
to see results. The big push is on
General Motors has developed an
electric called the “Electrovair” which
does a pretty good job. The drawback is,
the battenes for it cost $15,000, which
some of us might find too expensive,
even with a small down payment and
easy terms over a three-year period. An
other manufacturer is tackling the prob
lem differently. It has developed a new
kind of battery that’s a lot cheaper, and
now is working on improving the battery
and hooking it up to the best possible
motor. . .
We’re going to have to leave it in
the hands of the research people, but we
don’t think we’re going too far out on a
limb when we predict that not many
years from now you’re likely to be driv
ing an electric But don’t throw away
your gasoline credit cards. You’re likely
to need them to plug into “pumps” at
service stations that will dispense kilo
watts instead of the hi-octane stuff.
One additional caution; in the quiet
of an electric the voice of the back-seat
driver will come through loud and clear.
★ ★ ★ ★
After TOO Years
Nobody calls it “Seward’s Folly/’
anymore. As a matter of fact, the travel
reservations already booked indicate that
as many as 175,000' people will head
northward this year to inspect the real
estate bargain Secretary of State Seward
negotiated with Imperial Russia 100
years ago this month. March 30 is the
anniversary.
And they’re saying that Centennial
season tourists will spend $8 million in
Fairbanks alone this year. That’s $BOO,-
000 more than the United States paid for
Alaska.
Of course, 1967 is the centennial of
Canada’s confederation, and .that coun
try’s giant world’s fair in Montreal, Expo
67, has been getting a lot of publicity.
But Fairbanks is also readying an ex
position, and more than $5 million has
been spent on it already. It opens May
27 and runs until September 30. Other
communities ' are spending a similar
amount, with no. less, than 41 communi
ties-readying special events for the tour
ists who come to 'whoop it up. For ang
lers, there will be $65,000 in salmon
derby prizes. For hunters ther;e will be
goose, duck, deer, goat and bear. Tokyo
is sending a baseball team. The Don Cos
sack Chorus is coming. Of course there’s
activity for skiers, and 320 million acres
of picturesque scenery to inspect.
“Come early and stay late,” is the
way the Alaskans put it. “We’ve got
plenty of daylight, so don’t worry about
the clock.”
And it appears they mean it, insist
ing that there will be no housing short
age “We have 10,000 hotel and motel
rooms, with 17,000 beds, available in the
state. That is about twice what we had
before statehood ”
Perhaps unknown to many is the
fact that Alaska is the mid-point stop
over for polar-route jet travel between
Europe and Asia As a result, Alaska is
coming to be known as a tourist spot by
many Europeans
All this activity makes it appropri
ate to resurrect a quote from one distin
guished lawmaker who greeted Presi
dent Andrew Johnson’s request for an
appropriation to pay for Alaska with
this description of it; "A tract of country
that we did not need, that nobody
wanted, and, so far as is known, is utterly
worthless.”
If only he could be around to see it
100 years later
★
★ ★ ★
That’s Life
A puzzled mother asked the clerk:
“Isn't this toy complicated for a small
child’”
The clerk replied: “Madam, this
educational toy will help your child ad
just himself to our modern world. Any
way he puts it together will be wrong.”
★ ★ ★ ★
“I have discontinued long talks on
account of my throat,” the speaker re
marked. “Several members have threat
ened to cut it.”
Till Third Ink
Lesion for April 2, 1967
lackfr«uf>4 ScnpHirr Acl* 1.
p«v»h«Ml Eph«siani44-I#. (
Someone has said that the first
chapter of Acts might just as
rightly be called the 25th chapter
of Luke, Of course there are only
24 chapters in Luke, but when
we read the first chapter of Acts
it is apparent that this is but a
co ntinu ation
of the story of
the third gospel.
It is part two
of the same
theme,'
The writer of
of Acts, presuma
bly Luke, actual
ly begins his
book with this
Rev. Althouse introduction:
"In the first b00k... I have dealt
with all that Jesus began to do
and teach, until the day when he
was taken up ...” (Acts 1:1,2
RSV) In the first book, Luke,
we follow the life and ministry of
Jesus, the man sent by God as
his incarnate Son and the ful
fillment of the Jewish expectations
for a Messiah. We see God at
work in his world as a Man
among men.
Beyond Resurrection
Acts, however, follows the con
tinuing ministry of Christ through
the Holy Spirit. God is experi
enced now, not as Jesus In the
flesh,- but in power that, is ap
propriated into the live? of re
ceptive men. Whereas Luke’s
gospel brings us up'to the resur
rection, Acts is the story of how
the resurrection victory continued
to' affect the lives of people and
bring into being the Church pf
Jesus Christ.
Without this "second book,”
then, we might very well conclude
that the resurrection was a vic
tory for Jesus alone. God vin
dicated him by freeing him from
the power of death. But what
does that have to do with the
disciples apart from indicating
that they had thrown their lo
with the right man !
Now Is The Time ...
By Max Smith, Lancaster County Agent
To Control Weeds In Alfalfa
Stiaxght seedmgs cf alfalfa being planted
this spring without any raise crop should
piove successful providing we get average
rainfall, and pioviding the weeds are controll
ed The use of Eptam just a few days before
seeding, or spraying with 2,4-D-B when the
weeds are 1 to 2 inches high is a must to keep
down weed giowth and competition The Ep
tam should be woiked into the giound im
mediately (not more than 10 to 15 minutes)
after application and should not be used as
a grass is to be seeded with the alfalfa.
To Plant Silage Corn Thicker
Many dairy and livestock pioducers are
placing greater importance on adequate sup
plies of corn silage to reduce
pioduction costs Higher yields
cf silage per acre are possible
on most faims with thicker
stands of corn and sufficient
moistuie conditions Many corn
authorities aie recommending
at least 5,000 more plants per
acre for silage than for gram
Local glowers are urged to
adopt this practice for greater
yields per acre
To Remove Trash From
Pastures
The amount'of trash thrown
fiom the hishway into private
ly owned fields is disgraceful,
a number ol faimers have ex
pel ienced senous losses from
damage to machinery, and
from the poisoning of their
livestock. Since the grazing sea
son is approaching, pasture
land bordering the highway
Tlit answer that comet to ut
!n Act* it quite clear. The power
by which Jetu* wa* raised from
the tomb and tcored hi* great
victory wa* to be the very same
power that would be given them
for their God-given mission. Ilia
victory would also be their
victory.
In God's Own Tim*
How excited the disciple* must
have been! But then Jesus gave
them instruction* that must have
seemed quite strange, instead of
launching info an immediate
campaign to enlist more disciples
for their cause, Instead of making
lome pronouncements or staging
a mass demonstration, they were
told to go back to Jerusalem and
wait. In God’s own good time he
would send them power andw hen
that day came, not before, they
would go forth in power to herald
the gospel.
That order must have seemed
disappointing. They were excited
and ready to begin. But Jesus
did not want them to go ahead.
He said "wait.” Most of us find
it hard to wait. We are anxious to
be off to the fray, even it we are
not sure of the direction of the
battlefield.
Swiftly To Nowhere
We must alwa\ s be on guard
against rushing off to nowhere.
Fritz Chrysler, former Michigan
football coach, is reputed to have
ended a half-time oration with
the dramatic challenge ' Boys,
go out that door to victory!” His
obedient team nearly droAned m
the adjoining swimming pooh
The great mentor had tar own
open the wrong door! -
Lest we also rush off swiftly to
nowhere, sometimes we arc called
upon to wait patiently until m
God’s good timeave are given
both the signal and the power
to go ahead. Waiting does not
necessarily--mean we are doing
nothing. When it is Chnst upon
whom we wait,-it'may be th«
highest form of doing.
The disciples did .as Jesus in
structed them, and Acts is the-re
cord of wHat happened, because
they 'were obedient. This second
volume is necessary ifihe first
one is to have any meaning for
us. But there must also be a
third- book* a' is'
written even today afwe'cohtinue
in obedience and power- to be
witnesses to the risen Lord. You
and I art responsible for the
chapters being written. What
episode will your life write today?
(Wtad «n awHtrtt* c«pyr»fM*<l by lb* Dlvv»!at>
#( Chruhan Edu caftan, Nahanal Caunctl af tha
Church#* #f Chrut m th# U* St A. Ralaaiad by
Cammumfy fran Same# ) -
should be checked for trash and
removed before, the
are turned out. Grasslands near
the highway where the forage
is to be chopped for silage or
lor green feeding, should be
carefully inspected; broken
glass or metal in the chopped
forage will cause heavy losses.
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County's Own Faicn
Weekly
PO Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 1754*
Office 22 E Mam bt,
Litilv, Pa 17743
Phone: Lancaster 391-i>o47 or
latitz 626-2191 _
Don Timmons, Editor
Robeit G Campbell, Advertising
Dnectoi
Subscription price: $2 per tear >n
Lancaster County; ?3 elsewhere
Established November 4, 1955.
Published .every Saturday by
Lancaster Farming, Lititz. Pa-
Second Class Postage paid at
Lititz. Pa 17541.
SMITH