22— Lancaster Farming. Saturday. March 15.1969
Apollo 9 Photographs Farms
For Signs Of Drought, Disease
When the astronauts of Apoh
lo 9 returned to earth this week,
they may have brought back in
formation that could help to
solve the problems of hunger.
The answer lies in the perfor
mance of a battery of four 70-
millimeter cameras.
Some time after the fifth day
of the Apollo 9 night, the astro
nauts turned their attention to
the multispectral photography
experiment which was one of
the most important tasks re
maining until deorbit and
splash-down. One of the areas
photographed was to be Arizona
farm lands Along with U.S. De
partment of Agriculture scien
tists, the astronauts wanted to
know if orbital photography
can detect signs of drought and
plant disease if a certain
field lacks vigor, to find out
why. disease, bugs, drought?
Success could mean that,
when experiments such as this
oecome operational, they could
provide information that would
afford farmers enough time to
save their crops
Earth pictures for the Apollo
9 flight were programmed in
part by USDA's Agricultural
Research Service and Forest
Service. While photographs of
the earth have been taken be
PUBLIC SALE
John Maust Farm, 5 miles NW of Somerset off Hus
band-Edie Rd.
TUESDAY, MAR. 25, 1969
10:00 A. M.
Tractors and Farm Equipment
Massey Ferguson model 300 self-propelled combine,
like new; John Deere 3020 Diesel, wide front end, 1000 hours,
power steering; Farmall 504, 1500 hours, row crop type;
Allis Chalmers WD 45, wide front end; John Deere 4-bottom
pickup plow for 3020; New Holland forage harvester 717, like
new; New Holland forage wagon, self-unloading, with high
sides; New Holland #36 Field Chopper, 6 ft.; International
4-row #56 corn planter, new type, like new; New Idea corn
picker, good shape; New Holland model 271 baler; John
Deere #lO side-mounted mower; John Deere No. 22 hay
conditioner; New Holland No. 56 rake; New Holland eleva
tor; New Holland 130 bushel PTO manure spreader; 12 ft.
Cultipacker like new; Ontario 17 disc grain drill; John
Deere 12 ft. fertilizer and seed spreader on rubber; Walsh
weed sprayer with 27 ft. boom; John Deere 6 & 4 section
harrows; 5 extra good hay wagons, 2 with grain and hay
beds; snow plow for John Deere 3020; John Deere hammer
mill; International dump trailer; International corn bind
er; 2 wagons with boxes for corn picking; Homelite chain
saw with brush bow; 2 feed carts; Hog feeders; 3 sets trac
tor chains; large umbrella; £ tractor cabs for John Deere
and Allis Chalmers; drill press; vise; chains; grabs; picks;
belts; 5 and 10 gallon milk cans; milk scales; cow clippers;
- hoof trimmers; Rheem 80 gallon water heater; gas stove for
milk house; DeLaval milker pump; Butchering tools; cop
per kettle; 2 iron kettles; sausage grinder and stuffer;
scalding trough; Allis Chalmers cultivator; barn fogger;
water tank on trailer.
FEED AND GRAIN
Hay and Straw by the ton; approx. 1000 bu. Oats
1964 Chevrolet % ton T license truck, dual wheels.
HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND ANTIQUES
Round oak kitchen table and chairs; plank bottom
chairs; crocks and jugs; Admiral refrigerator; 3-pc. living
room suite; wash stand; chest of drawers; three 9x12 rugs;
large wall clock; dry sink; some dishes; gas and coal
range; porch swings; library table; oil lamps; flax reel;
gas iron; 2 heating stoves; side board; gold-frame mirror;
sugar trough; 2 apple peelers; round heating stove.
All Machinery in Good Condition
ERNEST & WM. MAUST
Owners
Merle S. Mishler Auctioneer R. D. 3, Somerset, Pa.
Davidsville 479-4897 Phone 445-5038
fore by most of the astronauts,
no one has ever deliberately
shot photos of farmland. It is
hoped that the four cameras,
operating from a height of 120
miles, will have uncovered dif
ferent types of change in the
terrain.
The still photographs are ex
pected to show the type of crop
in large fields, the vigor of
these crops, and whether or not
they are diseased. Similar in
formation will be obtained on
the nation’s timber and grazing
lands.
Four film filter combinations,
developed over the last five
years, comprised the photo
graphic experiment Apollo 9’s
astronauts performed for
USD A: camera 1 exposes only
for green wavelengths; camera
2 exposes only for red wave
lengths; camera 3 exposes only
for near infrared: and the
fourth camera includes film
sensitive to all three color
bands.
Scientists believe that the
Apollo 9 cameras will be able
to determine healthy crops from
diseased ones by the way they
reflect sunlight and early signs
of drought by the way water
starved crops appear in sequen
tial photos. They predict that
TERMS CASH
Lunch will be served
ultimately, cameras and other
more elaborate instruments in
space will be of great help in
assuring the nation’s food sup
ply-
The more elaborate equip
ment may be able to tell if soil
in a location is suitable for
growing a particular crop, and
spot overgrazing of ranges be
fore it happens.
At the same time the astro
nauts were photographing the
primary test area for space,
conventional aircraft photo
grapher the same areas from al
titudes of 1,000-1,500 feet and
18.000-20,000 feet.
The purpose of the coordinat
ed photo mission was to esta
blish a correlation between
what the astronauts picture and
what the scientists photograph
near the ground.
The Committee on Science
and Astronautics, in a recent re
port, said the successful use of
remote sensing from space pre
sents the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration an
opportunity “to achieve tangi
ble economic returns from the
substantial investment already
made by the American taxpay
er in the United States space
program.”
Forage Crops
Alfalfa continues to rate as
Queen of the forage crops; how
ever, in the recent decade the
alfalfa weevil has been a major
problem and has decreased the
value and the popularity of this
legume on some farms. We are
told of some progress in plant
breeding work to produce a
strain of alfalfa that is resistant
to weevils. The work is being
done at several research sta
tions but seed will not be avail
able for at least one or two
more years. Growers are urged
to keep alert for the progress
of this work and to learn if
the varieties are adapted to
southeastern Pennsylvania. In
the meantime the established
spray schedules of recent years
should continue to give us the
best known protection.
-4; RESEARCH .. DEVELOPMENT . . SERVICE . 7^]
j. >J wff mi
PUBLIC SALE
OF FARM EQUIPMENT,
PERSONAL PROPERTY
AND ANTIQUES
SATURDAY, MAROI 29,1969
Located 4 miles Northwest of Manheim, near East Fair
view Church of the Brethren, Rapho Twp,, Lancaster Co.,
Pa.
Allis Chalmers G Tractor with plow & cultivator, Fergu
son Tractor with loader, Ferguson 7 ft. grass mower, MC 28
disc harrow, roller harrow, 3 pt. corn planter, 2-wheel trail
er, potato plow, air compressor, platform scales, David
Bradley garden tractor with cultivator & cycle bar, roll
snowfence & posts, lawn mower, Wright power-saw, 8 ton
hydraulic jack, Vz in. elec, drill, anvil, socket set, 32 ft. ext.
ladder, 20 ft. tree ladder, step ladder, forks, shovels, tomato
baskets, stripping room stove.
Frigidaire 4-burner elec, stove, Frigidaire refrigerator
with freezer, Monarch coal range, 12 cu. ft. freezer (chest
type), kitchen cabinet, Black Stone washing machine, ext.
table with 10 boards, small tables, china closet, buffet, 6
chairs, piano & bench, lounge chair, book case with glass
doors, 3 pc. living room suite, roll-top desk, piano stool with
claw feet, Singer sewing machine, side board, clothe trees,
childs bed, 2 bedroom suites, other bedroom furniture, 2
blanket chests, Empire chest of drawers, Empire secretary,
marble top wash stand, jelly cupboard, wood chest, flour
chest, 3 sets of 6 plank bottom chairs, 1 high back rocker,
cherry drop leaf table,-porch furniture, 12 guage shot gun,
32 single shot rifle, meat sheer, meat grinder, metal tubs,
wood tubs, old fashioned cradle, dough tray, cheese molds
(heart shape), butter molds, candle mold, set of sleigh bells,
cow bell, dinner bell, picture frames, 3 - 9x12 rugs, throw
rugs, chime clock, Victor adding machine, jugs, crocks,
dishes, pots, pans* jars, books, and many other items.
Sale to begin at 11 O’CLOCK SHARP. All Farm Items
will be sold first.
Geib & Hossler, Auctioneers
“ON TOP” BE
Our Customers Rate It Best And We At Bi
OUR POULTRY EQUIPMENT CLIMBED TO THE
TOP DUE TO:
ENGINEERING. . . .
Engineered to Perfection Before It’s Branded by Dutchman
INSTALLATION
Installed to Customer’s Complete Satisfaction
SERVICING
Service Beyond Compare
S\a
W% ** li l
To Be Held
Sale by
WIULIS R. PETERS, ESTATE
Food Stand Mastersonville Fire Co,
Eastern Branch
DAVE PATTERSON
733-2704
A DfVfflO* Of
Diller i
FLO'