—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. February 28.1970
4
The statement this week thal-j^^P^lll
- is coning Pennsylvania farmeisVtnjl
iions of dollars a year probably cooflrttis
what many of us suspected all along. That
Lancaster County is prominent in these
losses isn't surprising, considering the coun
ty’s growing urban development and its
proximity to metropolitan centers of the
east.
Many consider Lancaster's rich and
beautiful farmlands one of its major at
tractions. As long as agriculture remains
profitable, it’s likely to continue here on a
big scale, even in the face of urban develop
ment.
But if the levels of pollution continue to
Lancaster Countians. including most
farmers, are used to thinking of Lancaster
County soils as being among the richest in
the nation.
And probably that's true, although the
hard work and know-how of Lancaster
County farmers may be even more impor
tant in making Lancaster County one of the
leading agricultural counties in the country.
So it comes as quite a shock to some
of us when a knowledgable Pennsylvania
State University extension agronomist tells
us most county farms are deficient in one
or more soil minerals.
Wayne Hinish, citing actual data ob
tained from 3,500 soil samples from Lan
caster County analyzed by the state ex
tension service, said 62 per cent were low in
lime, 45 per cent were low enough in phos
phorus to cause yields to suffer, 35 per cent
were low in potassium, and many were low
in magnesium.
Speaking at the annual Crops and Soils
Day this week at the Farm and Home Cen
ter, Hinish went on to explain how plants
must have sufficient quantities of these
minerals to grow properly, and how lack of
them detract, often seriously, from the
quantity and quality of crops.
Poor Soil Costs
The agronomist’s message was clear:
while it may cost the farmer substantial
sums to put these nutrients into the soil in
the form of commercial fertilizers or man
ure, it may cost him far more not to add the
minerals. The cost of not adding the min
erals may be several times greater in the
form of lower yields.
Other speakers-joined Himsh in pointing
out the importance to farmers of maintain
ing high crop yields.
Joseph McGahen, a Penn State agrono
mist, said recent surveys of Pennsylvania
corn growers show that farmers have to
grow at least 70 to 80 bushels per acre JUST
TO BREAK EVEN. If they only get 70 to 80
bushels, they’ve just made expenses.
It’s the extra bushels beyond 80, such
as 100, 120 or 140 per acre that make it
worthwhile to grow corn. It’s these extra
Let television fit in as an equal part of
your child’s day, but don’t let television hog
the biggest share of the child’s time, advises
James E. Van Horn, extension family life
specialist of Pennsylvania State University.
LANCASTER FARMING
’ me aster County’s Own Farm Weekly
I ’ Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543
O"- ■ 22 E Mam St, Lititz, Pa 17543
P 1 ’ ~ Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
' Campbell, Advertising Director
’son, Managing Editor
fion mice $2 per year in Lancaster
’ty, $3 elsewhere
November 4,1955
-h"d everv Saturday by Lancaster
nng, Lititz, Pa
1 Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa,
e Newspaper Farm Editors Assn
oner Publishers A ssooiation, and
ewspaper Association
For
Plan
Test Soil Now
Parent And Child
Pollution
rise, as they normally do with increasing
development, crop losses from pollution can
be expected to become greater each year.
Yields could suffer from pollution damage.
Increasing levels of pollution, along
w ith growing urban pressure, could become
the combination that kills off Lancaster's
beautiful farms much faster than even the
most pessimistic can now foresee,
It's not that anyone needs to panic. The
problem isn’t that serious yet.
But it’s certainly something to think
about and begin planning for. Sometimes
it’s the alarmist, strongly criticized for his
over-reaction, who’s really the person re
sponsible for heading off disaster.
bushels that pay for the farmer's labor and
give him some profit.
It takes good management to push up
the number of these extra bushels, but it
also takes good soil. The good farmer must
make sure his soil is capable of producing
the top yields.
But Hinish explained that no wise farm
er will go out tomorrow and begin adding
fertilizer to his land without first taking a
soil test and determining exactly what’s
needed.
With the hit and miss approach without
the test, the farmer may or may not solve
his soil problems But even if he does, he
may have added a lot of extra minerals that
weren’t needed and so represent a misuse of
money.
Get Soil Test
Hinish explains that every Lancaster
County farmer who expects the highest
possible profits from his land should have
his soil tested periodically.
The farmer should then use the test re
sults as a guide for applying nutrients td
offset soil deficiencies.
Sound simple. Sure. But tbe,majority of
Lancaster County farmers aren’t doing it.
Hinish said, “There are a lot of poor
farm managers not sending samples in. The
good managers are the ones who usually
send samples.”
At a time when, as McGahen put it, “the
heat is on” for farmers to improve effi
ciency, a soil test would appear to be an
easy first step.
Farmers interested in a soil test must
get a kit from the agricultural extension
office at the Farm and Home Center for
$1.50. Soil samples, dried and sieved for
easy handling, are sent to Penn State.
Farmers seeking more detailed infor
mation can call the extension office at 394-
6851.
Mrs. Dorothy Kreider of the extension
office assures us the whole process can be
accomplished and the farmer can have his
results back from Penn State in about two
weeks, plenty of time to apply the findings
to 1970 crops.
Van Horn says it’s important that par
ents take time to read to their chad, just
plain visit with him, or play ball or some
other game with him.
For proper child development, nothing
can replace the special attention another
person, particularly a parent, can give to
a child, according to the family specialist.
Van Horn’s advice is worth considering.
In a world in which progress, innova
tion, automation and learning are orders o»
the day, it’s easy to get caught up in a rat
race and overlook some ot the really im
portant tmngs like the well-being of tne
next generation.
Van Horn is certainly right when he
says, “Television cannot take a mother’s or
father’s place.’ ’
Television has proven its worth. For
most of us, it’s now an indispensible part of
life.
But television can't and never was in
tended to replace parents.
To Transfer Silage
Livestock and dairy producers
who have silage stored in temp
orary silos, and plan to transfer
it to an upright silo for automa
tic feeding, should get this job
done before warm weather arriv
es. Not only will there be less
danger of spoilage, but less loss
of feed nutrients when moved at
a.r temperatures under 50 de-
giees The more rapid the silage
is transferred into the upught
s'lo, the better the chances foi
maintaining good quality.
To Plan Expansion Carefully
Many farmers have expansion
in their plans in order to m
ciease farm income This may
or may not turn out favorably
because in larger operations mis
takes cost more money. With
KEEPING
CHANNELS OPEN
Lesson for March 1,1970
Background Scripture: Joshua 24; Matthew 11 1 20,
John 17
Devotional Hooding* Ualob 42.5 9,
In his book, DABE TO LIVE
NOW (Zondervan: Grand Rapids,
Michigan, 1965), Bruce Larson
tells of an experience that hap
pened to him when he began his
infantry basic training at Fort
Benning, Georgia. Going to the
—mess hall for his
■st breakfast
iere, he saw a
.r g e bowl of
lat looked like
•earn of wheat,
looping out a
:ge portion, he
it it in his bowl
id added sugar
and cream. A tall
Rev. Althouse boy from the
mountains was sitting across from
him. Bug-eyed, he exclaimed: “Is
that the way you eat grits?”
As a Chicago boy, Larson had
heard of grits but he had never
seen them until this moment.
Bather than appear ignorant, he
smiled and answered nonchalant
ly: “Oh yes, this is how we eat
grits in Chicago.” The grits tasted
horrible to Larson and he noticed
that the mountain boy ate Kis
with butter, salt, and pepper.
To protect the first lie
Several dayalater, Larson hap
pened to be sitting with the same
mountain boy across the table.
Again they were served grits and
to prop up his initial lie, Larson
again put cream and sugar on his
bowl. “Somehow,” he says, “I
managed to eat the mess . The
whole tragedy of the human pre
dicament is demonstrated in this
incident. We do not want to admit
our mistakes. We would rather
go to hell maintaining our inno
cence than to say T was wrong.’ ”
- This same pretense is often a
factor in our relation to God.
Though we delight in thinking of
ourselves as “his people,” still we
often respond to him with pre
tenses because we cannot bring
to admit that we have
-NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaiter County Agent
good management, larger opera
tions should return more money
for labor than small ones, but
there are many questionable fac
tors. Linear programming of the
farm operation is one way to
find the answers. This service is
available.
To Practice
Pesticide Safety
The subject of pesticides, in
cluding all types of agricultural
sprays and chemicals, is being
discussed by many groups thus
spnng and needs the attention
of everyone connected with agri
culture Some materials are be
ing withdrawn from use and oth
ers will have more restricted use.
All farmers are urged to be ex
tie mely careful with their appli
cations and follow labels and m
sliuctions.
knowingly done what is wrong.
The result is a barrier that we
erect between ourselves and God,
closing oS the flow of his grace to
us. It is like taking the phone off
the hook: God is still trying to
get through to us, but we have
clogged the line of communica
tion and help. -
An expensive bitterness
An illustration of how this may
work is found in the experience
of a woman who was/ suffering
from an illness which had failed
to respond to treatment. She went
from doctor to doctor, ever seek
ing to'"find a. new diagnosis that
would give her hope. All the ver
dicts, however, were the same.
In desperation she went to her
pastor and poured out her fears
and anxieties to him. He prayed
for her and invited her to come
again to talk with him. On a sub
sequent visit, she mentioned an
incident in her life that had
caused her to become extremely
bitter toward someone who had
been her close friend. She had
nursed a grudge toward that per
son for many years and it upset
her to even speak of it with her
pastor.
The minister listened quietly
and when she had finished her
story, he suggested that it was
time she gave up this grudge and
forgave her former friend. The
woman thought over this counsel
and at last determined to do just
that. She forgave her friend and
dismissed the bitterness from her
mind.
The power of forgiveness
Before she left his study, the
pastor prayed for her healing. As
he prayed for her, she experi
enced a sensation of warmth
flooding over her, and with it a
wonderful sense -of well-being.
Several days later, when she went
to her doctor, he was amazed to
find that the previously “unre
sponsive” condition had disap
peared. The woman was quick to
realize that it had been her
grudge against her fnend that
had prevented her healing. Now,
free of her grudge, she was also
free of her affliction Forgiveness
had opened the channel for heal
ing of body and spirit.
As the people of God, we need
to realize that repentence and
forgiveness axe absolutely essen
tial if we are to keep open the
channels of God’s grace.
(Based on outline* copyrighted by the Division
of Chmlien Education, National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the U S A. Released by
Community frees Service)