Lancaster Farming. Saturday. April 4.1970
4
Think Safe, Be Safe
Farm safety is something a farmer can
easily overlook, but only at great risk to
himself and his livelihood.
The record shows clearly that farming
is one of the nation’s most hazardous oc
cupations.
Periodically, a Lancaster County farm
er is killed while doing farm work.
Even greater numbers of local farmers
are seriously injured, often at tremendous
costs both in terms of medical bills and
time lost from farming.
Most of these accidents are the result
of carelessness.
Many farm chores become routine. It’s
easy to quit thinking while doing these
chores. But such lapses can be fatal.
It’s also easy to slip into bad habits.
Farmers often get away with what they
know are dangerous practices for dozens
or even hundreds of times. But dangerous
habits that become routine may be the
worst of all.
Such bad habits include careless use of
gasoline, and working around running ma
chinery.
Many farmers describe corn pickers as
Scholarships, Good Investments
Victor F. Weaver, Inc. New Holland,
recently announced an annual $4OO Future
Farmers of America Scholarship to the
outstanding FFA student in the poultry
field.
We notice that Weaver placed primary
emphasis on the young farmer's interest
and knowledge of poultry and a relatively
small emphasis on actually having a suc
cessful poultry operation.
This apparently reflects Weaver’s con
cern about keeping the scholarship open to
as many students as possible who are will
ing to work for it.
It also reflects a concern by Weaver
about finding and encouraging students who
are truly knowledgeable about the poultry
industry.
In effect, Weaver is considering need,
effort and knowledge, as well as successful
operation.
We agree with Weaver that those who
now lack the know-how and assets to be
successful, but who have the ambition to be
come knowledgeable deserve special con
sideration.
Knowledgeable manpower is needed to
Child Cost Squeeze
A USDA news release has informed us
that a child reaching age 18 in 1969 probably
cost his parents $16,000 to $20,000 “it raised
at a low-cost, but adequate, level “
But those of us who have younger chil
dren won’t get off so cheaply. Inflation,
which is still getting w'orse, is upping the
price. To raise the same child to 18 at 1969
prices would cost from $19,500 to $25,000
Several points could be made about
these figures. Some which readily come to
mind include.
First, no wonder the birth rate has been
going down and families are becoming
smaller.
Second, as children spend more time in
school and for various other reasons follow
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P O Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543
Office 22 E Main St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone Lancaster 3943047 or Lititz 626-2191
Robeit G Campbell, Advertising Dhector
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
Subscription pi ice $2 per year in Lancaster
County, $3 elsewhere
Established November 4,1955
Published every Satui day by Lancaster
Farming, Lititz, Pa
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa.
17543
Member of Newspapei Fai m Editois Assn
Pa Newspapei Publishers Association, and
National Newspaper Association
probably the most dangerous equipment of
all. A film at a recent meeting of the
Pennsylvania Farmers Association vividly
demonstrated how easy it is to lose a hand
in a corn picker.
One farmer said he always uses a
broom handle to dislodge material in a run
ning picker. It's cheaper to lose a piece of
broom handle than a hand.
Tractors are also extremely dangerous.
The farmer who doesn't know exactly what
he’s doing can easily upset a tractor and be
crushed.
As drivers continue to increase their
speed on the highways, possibility of acci
dents involving slow-moving farm equip
ment grows. We heartily endorse the Farm
Association’s promotion of triangular warn
ing signs for slow-moving vehicles.
Most accidents are caused by careless
ness. The way to avoid them is to be alert
and be safe.
We don’t like to lose our subscribers for
any reason. We particularly don’t like to
lose them because of unnecessary acci
dents.
assure the continuing success of any busi
ness. Scholarships given to the right persons
are investments in knowledgeable man-
power.
Even if the students who are helped
never directly enter the poultry field, it
should be comforting to Weaver officials to
know the firm has gained a knowledgeable
friend.
Scholarships such as Weaver’s are in
vestments in the future of agriculture.
Rapidly growing costs of a college edu
cation make growth in both the number and
dollar amounts of scholarships increasingly
important.
But even relatively small scholarships
can mean the difference in enabling a
worthy farm youth to go to college.
We wish to congratulate the people at
Weavers and hope the program proves suc
cessful enough to encourage the firm to
greatly expand the scholarship program in
the years ahead.
We also hope other area firms notice
Weaver’s program and strongly consider
their own scholarship programs, or expan
sion of those programs they now have.
a general trend toward being less produc
tive, it’s not just a matter of increasing
costs. It’s also a matter of decreasing re
turn A real price-cost squeeze.
Third, as the cost goes up, Uncle Sam
hasn’t cooperated much' on Form 1040 which
is due April 15. At a cost of $16,000 to $20,-
000, the average cost would be $BB9 to $1,112
per year, but for many years Uncle has
allowed only $6OO.
This tax deduction will be increased to
$650 this year and it will be increased slight
ly higher later, but not nearly enough to
cover “a low-cost, but adequate, level” of
child care.
At 1969 price levels, with the cost of
living shooting up, the 18-year cost of child
rearing climbed to $19,500 to $25,000 The
cost per year ranges from $1,083 to $1,389.
This means Uncle is allowing only
enough of a deduction to cover about half
the cost at today’s cost levels.
Overall, the point is that children are
quite expensive and the trends clearly in
dicate they’ll become more so.
We hasten to add that we’ie not propos
ing the abolition of children or that cost is
the only factor to consider. Cost may be one
of the least important factors.
It’s just that the USDA inspired us to re
flect for a moment on an aspect of family
life that you don’t read about often, but
which we suspect the average parent thinks
a lot about. We’re referring to the high, and
growing, cost of rearing children and the
squeeze it puts on the family budget.
To Be Patient With Soil
Many farmers and gardeners
are getting anxious to start
plowing or working their land.
The weather is responsible .for
some delay m these activities
but folks are urged to be pa
tient and permit the soil to dry
sufficiently before working or
plowing. Soil worked wet at this
time of the year, especially clay
type soils, will be hard and
clumpy for the balance of the
season. Heavy equipment is rea
son for fmther drying before
getting stalled.
To Practice Farm Safety
This is a very difficult sug
gestion for anyone to accept
and put into practice, because
most of us feel that the othei
person needs it more However,
since farming today is more
mechanized, the need for spe
cial care and safety is veiy im-
EM! EXTRA!
Lesson for April 5, 1970
Background Scripture: Adi 11 riiraugfo 2 42.
Davetiarwf Reading: John 16*4b 11.
ODD-BALL SECT MARS
PENTECOST OBSERVANCE!
Jerusalem, MaV 31. Pentecost
celebrations by Jerusalem’s Jews
were marred when a small but
fanatical religious group caused
a disturbance at a dwelling on the
Street of Camels. The group was
identified by police as disciples
of Jesus the
Nazarene who
was executed at
Golgotha follow*
ing a similar dis
turbance during
the Passover.
According t o
eyewitness re
ports, a meeting
of the small
Rev. Althouse group had been
in progress in an upper room of
the house of Mary, the Tanner’s
Wife. Shortly before 9:00 a.m.,
neighbors heard a loud commo
tion in the dwelling, the sound of
many voices, all speaking loudly
at the same time,
Drunkeness charged
Earliest reports indicated that
the group had been drinking and
many of the participants appeared
to be intoxicated. The scene was
one of great confusion, with many
of the Nazarene’s followers speak
ing in an incoherent fashion. One
angry neighbor threatened to peti
tion the Council. “It is a shameful
thing for people to conduct them
selves like this during the Feast
(of Weeks),” he told reporters.
Other eyewitnesses, however,
maintained that the Nazarene’s
disciples, many of them Galileans,
were not speaking incoherently,
but in various foreign tongues and
dialects. Levi Ben-Shuria, a Par
thian merchant who has made his
home in Jerusalem for the past
fifteen years, said he heard one
man speaking loudly in his native
Parthian dialect. “I haven’t heard
my native tongue spoken since I
left Parthia fifteen years ago,”
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
portant. There are dozens of
suggestions on how to prevent
accidents, but a few are very
important: do not allow small
children on or near machinery,
keep protective shields in place,
‘and take time to be safe.
To Fertilize Alfalfa
After the lime requirement
has been satisfied on alfalfa
fields, the crop will respond
well to proper fertilization. Not
only will yields be increased
from this extra plant food but
the stand will be longer-lived
because of stronger plants and
root systems Most of the nitro
gen needs aie supplied by the
nodules on the plant roots, hut
the phosphorus and potash
should be provided each year.
Crops that were not top-dressed
last fall should be treated this
spnng either now or after the
first cutting.
said the amazed merchant.
Authorities concerned
Several other foreign-hom resi
dents of Jerusalem told stories
similar to that of Ben-Shuria. One,
a baker originally from the Isle of
Crete, insisted he heard several
people speaking.'enthusiastically
in his native tongue. Asked what
these people were saying, the
baker said: "They all seemed to
be thanking and praising God for
the wonderful things he has done.
I never have heard such exhuber
ance.”
Despite many reports similar
to these, most Jerusalem officials
discounted these stories. "Mass
hysteria and too much new wine!”
said one. Some observers pointed
out that it was very unlikely that
the Nazarene’s followers would,
be speaking in various foreign
languages, singe these men, fop
the most part, are uneducated
Galileans. "Drunken babblers,
yes!” said one scribe, "But lux.-
quists? Definitely not!'
Rabbi Wiseman who lives near
the scene of the disturbance
voiced surprise when informed of
it, “What these people have to
celebrate is beyond me," he said
to a reporter. "Thier leader was
executed and humiliated and their
movement thorougly discredited:
that should have been the end of
it.” The popular Jerusalem rabbi
added: “It may take several more
crosses to fmish this Nazarene
thing once and for all." Other
authorities were reported to be
considering various repressive
measures.
Crowd still undispersed
As this paper goes to press it
is reported that the crowd outside
the building has stilt not been
dispersed. Simon Peter, a fisher
man from Capernaum, was re
ported addressing a large crowd.
No advance copies of his sermon
were available to members of the
press.
(Based on outlines copyrighted fry A* Ohrision
of Christian Education, Nahonal Council of the
Churches of Christ in the U* S» A* KflMltd by
Community Pross Service)
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