—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. August 1.1970
4
DDT vs. the Gypsy Moth
Which Is Worse: Cure or the Disease?
The pesticides issue is one area of the
new battle to save the cm ironment in w hich
it appears the farmer has much to losj and
, little to gam.
This unfortunate situation is due pri
marily to the highly emotional and unrea
sonable manner in which the issue Js han
; died.
In the pesticide issue, the farmer is
.faced with the prospect of higher costs for
new, expensive pesticides which don't last
‘as long and won't work as effectively as the
'present lower priced chemicals.
' And. if the new pesticides don’t work as
well, the farmer is faced with lower produc
tion through crop losses.
In the long run, these costs must be
passed on to the consumer in the form of
higher food costs.
Mistakes Made
Mistakes have been made with pesti
cides. Various individuals and ofticials
question the wisdom of using some pesti
cides including some which ha\e not so
lar been publicly attacked.
Many of these same indu iduals and of
ficials who are critical of some pesticides,
however, are equally concerned about what
they consider are unfounded and unwar
ranted attacks on some pesticides such as
DDT.
The feeling is widespread among many
persons that DDT, which has been \ irtualiy
banned from use in this country, is far less
dangerous than many of the chemicals
which have replaced it. Many of the suc
cessors to DDT are relatively untried aid
reportedly highly dangerous to handle, tar
more dangerous than DDT.
In prev ious editorials, we hav e endorsed
the position of the Pennsylvania Farmers
Association and other farm organizations
and leaders in urging reason and restraint
in bans on pesticides and fungicides.
Not Unrestrained Use
While we believe no reasonable person
in this time of legitimate concern about the
emironment would urge unrestricted and
unrestrained use of pesticides, we also be
lies that no leasonable person would uige
total abolishment of pesticides
While farmers a lot to lose if un
reasonable restiamt is placed on pesticides,
consumers will ultimately, also pay for mis
takes made in banning pesticides
And it mustn't be mistakenly assumed
that the pesticides issue is a minor or un
important one Most faimeis know mat
Aithout pesticides many cions would ie
literally o\er-run with insects
The G\ps\ Moth
One particular issue now facing Penn
sylvania shows just how important and
far-reaching the pesticides issue can be
We're referring to the Gypsy moth.
The Gypsy moth recently has complete
ly defoliated 5,000 to 10.000 acres of wood
land in the Saylorsburg-Kunkletow n area of
Monroe County, according to Associated
Press reports The moths are reportedly
doing extensive damage in many other
areas of the state and the menace of the
Gypsy moth is reported growing rapidly.
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P O Box 266 Lititz, Pa 17543
Office 22 E Mam St Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone. Lancastei 394 3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Robert G Camobell, Adveitising Director
Zane Wilson Managing Editor
Subscription pi ice S 2 pei year in Lancaster
County S 3 elsewheie
Established \oi ember 4 1955
Publi c hed e\eiy Satin day by Lancaster
Farming Lititz Pa
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa
17543
Member of New spaper Fai m Editors Assn
Pa. Newspapei Publishers Association, and
National Newspaper Association
In past years, state officials kept the
Gypsy moth under control by using you
guessed it DDT. The successors to DDT
.don’t work as well. ha\e to be applied much
more often, therefore costing much more in
terms of both materials and manpower. At
a, time when the state is faced with budge
tary problems, the Gypsy moth is winning
against a limited attack.
DDT or (he Moth?
The question arises: Which does the
most damage to our enxironment, DDT or
the Gypsy moth? Or. can we really afford
the luxurv of totallv eliminating the use of
DDT?
As the G\psy moth spreads across the
state like a plague, wiping out or weaken
ing and maiming the beautiful forests for
which the state is famous and which sup
port such a large proportion of the state’s
economy, are we going to sit idly b\ ?
Are we going to let an insect wreck our
enuronment while we ban the pesticide that
can control that insect?
Similar .experience is being found
around tbe world with mosquitos and other
insects. In some areas in which it was onci.
thought malaria had been permanently
wiped out, the once dreaded disease is re
asserting itself in the absence of DDT.
In such instances, it is more than jusl
trees, it is human life which is being sacri
ficed in the ban on DDT.
Why Did We Ban DDT?
If, in banning DDT. we allow' our for
ests to be defoliated and mankind to be
racked by disease, perhaps we ought to
consider why we banned DDT in the first
place. Did we ban DDT to make the world
a better place in which to live, or to compel
man once again to wage the bitter battle
with nature for survival?
We think the Gypsy moth will be just
one of many examples of how e\ eryone, and
particularly the farmer, will lose if the
pesticides issue is allowed to be settled by
those who turn off their brains.
Today, it's trees.
Tomorrow, it could be corn, wheat,
potatoes.
Use Reason
Let's be leasonable Let's sate agricul
ture and ouisehes at the same time we
sat e the ent ironment Let's not destroy
etert thing in the name of the ent ironment.
Tins is not a plea ior unrestricted use of
DDT But it is a plea tor i eason and recog
nition that there can be lai woise things
Mian DDT.
Perhaps a sjstem for use of DDT ir
emergencies when (he benefits far out
weigh any possible damage is the
answer
Lawmakers’ Addresses
Names and addresses of federal and state
legislators, representing local residents, aie list
ed here for persons wishing to write to them
FEDERAL
Sen. Hugh D. Scott, Room 260 Senate Of
fice Biu’ding, Washington, D. C 20515
Sen. Richard S. Schweiker, Room 4317, Sen
ate Office Building, Washington, D. C. 20515
Rep Harvev C Nitiauer 125 South St
Myerstown, Pa. 17067.
Rep Edwin D Eshleman, 1009 Longworth
House Office Building, Washington, D C 2> 1 515
Sen Richard A Snvder, Box 21, State Sen
ate, Harusburg, Pa. 17120.
Sen Claience F. Manbeck, Fredericksburg
R 1 Pa 17026
Rep Harry H Gnne Reinholcls Pa 17560
Rep Sherman L HilJ. 201 Manor Ave., Mill
ersv’’e 17551
Rep Jack B Horner, 23-A S. Market St,
Elizabethtown 17022
Rep Marvin E. Miller, 501 Valley Road,
Lancaster 17S01-.
den John c Pittinger, 307 West End Ave.,
Lancaster 17603.
STATE
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Renovate Pastures
August is a good month to kill
the old sod, or plow it down, to
piepa-c for a new pasture seed
ing the last of the month or
c.iily September. The ground
.-hould be tested for lime and
feulizcr needs These late sum
me. -eed.ngs ha\ e been veiy suc
cessful. if peimancnt pastures
need .mprov’jng In many cases
the more productue glasses be
come crowded out by weeds and
ra:.ve grasses and need to be
ie-=ecded foi maximum fcage
pi oduction
To Recognize Livestock Silage
The use of all k nds of silage
is oeconiing mo e common:
mam pioduceis are investing
in larger storage facilities in
oide’ to make mo>e silage and
less hay Most any kind of
NO “ONLY CHILD"
Lesson for August 2,1970
Baclcsreunil Scripture: Genesis 4.1-2 4/ 1
John 3 11-15.
Devotional Heading: Matthew 5 21 >26,
God seems to have the knack
for asking disturbing questions,
doesn’t he? Recall a few of them
with me.
First, there’s that little un
pleasantness about Adam and
Eve picking fruit from the for
bidden tree in the
"'arden of Eden,
■om their hiding
iace they heard
iod calling them,
’Where are jou?”
inding them and
.eing their
hame, He asks
:ain, “Who told
mthat >ou were
Ee\. Ahhouse naked?” Worst of
all Jb the next question - “What
hate sou clone?” No doubt about
at, God knows how,,, to„qj.k the
right questions- jl|scfrra - *Adam.
had done *as Vb!l , '\htlS ■'the an
swers.
Good questions
But the questions do not end
with Adam and Eve. Cam, their
son, will face some of these
questions himself. In the middle
of his act of sacrificial offering,
Cam is surprised by God’s query:
“Why are you angry, and why
has your countenance fallen?"
Cam cannot afford to answer that
one sincerely, so he remains
silent.
In due time, however, another
Question is put to him which he
cannot avoid: “Where is Abel,
your brother?” It is not difficult
for us to understand the con
sternation and distress that cause
him to reply with a question of
his own: “I do not know; am I
my brother’s keeper?”
Good questions all—let’s see if
we can find some equally good
answers.
Two sons were bom to Adam
and Eve. One, a farmer, is Cam;
the other, a shecpheidor, is
Abel. How simply and symbol
ically the writer of Genesis is
demonstrating a primary fact of
life: no two persons are alikel
forage ciop may be made inito
silage with a benefit of storing
a larger amount of feed nu
trients. Cora silage is one of
the best ciops to obtain the maxi
mum amount of milk or weight
gains fiom an acre of land; re
duced feed costs are very impor
tant and crops made into silage
instead of has or grain is one
piactice toward lower costs.
To Utilize Wheat As A Feed
Produceis fortunate enough to
get their wheat crop harvested
might cons.der the use of the
ci op as a h\estock fee'd. iFor
those yet to gel their wheal it
might be in such conditioh that
feeding would be the only meth
od of utilizing the crop Wheat
is highei in protein than corn or
bailey but lowei in eneigy. Due
to the pasty condition of the
(Continued on Page ,10)
Despite their common parentage,
these two brothers are quite dif
ferent from each other.
Both brothers took their sac
rificial offerings to God. The
offering of Abel was pleasing to
God, but that of Cain was not.
Why? We cannot know for cer
tain, but it seems likely that
Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by
God, not because the gift was
not good enough, but because
Cain was nursing an ailing tem
per and bruised ego within him
self. More important than the
gift he gave was the spirit with
which his sacrifice was given.
Abel brought his gift out of
gratitude to the Lord, but Caia
brought his only to gain Cod’s
favor. Instead of coming to give
praise, Cain came to seek it.
Why He was angry
“So Cain was very angry, and
his countenance fell.” Why was
he so angry? He could not bring
himself to answer God, but
neither could he hide his jeal
ously for his brother Abel. Just
as Adam and Eve pointed the
finger at the serpent, Cain looked
upon his brother as the cause of
his unhappiness.
Remember that this is our
stoiy too. Aie we not like Cam?
Don’t we also seek to project our
Doubles upon others and blame
them for the unhappiness we feel
within’ Isn't it when we cannot
face our own guilt that w r e must
find a scapegoat to bear it for us?
Whether Cam intended to
minder his brother or not, the
lesult was the same. Abel lay
dead because his offering had
gained Gods approval. Men are
still killed today for motives no
greater.
Where is your brother?
Cain was to learn, as his par
ents had learned, that one can
not hide from God and his
terrible questions. He meets the
question first with a lie and thfen
an insolent rejection. The reply
of Cam is not so much a question
as it is a declaration of inde
pendence. But there is no inde
pendence from one’s brother,
whether he he near or far.
I heard someone comment
about this story that it was in*
teresting hut didn’t “have any
thing to do with me because I'm
an only child; I have no brother*
or sisters.” But he missed the
point: m the sight of God no one
is an “only child.”
[Based on outlines copyrighted hy til*
Division of Christian Education/ National
Council of the Churches of Christ in th*
USA Released by Community frtsi
Service.)