— Lancaster Farming. Saturday. August 15.1970 4 On Making Rain Profitable Remember those droughts a few .vear*: ago? Irrigation and dropping water tables were the topics then. Bui not this year. For Southeastern Pennsylvania farmers, 1970 has been the year of the rams. The ground is saturated with water. The water table is high, higher than it has been for many, many years. Very few farmers are even thinking about irrigation except maybe some who have been around long enough to know that irrigation will again have its day. While irrigation may temporarily not be worth much as a discussion topic. 1970 should ha\e made many farmers again aware, painfullj aw'are, of another issue, erosion. Plenty of ram and a rising water table ha\e been a mixed blessing for many farm ers because of erosion. For these farmers. a hat nature has given in the form of plenti ful water for crop production, it has taken away in lost soil. Perhaps the years of drought and the vears of normal rainfall made some farm ers a little careless about the need for good consenation practices, the need to pre sen e the good soil that God has supplied in abundance in Southeastern Pennsyh ama. Soil and Farm ProsperiU It is self-evident that the agricultural prosperity which is often taken for granted in Southeastern Pennsyh ama is based on the soil. The soil cannot be allowed to wash aw’ay in the huge quantities w ithout serious consequences to the farming community Those big gullies in many cornfields, those big mounds of dirt at the end of the gullies, the almost constantly muddy water in many local streams are all too common signs this year that nature has taken a heavy toll on local soils. Conservation is long-established art While particular conservation practices hate been improved over the years as know-how’ has increased, consenation it self was an important issue at the turn of the century when Teddy Roose\elt made a name with this issue. Basic conservation oractices w’ere known long before Roose velt Farmers who don’t know about these consent ation practices or who need heln whether merely some adtice or financial assistance can get it foi the asking cr, Watch That The egg market has dropped sigrui canth in the past four weeks some 10 cents per dozen on the new UEP market fo: the Noitheast ana about the same on the Uiner 3arr\ New York market The price. howet er, is still not as low as -t got earlier this jear But the tiend is clearly downward and the Northeast Egg Marketing Assn , Durham, New Hamp shire, has issued a new's letter warning that the situation is urgent and this may be the beginning of the egg bust predicted earlier this year. Commenting on the UEP “Action Nov.’’ program to stave off the egg bust. NEMA states: “Fowl movement to date has been 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 626-2391 Robert G Campbell AdveiUsing Director Zane Wilson Managing Editor Subscription puce S 2 per jeai in Lancaster Countc S 3 elsewheie Established \o\embei 4,1955 Published eveiy Saturday by Lancarer Farming Lititz Pa. Second Class Postage paid at Lititz Pa 17543 Member of Newspaper Faim Editors Assn Pa. Newspapei Publishers Association, and National Newspaper Association contacting their local Soil anti Water Con nervation District. A Little Common Sense To stop the biggest part of his soil loss, however, most farmers, we think, don't really need any ad\ ice or help. A little com mon sense and concern can solve the woist part of the problem. For instance, if a big gully is being washed out on a hillside, the farmer knows he has to do something to divert water away from the area or to enable the water to flow' over the area without washing away the soil. Strip cropping is one possible solution. Alternating bands of alfalfa and corn, in stead of one large field of alfalfa and an other large field of corn, will often sol\e an erosion problem. Stopping the long, unim peded, downhill flow of water is often the solution to erosion. Where strip cropping isn't enough, where the water channel is subject to par ticularly hea\y volumes of water, it's a common practice to skip that small section of the field when plowing, leaving a natural sod waterway to resist erosion. The small extra care in plowing, the small loss of land to active production is often amply reward ed through saved soil. A sod waterway is of far more benefit to a farmer than an im passable gully. In situations where a sod vvaterwav isn’t enough, terraces have become popu lar. These terraces trap the water, slow its movement and erosion potential, giving it time to sink into the ground where it can benefit the farmer. Terraces are more com plex than the other practices and the farm er is more likely to need technical assis tance vvith these than with some of the other practices. The Farmer’s Choice Fortunately, the farmer still has great freedom to decide how he wull use his land But the public is increasingly concerned about pollution and soil erosion is a serious water pollutant. The outcry against pollu tion can be expected to grow By solving his soil pollution problems, the individual farmer can save his own v aluable resources. At the same time, he can help wage the wider public battle against pollution, while helping to maintain his own free doms against controls levied in the name of pollution abatement. Egg Market disappointing The 45 cent white egg pncc could have been 48 cents todav insteao of 35 cents if old fowl had been moved as recommended Chick hatches in some aieas wnl be higher than thev should have been for July NEMA states, however, that considei able progiess has been made "Overall it does look as if the August hatch would be off 75 per cent at least; and if the remain ing months do not exceed a year ago, this phase of the program will be a success.” UEP has asked for a zero hatch for August. NEMA continues, “If enough fowl starts to move, profitable egg prices can be maintained.” The UEP program calls for slaughter of lajing flocks 45 days ahead of schedule or culling of flocks by 10 per cent for the next six months. The UEP program is strictly a ■volun tary one. Leading egg industrymen know what a significant over-supply of eggs will do to the market, but only individual pro ducers can cut back on production. Indications are that some major steps have been taken to avert the projected 22 month slump in egg prices. But evidence so far also indicates that not enough has been done to avoid a bust altogether. Questions for the individual producer remain. How big will the slump be and now long ill it last? What should I do? But whatever the individual's answer, we think it’s vital that he stay posted on the situation and how it him. NOW IS THE TIME... By Max Smith Lancaster County Agent To Beware Of Weeds Given a choice, cattle will sel dom iat foul tasting or poisonous weed*. however, with a giecn choppmg program dining the g:ow mg season some farmers have to glean any kind of giccn matcnal at times in order to navt feed foi the held. If this mixture contains many kinds of weeds, the end result may be -ick or dead animals. The same is true of any hay or silage crop: weeds have to go along with the good foiage, but if the percent age of weeds is high, the quality of the feed will be loweied 01 made toxic Under natuial glaz ing conditions the livestock will eat onlv what they like, however, wnen gieen-chopped in a mix tuie, thtv have little choice To Be Alert For Silo Gas 5!o filling time is coming and Cattle buying tune is approach manv tons of com will be made (Continued on Page 5) DEADLY PRIDE Lesson for August 16, 1970 Background Scripture* Genesis 11 1-9; Psalms 10 4, Luke 12 13 21. Devotional Reading Isaiah 14 3 15. Several of the summers when How many of the world’s profe- I was a college student I earned lems are caused and perpetuated part of my next gear’s expenses by our tendency to forget that with a pick and shovel as a W e aie men, not gods 9 God wants construction laborer. It was in us to be agiessive, enterprising, one of these summers that I and ambitious, but he also knows ■witnessed an unusual example w hat happens to men when they of labor-manage- forget who they are as God’s, mentco-operation, creatures We were en- Recently a prominent captain gaged in buildrng 0 f rndustry shocked the com a munitions plant munrty by committing suicide, for the federal Though in ill health, the man was government Be- no t m danger so long as he cur cause w e xvere on tailed his activities But it w'as a ‘costplus” con- this curtailment that caused him tract (actual cost to lose the desne to live. He w'as of construction an extremely proud man, par- Rev. Althouse plus a fixed per- trcularly of Ins health and ath ccntage of p>ofit for thejontrac- i ectic abilities Though his body ‘or), bo*h the labor unions and UO uld hare earned him to a the construction companies’ man- much i on gei life, his pride could agement co onerated to defraud no t withstand the hurt. He snn the government. This was one of p i y C ould no t accept his new those rare occasions when both Rotations. He was killed by his parlies realized that in order to own pride, get the most money out of the project, they would have to work To be fully human in the closest collaboration. I The prou d man arrogantly have never before or since wit- pudes bimS elf on his self nessed such close co operation su ff icie ncy. He doesn’t need any between these two parties. one e]s6j he thinks. He relies ... r solely on himself and his powers A name for ourselves and abilities. Yet, there may It is this same kind of co- come a when the proud man operation that we see indicated mav j ose s ome of his powers and m the story _of the Tower of t he n dlscover that he very much Babel There is a high degree of needs noth God and other people, co-operation here, but the motive g 0 p) .j de 1S a very divisive behind that cooperation is not f olce separates men from very commendable. In this case, their £e uowmen, making the however, the motive is not one wolld a Babel of con {usion. of cheating a third party, at least Worst 0 £ lt separates men not m the strict sense of that f rom their Q od and keeps {hem word. The driving force behind £ rom achieving the full humanity this unusual cooperation is fQr which he cre ates us. naked pride. Come, let us build man ever need strive to.be ourselves a city, and a tower with e l Wlth God . To be f ully htl . its top in the heavens, and let us is Ulte enough> make a name for ourselves ...” (Gen. 11:4). _ (| a sed on outlines copyrighted by. the The “tower” to which they re- Division of Christian Education, National . „„ .. -, , Council of the Churches of Christ In the fer was probably much on the o