— 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<s A . n,| eose( j by Community Pres*
order of the ziggurats which Service.)
were used as Babylonian temples.
These ziggurats were huge and
pyramidal, often rising in seven
into silage. Many kinds of gas
arc formed when fermentation
takes place in the silo. Whop
plants arc high in nitrates, nitro
gen oxide gases may be fortncjl;
they may be colorless and odor
less, or they may be chlorine
smelling and yellowish in color;
these gases arc all heavier than
aii. They are dangerous and all
membeis of the farm family
should be wained about theih.
They may develop from a few
hours to two weeks after the
silo is filled or paitly filled. A
burning or choking sensation |n
the nose, thioat, and chest is a
warning signal. Keep the silo
chute and bain well ventilated
and never enter a partly filled
silo without lunmng the blower
for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
To Buy Pre-conditioned
Feeder Calves
terraces, the last of these topped
by a shrine which was regarded
as the entrance to heaven. To
ascend the tower and its seven
terraces was regarded as an ap
proach to the gods and their
heaven.
Killed by pride
The tower of Babel, then,
seems a proud attempt to reach
heaven and perhaps become the
equals of the gods. This is not
the first story in Genesis that
deals with the destructiveness of
human pride It was this same de
sire to be equal with God that
led Adam and Eve to pick and
eat the “forbidden fruit.” So, too,
the men of Babel wanted to toe
like gods, to rise above their
status as men.