—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. December 26,1970
4
Com Grower’s
The world never grows out of problems.
As soon as one is solved, there s another, or
more.
This is true because changing condi
tions create new situations with their own
particular problems
Problems, then, are an inevitable part
of change.
If change is viewed as a challenge
which must be faced, the problems that go
with change are also challenges. With this
kind of approach, new problems are crea
tive and bring out the best m people.
That conditions change and that change
has its problems w'as shown at the recent
corn meeting While the corn blight scare
was still lingering, farmers were told not to
be too concerned about it.
But at the same time, they were told the
corn rootworm has been developing rapidly
in recent years and has the potential for
being a far more costly factor for local
farmers than the blight.
How rapidly things change.
The Optimistic
The Penn State extension personnel
gave an excellent m-depth summary at the
recent Lancaster County meeting on what
is known to date about the 1971 corn crop
prospects.
Much of what they said is not new. al
though they did an excellent job of sum
marizing everything and putting it in its
proper context.
Their contention that Southern corn
blight is not going to be any worse in Penn
sylvania in 1971 than it was in 1970 goes
against some previous reports and the
thinking of some local farmers.
There previously was much concern
that the Southern blight would overwinter
here, get an early start in 1971 and, unlike
in 1970, kill corn before it had properly
matured
But the Penn State men said that while
the Southern blight will blow into Pennsyl
vania from the sunny South in 1971, the
blight will again hit here too late to cause
major damage.
There is. of course, always the possi
bility that the Penn State men, although
they have the best information available,
will be wrong. An unusually humid sum
mer. it is believed by some, might cause
the blight to spread faster than expected.
Also, while Pennsylvania was one of
the few major corn producing states to es
cape maior blight in 1970, Mother Nature,
always tickle, might decide to be more
generous to some other states instead in
1971
But despite all the ifs, ands and buts, w ? e
believe the prediction by the Penn State
specialists carries some compelling logic
behind it.
More Farmer Know-How
First, there's the experience of the past
two vears Besides the Southern blight this
year, yellow blight hit in this area in 196.9
and again m 1970 It's not new anymore.
Farmers know a lot more about how to
manage their crop to attain maximum plain
resistance to the blights. Farmers will be
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Faim Weekly
P O Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543
Office 22 E Main St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone. Lancastei 394-3047 oi latitz 626 2191
Robeit G Campbell, Ad"ei Using Diiector
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
Subscription pi ice $2 per year in Lancaster
County. S 3 elsewheie
Established November 4,1955
Published evdy Satuiday by Lancaster
Fanning, Lititz, Pa
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz
17543
Member of Newspaper Farm Editois
Pa. Newspaper Publisheis Association,
National Newspaper Association
New Challenge
Our purpose here is not to explore why
the rootworm is suddenly such a menace,
but we bet it’s associated with the changing
farm scene We note particularly the trends
toward more corn acreage and continuous
corn, both trends which make it easier for
the rootworm, which relies on only corn for
survival.
The point is that as we move toward
bigger and better corn yields we can expect
to encounter new problems created by the
new conditions and methods used to gener
ate our progress. Change inevitably creates
new problems.
But we don’t want even if w'e could
to go back to feiver corn problems and
lower yields. As long as we can achieve
the higher yields with increased efficiency,
we are committed to continuing change.
Problems which crop up are temporary
stumbling blocks. They are challenges.
The corn rootw'orm is another chal
lenge Like many other challenges encount
ered on the long road to today’s high yields,
it will be met.
Corn Forecast
very conscious of using the best possible
management practices in 1971. This will
give the crop an important advantage over
both 1969 and 1970.
Besides helping farmers know what to
do, the experience with the yellow blight
shows that what begins one year does not
necessarily increase to disaster the next.
Many farmers were very much worried
about the yellow blight after the 1969 crop.
But yellow blight even though it was
more destructive than the Southern blight
was not considered a major corn problem
in 1970. While some individual farmers had
major blight losses, corn loss in Pennsyl-,
vania overall was estimated at only two to
five per cent, far below the' seven to 15 per
cent loss often cited as the typical harvest
ing loss.
Experience shows, we believe, that
farmers and agnbusmessmen adapt \evy
rapidly to adopt new practices to blunt
threats to the all-important corn crop.
More Resistant Corn
Second, the possible exposure of corn
to blight in 1971 will be far below the 1970
level. While there has been much talk about
the fact that the nation’s seed firms cannot
manufacture enough resistant seed to meet
the 1971 demand, the extent to which the
seed firms are making the change, we be
lieve, has not been properly appreciated.
While there was almost none of the
normal (N) corn in 1970 which is considered
nearly completely resistant to the blight,
some 22 per cent ot all seed corn in 1971 wall
be N corn and this corn will have sales
priority, meaning that most left-over seed
corn will be of the non-N type
Probably far more important in assess
ing the role of seed corn in 1971 is the fact
that the firms are rapidly phasing out or im
proving those varieties which were most
susceptible to the blight in 1970. Our infor
mation indicates that in 1970 only a handful
of varieties suffered major blight losses.
This means that even in the 78 per cent
non-N seed, much of it show’ed good resist
ance to blight in 1970, and in 1971 there will
be a major emphasis of the resistant varie
ties and de-emphasis of the non-resistant
varieties
We believe this combination of convert
ing about one-fourth of corn to N or resis
tant seed, plus a very sharp reduction in the
amount ot the less resistant seed corn will
make a very big difference in 1971.
The proportion of fields subject to the
blight will be sharply reduced in 1971. If
so, this should also tend to slow down the
spread of blight Irom one place to another.
While it’s far from certain, the com
bination of these and other factors could
lead farmers to wonder at this time next
year- Whatever happened to the blight?
To Prepare Farm Show
Livestock
The 1971 State Farm Show is
onlj a few weeks awaj all live
stock exhibitiors aie urged to
refei to the Premium List for all
i equn ements in having their
animals tested and injected to
meet health legulations These
i equn ements not onlj piotect the
show animals but maj pi event an
outbieak in the held or flock
aftei the show Youi local vet
eunanan is qualified to do the
woik Don’t foi get that propei
fitting and tiammg will give
join animal a chance in
the show' nng
To Control Parasites
All livestock and dairy pro
ducers should be ceitain that
they are not supporting a parasite
infection in any of then animals
Body lice on the outside can do
a c much damage as woims in the
stomach Efficient milk produc
tion and weight gains are neces-
THE GREAT RACE
Lesson for December 27, 1970
Background Scripture Rhihppions 3 7 21
Devotional Reading- Ephesians 4 17.
- Seveial decades ago an-en
terprising songwriter used a
beautiful melody by Frederick
Chopin as the basis for a song we
still occasionally hear today “I’m
Always Chasing Rainbows” was
one of Pciiy Como’s biggest hits
Hundicds of thou
sands of people
have sung, hum
med, or heard tins
as a pleasant
song Yet I won
der how many
have ever stopped
to think of the
plaintive message
behind that beau
dev. Althouse tiful tune 9
A “wild goosechase”
As Peuy Como sang the song,
it all sounded \oiy beautiful, but
when %ou begin to consider the
words bv themsehes, there is
nothing beautiful about the e\
peuence of which they speak
Life, sa\s, the song, is a “lace”
a ‘wild gooscchasc” of chasing
one “lambow ’ aftci another
Paul also saw life as a race
but he saw it in much inoie posi
tive tcims He desciibcd life in
terms that could easily be under -
stood b\ any first centuiy AD
spoils fan “I pi ess on toward the
goal for the prize of the upward
rail of God in Christ Jesus” He
bad been even moic pointed in
us allusion to running in 1 Cor
inthians 9 “So run that jou ma\
obtain it (the puze)” (24b ). La
t> r the vntci of Hebrews would
also urge ‘ let us run with
nersaveicnce the lace that is set
before us . ” (12 1).
So, life might well be likened
to a race, rather than a stance.
For Jesus did not say, I am the
position, but “I am the way . ,
and the first name given to those
win followed the resurrected
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Mai Smith
Lancaster County Agent
sary in order to make any profit;
any kind of a parasite will de
ciease this efficiency Two treat
ments two weks apart are needed
to clean out body bee Stomach
works may be identified by sub
mitting a fecal sample to your
local veteunanan.
To Order Legume Seeds
In lecent months we have heard
a lot about buyung and ordeung
the piopei vanely of seed coin
foi next yeai. this is in i elation
to leaf blight resistance I’d like
to point out the value of alfalfa
and clovei on many faims and to
say that these seeds should also
be the supply is
sufficient Groweis aie urged to
evaluate the various varieties
and then order what they want.
Early spang seedings in winter
gram or as straight seedings are
two methods ofestabhshing a
new crop the latter method is
gaming in popularity and usage.
i,ord was “followers of the Way.”'
Christianity was not intended to j
be a fall-out shelter, country club, |
or asylum for the fearful, but a j
people of God on the run in the
midst of a great race. Whether
that race is a “wild goosechase”
or the winning of a crown of
laurels depends upon the way we
run it.
Don’t look back
Russ Boyle, my track coach in
high school, had a maxim which
he never tired giving to his run
ners; “Don’t look back!” That
may seem an unimportant princi-
but if you’ve ever done any
competitive running you know
that giving m to that urge to look
back can cost you the race. The
act of turning one’s head, even
ever so slightly, can throw the
runner’s body off-balance, may
break his stride and lose a valu
able second that may win or lose
the race The momentary diver
sion may also cause a runner to
stumble or waver. “Don’t look
back” is a vital instruction for
the athletic runner.
It is also important for this
race we call “life.” Paul knew
this “... forgetting what lies be
hind. and shaming foiw'ard to
what lies ahead, I press on to
waid the goal . . .” Failure to
emulate this can cost us the race.
We may become impaled on the
past, foiever looking over our
shouldeis to what we have left
behind.
Keep your eye on the goal!
Not only must we not look
hack we must keep our eye on.
the goal Theie are times in a
race when the body says “I’m ex
hausted; let s quit ” Often the
only thing that keeps us from
giungm is the lure of the goal
befoie us We put up with the
pain and exertion of the moment
for the sake of what we will re
ccue when we finish.
So it is with life - if we keep
oiu eje on the goal we can keep
going eien though the body,
mind, or spmt counsels quitting.
Life need not be either a “rat
lace” or a “wild goosechase” If,
like Paul, we remember to look
ahead instead of behind and keep
our e\es on the prize, it can be,
“the gieat race ”
on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in tha
USA Released by Community Press
Servic*)