—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13,1971 4 Controls Can Backfire The November 1970 issue of Top Op magazine carries an article entitled, “Pes ticide Bans .. . Backfire Coming?” . The article outlines numerous examples of how bans on the use of chemicals have caused major problems in countries throughout the world. Top Op reports that in 1950 Ceylon “had over two million cases ot malaria. Follow ing a mosquito-eradication program with DDT, cases dropped to only 17 m 1963. The following year Ceylon stopped using DDT . . and malaria cases began building: 150 in 1964, 308 in 1965, 499 in 1986. Then, in 1968, it exploded again: over one million eases. Ceylon is back to DDT use.” Moth in New Jersey In a case much closer to home, Top Op reports that New Jersey “rarely had trouble with the gypsy moth while DDT was used. Now the moth population has exploded. Thousands of acres of New Jersey forests have been devastated by the gypsy motn caterpillar. Once magnificent oaks now 7 stand stark and dead against the sky. “Two years ago, New Jersey oaks had already sutfeied 6 5 per cent rnnH-ahty m caterpillar-infested areas, and 116,693 trees had been killed Last year mortafity jump ed to 14 3 per cent, with 257,112 dead oaks. Currently mortality is an alarming 38 per cent, and 686,881 trees have been destroyed. State officials expect over a million cater pillar-killed trees in 1971, and the moth is now a serious problem m 250,000 acres. “ ‘We’re trying to control the moth with Sevm,’ says one state official. ‘But it’s just not as effective as tlie DDT we used be fore.’ Moth in Pa, The article goes on to note that the moth is on the increase in Pennsylvania an 4 that 10,000 acres'Of forest came under attack in one area in this state in the past year. ' Federal officials recently added Lan caster, Chester, Lebanon and Dauphin Counties to the list of “regulated” gypsy moth counties, indicating the gypsy moth is .becoming a senouk problem in these areas. The federal action to place local coun ties in “regulation,” however, does mean an effort to control the moth. It merely means that the federal government wall use quarantine procedures “to prevent the arti ficial spread of gypsy moths from infested areas to unmfested areas. Moth Well Established But the moth is already established in all of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and most ot New Hampshire. Vermont, Maine and New Jersey, and the eastern portions of New York and Penn sylvania. Surveys show it is spreading into Maryland. Delaware and Virginia It would certainly appear that the U S. is closing the barn door too late on the gypsy moth. The moth is already well established in the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas, and we see no reason to expect that it will not soon be carried through normal tra\el and commerce to all parts of the country. How serious is the gypsy moth’ There apparently is no precise way of saying at the moment. But itrwould appear that the destruction already of many tens of thousands of acres of'oak trees should be cause for alarm. LANCASTER FARMING Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly P. 0. Bok 266 - ,Lititz, Pa. 17543 Office E Main St., Lititz, Pa. 175,43 - Phone: Lancastei 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191 Robert G Campbell, Advertising Director Zane Wilson, Managing Edifoi Subscription pi ice $2 per year in Lancaster County; S 3 elsewhere Established November 4,1955 Published »vr 'v Saturday by Lancaster Farming, Lititz, Pa. Second Class rosiage paid at Lititz Pa 17543 Member of Newspaper Farm Editors Assn Pa. Newspaper Publishes s Association and National Newspaper Aesufialmn 0 The question of values should begin to arise. If we lose even a few acres of forest to fires, we hear public outcrys about the damage to the ecology and the possible damage from erosion, etc., that can occur because of the defoliated land. Trees killed by gypsy moth also leave the ground barren and subject to the ravages of nature. Particularly in populated areas such as New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania, loss of these important trees can greatly increase not only erosion but also the threat of flooding. Has the battle with forest fires been waged and largely won only to give up forests to the moth? What has happened' 1 ’ Doesn’t anyone remember what happened to the Chestnut tree and the economic loss that occurred when that tree was wiped out by th§ blight? Does ecology mean giung up beautiful forests to rapacious moths? Time for Concern We suggest that many more persons should begin to get concerned about the gypsy moth in 1971 If the moth’s destruc tion continues to accelerate, as it has in re cent years, we should certainly begin to see some signs of action long before 1972 if trees are to be a part of the beautiful en vironment that is talked about so much these days. Like the malaria outbreak in Ceylon in 1968, the present gypsy moth outbreak in the Northeast stems from the ban of DDT, a so-called persistent pesticide, which has been replaced by Sevin, which has a shorter life. But, unlike DDT, which was used in selective areas wherever the gypsy moth began to build up large numbers, Sevin has not been effective in stopping the spread of the moth. No Easy Solution What is the solution? Go back to DDT?: Launch a massive attack with Sevin? Let the moth work its will? Breed natural moth enemies? We don’t know. Maybe the best that can be hoped is that valuable lessons are learned from the case of the gypsy moth. We like the conclusion of the Top Op article; “In short, many of the restrictions on persistent pesticides have backfired on the world. You see it first in forests, or ur ban areas, or countries like Sweden, be cause restrictions were first applied here. But you can expect more problems in agri culture Even with all the pesticides of the 1960’5, the U.S. still loses some $l5 billion a year m agricultural production to in sects, weeds, fungi and rodents . . . equal to 33 per cent of our total agricultural out put. That loss is almost certain to jump, now that many of these pesticides are be ing restricted. The great need is to get tins side of the story into the open ’’ Restrained Control Actually, our ow n position on pesticides restrictions has been milder. ' We believe many changes toward con trolled pesticides usage have been favor able and that there is still room for im provement in pesticides and their usage. But there should be restraint in the move toward controls. Misguided controls can be as harmful as no controls. While unrestrained use of DDT- un doubtedly caused some harm to the en vironment, the other extreme,, an imme diate and total ban of DDT, jinay proVe equally’ harmful to the environment. Reason would dictate, we believe, that particular pesticides should be completely banned only after better alternatives have been found or after it is certain the particu lar pesticide is no longer needed. This was not the .procedure with the gypsy moth and DDT. Hasty and.unsound actioqpn pesticides can take us backward"— with crop losses tor farmers and higher posts for consumers. And a poorer environment for everyone. To Prune Fruit Trees The pruning of fruit trees need not wait until spring and it is suggested that fruit producers and home orehardist's spread the labor load by pruning during the late winter Our fruit specialist lecommends that we prune the apple and pear trees first be cause they are more hardy; plums and sour cherries are next in 01 der, with the peach and sweet cherry trees being left un til warmer weather arrives in Maich Careful pruning controls the size and shape of the tree and permits improved color to the fiuit To Order Lime And Fertilizer The start of the 1971 growing season is about a month away and all faimers and gardeners should be giving some attention to their lime and fei tilizer needs No doubt some farmers have aheady accepted or applied WttAT IS HUMILITY? Lesson for February 14,1971 tackgriunri Scripture: luk* 14 7-11; It 9 14. Jesus’s parable about the places of honor at a banquet re mind me of an experience I had a number of years ago. We were living in the suburbs of New York City at the time. A semi -v da r -te and his wife came M to visit us and had ■ but one request; S they wanted to be 1 in the audience for I one of Jack Paar’s | Tonight shows. ! In order to get there early enough to get good seats, I proposed taking _ a “short-cut” into Rt\. Althousc the city to beat the traffic. Like so many best-laid plans of mice and men, this one v.ent astray and we got to the studio just as the doors were clos ing. When we got inside it was obvious that there were no more seats available except for a front row reserved for V.LP.’s. The lost were first My heart sank, but just then, the usher beckoned to us, leading us down to the front row of seats. I couldn’t believe it: these -were the best possible seats, just a few yards away from the performers. As w e sat down, the crowd, know ing as we did that these seats are reserved for dignitaries, be gan to buzz excitedly with “I wonder who they arc?!’’ ’ Apparently the performers were just as confused for they too smiled and nodded at us. Mr. Hugh Downs came by our seats and chatted with us for a few' minutes. Mr. Paar’s guests on the show would from time to time di rect their attention to us as if we were the sole audience and laier, when Elsa Maxwell brought §ome food on stage, she brought some over to us, setting the stu « {*• |. , »i,, , i ~ ~ EU> ~ , ~ , hJ* NOW IS THE TIME... By Max Smith Lancaster Count; Age_* these materials to their fields. According to the local press, some of these elements are blamed for getting into our focal streams. If fertilizer is €o be stored in bags, it should be kept dry and away from dirt or con crete floors. To Plan 'Kour Estate This is one obligation that every person should perform as soon as they have any posses sions or holdings I’m afraid that far too many of us put estate planning, including the making -of a will, off until it may be too late With more complicated regulations and larger holdings, this task may become more dif ficult and present the need for assistance. We suggest attend ing our forthcoming Estate Planning Meeting on March 4 in the Farm and Home Center, Lancaster. dio audience to buzzing ones again. Often I have wondered why that usher did what he did with us that night. Perhaps he was one of God’s angels sent to demon strate anew that God often makes “the last” to be “first.” My own best efforts to be “first” had end ed in near disaster and it was only an act of grace that literally propelled us forward. 'Humility and truth } - From time to time we must bp thus humbled before we leam n» he truly humble. We must learn J that we cannot make it through life on our own wit and right eousness. In fact, in addition to the fact that we cannot achieve moral perfection, God does not require it of us as a prerequisite to answering our prayers. CRE ATIVE PRAYER, The only de mand God does make of us iji humility, not perfection. ' Often, then, the channel of grace is closed to us, not because we are sinners, hut because we are not humble and, worst of we may not even’know that we are not humble. , Inverted pride So what is humility? St. Vin cent de Paul says, “The reason why God is so great a lover of humility, is because he is the great Lover of Truth.” St. There sa puts it even more simplyt “ • • it has always seemed to me that humility is simply truth.” What God wants of us, then, is not modest lies or self-mutilatioh, but the truth. He wants us to hi honest about ourselves. E. Her man says- “At least one-half of what we call humility, especially the habit of self-accusatioa and self-abasement which passes for a deep sense of sin, is the fruit of self-obsession.” I Self-abasement may often bi no more than an inverted pride, What God wants of us is simply the truth. It is both bad enough dnd good enough without dis tortion. (Used on putlm« copyrighlsd W A* Division of Christian Education, tfetfom f Cound of (K« Chc-chts of Chris* -In 4h > Ssrvico) ** Community tt« I A I * t AtTEND THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE SUNDAY r
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers