4
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 20,1971
Play Safe With Seed Corn
As could be anticipated following last
year’s corn blight, there has been sharp
competition among farmers to obtain the
relatively small supply of blight resistant
seed available.
Our reports indicate that only a little
more than 20 per cent of all seed corn will
be of the resistant type. This means that
only about one out of every fi\e acres of
corn to be planted next year will be with
resistant seed.
So it is obvious that not everyone can
plant resistant seed.
Our reports indicate most of the re
sistant seed is being parceled out by the
established seed companies to their cus
tomers.
As usual, when a shortage of any type
exists and there is a strong demand for a
product, there has been quite a scramble.
Some of the scramblers have been and
are trying to profit from the blight scare
by buying resistant seed at high prices and
selling for even higher prices. These
scramblers ha\ e created the so-called black
market in corn seed.
Along with the more or less legitimate
profiteers in seed corn, there haie been
reports of thefts of resistant seed and many
types of questionable and dishonest prac
tices.
For mstance, there have been reports in
some areas of men who bought the bags in
which resistant seed originally was sold and
then filled these bags with regular corn to
sell as resistant corn.
The point for the indiudual farmer
should be clear Stay away from black mar-
Consider Foreign Markets
The U. S. Government has been placing
much emphasis on agricultural exports. As
much as one fourth of total U. S. agricul
tural output now is being shipped to other
countries, recent reports indicate.
Much of this export market is geared to
the large scale wheat, corn and soybean pro
duction in other parts of the country, parti
cularly m the Mid-west and parts ot the
South.
In the East, particularly in this part of
Pennsylvania, farms generally are smaller
family units which are not suited to the
large scale production which is necessary
for the grain export markets. This local
area actually is a net importer of these feed
products from other parts ot the country.
But this does not necessarily mean that
this area cannot benefit from a strong ex
port market
Many foreign countries now are becom
ing industrialized and are turning to other
countries for food products.
Japan is an outstanding example. In
fiscal 1970, U S farm exports to Japan
totaled Sl.l billion, the largest amount ever
shipped from one country to another in a
single year
To get a sense of the importance of the
>1 1 billion export to Japan, note that all of
Pennsylvania's 67 counties ha\e a yearly
arm production of about SI billion a year.
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P. 0. Box 266 Lititz, Pa. 17543
Office: 22 E Main St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone: Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Robert G Campbell, Advertising Director
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
Subscription price $2 per year in Lancaster
County. S 3 elsewhere
Established November 4,1955
Published evrry Saturday by Lancaster
Farming, Lititz, Pa.
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa.
17543.
Member of Newspaper Farm Editors Assn
Pa. Newspapei Publishers Association, and
National Np«.cnan a r Association
ket corn; its inflated costs may be the least
of its problems.
Warnings to stay away from black mar
ket corn are coming from many reliable
quarters, including the Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture, and the farmer
who ignores these warnings is gambling
with the success of his own farming opera
tion in the coming year.
While there is still some danger from
blight in 1971, we believe that the farmer is
much safer with blend or regular corn from
a reliable dealer than with black market
corn from a source on which he cannot
depend.
The farmer who buys a good blend seed
or the seed of a non-resistant variety which
showed good results in 1970 is the farmer
who is most likely to have a good corn crop
in 1971.
After buying the good seed, the next
most important thing is to follow all the
cultural practices which experience show
ed last year helped slow down the blight.
For instance, Extension specialists ad
vise farmers to plant early, make sure the
ground is properly fertilized, provide for
good control of weeds and insects, don’t mis
use chemicals, keep plant population to a
reasonable level. These are the types of
factors which provide maximum plant
growth and strength, gi\ e maximum resist
ance to blights, and insure the farmer top
yields.
For the farmer intent on a sound farm
ing program using the best available man
agement practices, black market corn is
unwise and unnecessary.
Total U S. farm exports now are running at l
about S 7 billion a year.
Along with Japan's industrialization in
recent years, there has been a change in
Japanese diets away from traditional foods'
such as rice toward more familiar Western
diets that emphasize meat, milk and eggs.
In Japan as in the U.S., when consum
ers have more money to spend, they spend
a large share of it on high protein foods.
These are some of the same products
which are receiving increasing producer
emphasis in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Trends similar to those in Japan are
taking place in the European countries. Un
fortunately, many of these countries are
setting up major trade banners through the
Common Market. Despite this, the U. S. is
maintaining a large \olume of farm ex
ports to Europe
While the major Eastern markets such
as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York,
Baltimore and Washington need the locally
produced food products, the existence of a
strong export market can mean a great deal
to the farmer in terms of maintaining a
good price for his products.
Because of the importance of both the
export and import markets in determining
local farm prices, foreign trade is one sub
ject that some local farmers and farm lead
ers might begin to study more with a view
toward future programs and activities in
which might be of benefit to local farmers.
The implications of the tremendous
volumes of goods which are brought into,
this country and shipped abroad should not
be overlooked. - For instance, the wide
spread and growing use of many Japanese
products, the so-called “miniaturized”
items, suggest the importance of the issue.-
And, as the Lit estock Market Digest re
cently concluded in an editorial headed
Japanese Diet Changes Offer Big Oppor
tunity”:
■■American’s widespread importation of
Japanese products suggests that the U. S
ought to ha\e a faiored status. More than
that, howe\ er, U S industry needs to prac
tice the sort of salesmanship and know-how
in getting faim products to that Japanese
market which it has exhibited at home.”
To Plant Early
With several of our spring
crops, it is very important to
get them into the ground just
as soon as weather conditions
permit. I’m referring to spring
oats,and to straight seedings of
alfalfa With the spring oats, it
is extremely important to sow
them in March, if possible. La
ter planting will have less yield
due to the dry, hot weather
which, usually comes early in
southeastern Pennsylvania.
Springs seedings of alfalfa will
also, get a better start before
hot weather, if they are planted
lateJn March or early April.
To Be Cautious With Strangers
During the spring months,
many farmers and property
owners are confronted with
various salesmen selling many
special bargains It is possible
that spme of these are satisfac
tory and that the person is
honest and reliable; however,
in other cases when the per
son is a stranger in the com-
ARE YOU READY?
Lesson for March 21,1971
UdcflrcuftJ Scripture; MdUhtW 25:1*13;
Mork 43-21-37. , .
- Dcvetienvl Reusing: Watthrv/ 24;35-44»
Most of the parables that Jesus
told are teachings about the king
dom of God. Jesus used these
stories to help his listeners un
derstand what it was like. He did
not describe it in generalities and
abstract terms, but illustrated its
-,ature through
"ories drawn
•om the lives of
iepple.
Think of what
has said about
ie kingdom in
tese stories. In
iatthew 13 there
. a story about a
- man who sowed
Rev. Aithousc good seed in his
field—on the day of judgement
the wheat will be separated from
the tares; only the righteous will
enter the kingdom. In Matthew 18
he tells of a king who settle ac
counts with his servants—only
those who forgive others will en
ter the kingdom. In Matthew 20
we find a householder who went
out early in the morning to hire
laborers for his vineyard—the
kingdom is entered by the grace
of God, not the merit of men. In
Matthew 22 we find a king who
gave a marriage feast for his son
and sent his servants to call those
who were invited—the kingdom
will be entered by those who will
ingly respond to the great invi
tation.
The price of unreadiness
This week we turn to another
parable of the kingdom in which
ue find that the kingdom may be
compared to: “. . . ten maidens
who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom” What is
Jesus saying here about the king
dom’
The local wedding customs of
Palestine directed that the bride-
NOW IS
THE TIME..,
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
munity, the product may not
turn out to be as represented,
and also, the salesman may be
difficult to locate when an ad
justment is wanted. We suggest
that business transactions be
made with reliable persons and
concerns who are willing to give
service and make adjustments
when necessary.
To Practice Farm Safety
The 1971 cropping season is
approaching when many pieces
of farm machinery will be put
into action. We urge all opera
tors to take time to be safe and
follow the manufacturer's direc
tions relating to shields and pro
tective equipment. We realize
that young folks like to ride
tractors and other farm equip
ment, but want to point out
that they will be safer if not
permitted to do so. Haste and
carelessness comes very easily
when we are under pressure to
get the job done; however, they
can cause serious accidents and
loss of life and property.
groom should come to the house
of his biide in the evening. The
time of his coming is not set for
a specific hour, but is left in
definite, thus leading to a humor
ous suspense to the story. The ten
girls are close friends of the
bride and it is their duty to wait
with her at the bride’s home. It
was traditional for them to go
out to greet and welcome the
bridegroom and escort him in
honor to the bride.
When the delayed bridegroom
comes, five of the girls are out
trying to buy some additional oil
for their lamps which have gone
out. We may wonder why the five
wise bridesmaids did not share
their oil reserves with the others.
Is Jesus telling us not to share
what we have? No, this is only a
detail in the story and is not in*
tended to be an example for the
Christian.
The point of the parable, then,
is that failure to be ready for the
kingdom’s opportunities will keep
us from experiencing them. We
have, therefore, added to our list
Of people who will be excluded
from the kingdom. Already it in
cludes: those who reject the invi
tation, those who are preoccupied
with other matters, those who
deny mercy to others—and now
we add: those who do not pre
pare themselves for its coming.
Paved with “good intentions”
There was nothing evil about
the five “foolish” girls. They did
not reject the invitation. They
were not too preoccupied to come.
They were not hateful or proud
or unforgiving. They were simply
careless. How foolish to lose such
an opportunity!
You may think that this is a
comparatively harmless failing,
yet we must remember that “the
way to Hell is paved with good
intentions.” Very often the great
est judgement falls, not upon the
evil (of whom little or nothing is
expected), but upon the good
(who should know' better).
Is this not one of our great
dangers today? Many of us do not
reject the great invitation of
Christ’s kingdom, yet, having
heard his call, we are neverthe
less unready when the oppor
tunity comes.
(%oj#a on og*i f:«s copyrighted by th#
Division of Cht *»»ar« Education, National
Council o* "hurchM of Christ in th«
USA. tatatwl ny Community Pres#
Some*)