10
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 11,1971
On Harvesting
Blighted corn presents quite a manage
ment challenge for farmers.
The presence of blight completely
changes values and relationships with
which the farmer has worked for many
years.
When and if blight strikes, the challenge
is to keep losses to a minimum and attempt
to salvage as much feed value from the crop
as possible. But since no one can predict
ahead of time just how fast the blight will
work and how much damage it will cause,
determining what to do is at best very dif
ficult. Still, the farmer must make im
portant decisions; even the decision not to
do anything is still a decision and repre
sents one of the choices available.
While many farmers have sprayed their
blighted corn, we suspect that the great
majority of the approximately 150,000 acres
of corn in Lancaster County and similarly
large amounts in neighboring counties is
being handled in one of two basic ways:
either nothing is done and the farmer hopes
that the blight won’t be too severe, or the
farmer attempts to harvest the corn, parti
cularly the most severely blighted corn, as
silage.
Probably harvesting as silage will do
more than any other single thing to mini
mize blight losses in Southeastern Penn
sylvania this year. Many fields of corn
which otherwise would have been a total or
nearly total loss if allowed to mature for
grain will be ensiled with very little or only
partial loss.
In harvesting blighted corn as silage,
the individual farmer should remain aware
that he has considerable leeway in dete
mining just how much feed value he will
get from-the corn.
Research by Penn State University
shows for instance, that corn which is har
vested as silage 10 days prior to the silk
stage will net the farmer only 2,000 pounds
of TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients) per
acre. But corn which is kept in the field
longer and harvested at the dent to early
glaze stage will net the farmer 8,300 pounds
of TDN per acre. Actually, we know tha<
many local farmers get much higher TDN
yields per acre, indicating that the value of
allowing the crop to mature as much as
possible can be much greater than even
these figures indicate.
The Penn State research also showed
that simply allowing the crop to mature
from the milk to the previously noted dent
to early glaze stage can result in more than
a 50 per cent increase in TDN per acre. In
the milk stage, the crop will yield 5,300
TDN per acre, while in the dent to early
glaze stage the figure jumps to 8,300 TDN
per acre.
This research strongly underscores the
importance of allowing the crop to mature
as much as possible. We are informed that
when farmers see blight attacking their
crop, the typical reaction is to harvest the
crop for silage immediately. The impulse to
harvest should be restrained.
Right Food Helps Pretty Girls
Many teenagers believe that looks are
an external matter, that they can’t in
fluence their appearance from the inside.
But this isn’t true, says Mrs. Ruth J. Buck,
Penn State Extension foods and nutrition
specialist.
The benefits of good health, such as at
tractive hair, skin, eyes and figure, come
in part from food.
It is much easier and less expensive for
a teenage girl to fix her hair attractively
if it has a natural sheen and springiness,
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P O. 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 every Saturday by Lancaster
Farming, Lititz, P*.
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa
17543.
Member of Newspaper Farm Editors Assn.
Pa. Newspaper Publishers Association, and
National Newspaper Association
Blighted Corn
When blight strikes, it often will kill the
lower half or even the lower three quarters
of the plant leaves, or only partially kill the
leaves on the plant. But with even just a few
leaves or parts of leaves still alive, the plant
often can continue to grow. This continue
growth is particularly important in develop
ing the ear, which is the source of a major
portion of the feed value of the plant.
Nature has provided for most plants,
including corn, to reproduce under very un
favorable conditions; the ear often will con
tinue to develop even though the plant may
seem to be mostly dead.
Besides getting the most growth pos
sible out of the plant, the farmer should
pay close attention to the average moisture
content of his silage when it is put into the
silo. Most figures we see indicate an overall
moisture content of about 65 per cent is de
sirable. Silage with a content much higher
than this will cause drainage problems and
a moisture content appreciably lower can
result in mold problems.
But farmers should remember that the
majority of corn weight is in the stalk and
ears. When blight strikes, the leaves often
die, but the ears and stalk may continue tc
have a very high moisture content, parti
cularly if there are a few leaves still alive
for many days afterwards. This means that
a field which looks dead could still have toe
high a moisture level for proper making c
silage.
Some reports we have seen indicate
that if the farmer errs in timing of his silage
making, particularly in regard to blighter
silage, he should err in the direction of mak
ing it too dry. If it gets too dry, however, he
should add water when it is put into the silo
to bring it to the 65 per cent level.
One factor which may compel the
farmer to harvest earlier, even harvest at a
stage when the silage has too much mois
ture, is the presence of rot, which can be
come severe with blight. If rot begins to
seriously deteriorate the quality of the stalk
and ear, the farmer may feel compelled to
harvest early, even though the field is not
properly dried.
Farmers who have silo space should, of
course, ensile their most severely blighted
corn. This may mean ensiling some fields
which had been planned for grain and al
lowing some fields intended for silage to
become grain.
We expect that many farmers who did
spray will find that it was highly profitable.
While spraying increases the cost of their
crop, the additional crop yield made pos
sible may be several times greater than the
cost.
The blight forced farmers to make
many important management decisions this
year. The combination of the decisions
all the way from purchase of seed through
harvest that were made in relation to
the blight will be among the most important
factors in determining how well the indi
vidual farmer succeeds this year.
points out Mrs. Buck. And the food she eats
can influence the condition of her hair, as
well as her skin, weight and figure.
According to studies done on this mat
ter, teenagers need to choose foods more
thoughtfully. Nutritionists have developed
simple guides to make food selection easier.
One guide puts the key foods in four main
groups milk, vegetable-fruit, bread
cereal, and meat.
Teenagers can get a good nutritional
foundation by choosing specified amounts
of food from each group, explains Mrs.
Buck. They can then use additional foods
to round out their meals and meet their in
dividual need for food energy.
The number of combinations of foods
that can be eaten is unlimited. And by
choosing the right combinations to meet in-'
dividual needs, teenagers will also be in
better physical condition to resist diseases.
Health is more than just not being sick.
Teenagers can seriously shortchange them
selves nutritionally without being sick,
points out Mrs. Buck. They can limit their •
ability to work and play.
And the experts are not guessing. Care
fully planned studies conducted over ex
tended periods have proven that there is a
relationship between good eating and good
health.
NOW IS
THE TIME..
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Pack Horizontal Silos
' The use of trench or other
rbove-the-ground &los this fall
may be quite common due to the
large amount of corn that will
do better when made into silage.
There is little reason why good
quality silage may not be made
into this type of storage provid
ing several practices are follow
ed The silage should be chop
ped fine and packed solid in the
least amount of time between
the first and the last load Seal
out the air with plastic covers
and keep adjusting the plastic as
the silage settles Good drainage
away from the silage is also im
portant All youngsters and all
livestock should be kept off of
the top of the silo, place old tires
or chopped weeds on top of the
plastic to keep it tight against
the surface of the silage at all
points. Many-tons of good silage
have been made in horizontal
structures, but it does require
better management to keep it
from spoiling.
To Prepare For Winter Oats
Farmers who are planning to
sow winter oats in this part of
the state should be getting their
ground ready for mid-Septem
ber is the proper time to plant
winter oats. The ground should
bewell drained and limed and
fertilized according to a complete
soil test. . The main problem
with winter oats production has
been winter killing; this is the
INCOMPARABLE
GOD
Lesson for September 12,1971
Background Scripture Exodus 33 12 23,
Job 11 7-9, 37 23 24, Isaiah 40 11-26,
26, Romans 11 33 36
Devoteenal Reading. Psalms 86 8-13
A little girl was working deter
minedly with a piece of paper
and some crayons “What are you
drawing’” asked her grandfather.
Without stopping to look up, she
replied, “I’m drawing a picture
of God.” Amused, her grand
father said, “But
we don’t know
what God looks
like.” Snapped
the little girl:
“We will when
I’m finished!”
Many people are
somewhat like
that little girl:
they are very con-
Rev. Althouse fident that their
concept of God is entirely ade
quate and complete Yet, though
the Bible does tell us much about
the nature of God, it also suggests
that-after we have said all that
we can say about God, there is
always more that lies beyond our
knowledge.
The "otherness” of God
The Hebrews, though they fre
quently spoke of God in terms
that made him seem very much
like a man, also acknowledged
that there was an “otherness”
about him. God was always more
than a man could experience of
him. They might speak to him as
if he were a man, they might
icason we suggest mid-Septem
ber planting on well drained
soils. If the crop does not win
tc-r-kill, many farmers have got
ten over 100 bushel of oats per
acre. According to the 1971
Agronomy Guide, Norhne con
tinues to be one of the recom
mended varieties to plant.
To Evaluate Alfalfa-Growing
Practices
Some growers in other parts of
our country are getting about
double the tonnage from alfalfa
a® we do here in Southeastern
Pennsylvania. There must be
reasons for this and it could be
improper management. I’d like
to repeat the need for more at
tention to the timing of the last
cutting this fall. We are inform
ed by research workers that the
September cutting should be
from 25 to 50 per cent in bloom
and that we should permit time
for some growth (6 to 8 inches)
before a killing frost. Most ex
periments show damage to the
roots if the last cutting is remov
ed just before cold weather. I’d
like to suggest that the Septem
ber cuttingbe made by the mid
dle of the months and on stands
that are out in blossom as men
tioned. If they are not into that
stage of maturity by mid-Sep
tember, then allow them to stand
foi winter protection. Fields
high in fertility will show less
winter killing and retain good
stands longer than those that are
not kept well limed and fertiliz
ed.
think of him in human terms, but
they were quite aware that God’s
nature always far transcended
their own.
This “difference” between man
and God they regarded with great
reverence. Because of it they
avoided speaking the name of
God, for it was considered too
sacred to utter. In Exodus, fur
thermore, we find God saying:
“But you cannot see my face; for
man shall not see me and live”
(33:20). To see God so clearly, so
completely, it was thought, would
be a fatal experience. The “other
ness” of God is too grand, too
terrible for the. mind of man to
behold
What likeness of God?
“To whom, then, will you liken
God, or what likeness compare
with him’” (40.18). The Hebrews
were constantly tempted to make
idols to represent the divine real
ities Ridiculing these finite dei
ties, Isaiah says “he seeks out a
skillful craftsman to set up an
image that will not move” (40:
20b). How can a man worship
such a finite god, the prophet
wants to know? We must worship
something or Someone who is
much more than we are or can
ever be.
The Bible thus tells us not only
that men have always celebrated
their knowledge of God, but also
that they have celebrated the re
ality that there is always so much
more to God than we can ever
know. We are inspired by a God
whose meaning is not exhausted
by our limited minds. As Paul
puts it- “0 the depth of the rich
es and wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are his
judgements and how inscrutable
his ways” (Romans 11:33).
Man needs an incomparable
God.
(Idled on outlines copyrighted the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of tho Churches of Christ in the U.S.A,
Released by Community Press Services)