10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 25,1971
Health Centers Solve Critical Problem
One or the social problems which has T°, make th ». ( ? encral Hospital program
been all too common In rural areas across possible a comm.ttee of represen
,1 . • • .1 i * « ]» i jtstivGS of various civic and iariu or^aniza
i h H SSS SrStJf* f d 1 d t tions throughout the Quarryville area have
and health facilities. formed a edical comrn i ttee to help ex
plain the program and to raise funds to
finance it.
Jesse Cutler, committee chairman, said
this week that the first $lO,OOO is needed
within the next few days and the total of at
least $20,000 should be raised soon.
Cutler urged interested citizens and or
ganizations to get the money in by October
1. The funds are needed primarily for medi
cal equipment which will be used in the new
health facility on Fourth Street, Quarry
ville.
Usually, doctors in rural areas have
been overburdened with too many patients
and not enough facilities. This combination
of too much work and poor working condi
tions has kept new doctors, which are in
creasingly specialized, from locating in
these areas. As the existing doctors have
retired and died, medical problems have
become increasingly more critical.
While the medical problems in Lancas
ter County have never been as critical as
they are in many of the less densely popu
lated farm counties, lack of enough doctors
to handle their medical needs has been
recognized as an important problem in both
the Quarryville and Christiana areas. Both
communities are taking action to develop
medical centers.
In Quarryville, residents had raised
about $9,000 by early this week to start a
clinic in conjunction with Lancaster Gener
al Hospital. Five doctors under a special
family general practice program will be
working out of the clinic while they continue
their training at Lancaster General.
While the five young doctors are not of
ficially practicing on their own, it should be
emphasized that they have completed the
necessary medical training to set up an of
fice of their own. They are continuing their
training on a voluntary basis.
One of the goals of the program is to
encourage the young doctors to recognize
the critical medical needs of rural areas
and to set up practice in these areas, parti
cularly in the Southern Lancaster County
area.
If this goal is achieved, it will represent
big strides toward the solution to what is
recognized as one of the most critical prob
lems in many rural areas throughout the
country.
The Grange will sponsor a booster night
program, open to the public, at 8:15 p.m. on
September 27 at the Grange Hall in Oakryn.
Three of the five doctors who plan to prac
tice at the center will be on hand to explain
some phase of the health center and to get
acquainted with the local residents.
Rootworm Multiplies Rapidly
One of the most dramatic experiments
at Ag Progress Days «recently i involved
corn rootworm.
Three small plots located within a few
feet of each other showed that first year
corn in the plot which had alfalfa the previ
ous year had almost no rootworm damage,
while second year corn had noticeable dam
age and third year corn was severely
damaged.
In the second year of continuous corn,
there were some goose-necked stalks, but
this represented only a small proportion of
the total. Overall, the yield loss would prob
ably be significant, but not severe in rela
tion to the total output.
But in the plot with the third year of
continuous corn, a high proportion of the
corn stalks, possibly one-third to one-half,
were goose-necked or defective to some
extent. In addition, the corn appeared to be
off-color, slightly yellowish, indicating nu
tritional deficiencies.
A researcher explained that the corn
was not receiving enough nitrogen from the
soil, even though the soil had plenty of
nitrogen, the same level as the corn in the
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 626-2181
Robert G. Campbell, Advertising Director
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
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Cutler said that the spirit of the people
in the area has been good and there has
been considerable cooperation. But he em
phasized the need for the additional funds.
Cutler said one of the main questions
raised by citizens is why shouldn’t the doc
tors set up their own facilities, as other
businesses and services do. He said that
there’s a shortage of doctors and that other
communities which need these doctors have
provided such facilities; Quarryville can’t
compete for medical services without pro
viding some facilities, he explained.
-We would add that, according to a re
cent estimate by an existing Quarryville
doctor, the Quarryville area needs at least
twice the number bf doctors that it now has.
It is highly doubtful that these doctors
can be obtained without direct action by the
community itself.
Also, a fund campaign in the neighbor
hood of $20,000 is extremely modest in an
effort to solve this type of problem. Re
ports from other communities that we have
seen indicate the cost usually exceeds $lOO,-
000.
While the cost may go up before a com
plete solution is reached in Southern Lan
caster County, we think it shows that the
problem is being approached with a view
toward minimizing the cost for local citi
zens.
Because the cost is minimal and be
cause the present effort may solve a critical
problem, we think the people of Southern
Lancaster County should make sure that
funding is not a stumbling block to this
project.
other two plots. He explained that the root
worm had destroyed the corn’s roots to such
an extent that the corn simply could not
take enough nitrogen to develop properly.
Lancaster County Extension agents in
form us some local farmers have been com
plaining that their corn turned yellow even
though they applied lots of nitrogen. This
research shown at Ag Progress Days indi
cates farmers should control rootworm, as
well as apply nitrogen.
Besides being severely malformed and
off-color, the third year continuous corn was
noticeably shorter than the corn in the
other two plots.
While it’s still too early to say what the
difference in yield will be between the three
plots, it is almost certain that the third year
plot will show very significant yield reduc
tion in comparison with the first year plot.
The demonstration, we think, vividly
underscores what local Extension agents
and agri-businessmen have been telling
farmers all along about the dangers of
build-ups of corn rootworm on land devoted
to continuous corn.
Farmers with second year or longer
continuous corn should definitely be paying
close attention to their fields this year and
any significant indications of rootworm at
tack this year would indicate the need
either for switching to another crop on the
land next year or using control measures
against Ihe corn rootworm next year.
The important point to remember is
that once the rootworm becomes well estab
lished, it multiplies very rapidly, moving
from a situation of relatively little damage
one year to severe damage the following
year.
While we saw no evidence at Ag Pro
gress Days concerning other crops and
other pests, we suspect that the general les
son of the rootworm with continuous corn
should be remembered in relation to other
crops and other pests.
NOW IS
THE TIME..
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
TO SECURE STAND-BY
GENERATOR
Many of us do not realize how
much we depend upon electricity
until we are deprived of it. With
more of our farms becoming
higher mechanized using more
electric motors, it might be very
difficult to operate without
power. Many ventilations
systems, automatic feeders,
water systems, milking
machines, and other labor-saving
devices must have electric
power. All farmers with these
kind of operations should select a
stand-by generator and have it
ready for any emergency. Winter
is approaching when heavy
snows and ice strorms may
disrupt power for several days.
Be prepared to furnish power on
your own and prevent serious
losses.
TO RECOGNIZE WITH
DRAWAL TIME
There are many drugs and
antibiotics used today to treat
livestock and poultry. When used
properly they render a valuable
service and contribute to efficient
production. The important thing
is that producers become
familiar with and recognize the
length of time required, after
treatment, before the animal
should be slaughtered or in the
case of milk cows, the length of
time before the milk should be
READ LANCASTER FARMING
FOR FULL MARKET REPORTS
WHAT’S IT ALL
ABOUT?
Lesson for September 26, 1971
leckground Scripture Psalms 73, Ephe
sians 1
Devotional Reading Philippians 3 4b-
As soon as an infant is born
into this world he becomes part
of an unquestioned routine Even
as he grows and matures and be
gins to take some responsibility
for himself he does most of what
he does without reasoning why.
We settle down
into patterns of
life, routines, ha
bitual practices
and become too
busy to spend
much time in
questioning what
or why
There comes a
jSv.^K
jrW
day, however,
Rev. Althouse when at last it oc
curs to us to step back, look at
the lives we lead, and ask: “What’s
it all about?” Suddenly the things
we have done all our lives seem
incomprehensible. It is as if we
have been sleep-walking and sud
denly have been awakened. The
world, once so familiar, so under
standable, seems strange and in
comprehensible. Where are we,
we wonder? Where have we been
and where are we going?
The meaning of life
Life and existence have always
puzzled men. Does it really have
saved. The manufacturer of the
product should have this on the
label or local veterinarians can
give this advice. With the Food
and Drug becoming more active
with their inspection of farm
products, in order to protect the
consumer, all producers
should use careful management
at all times.
TO SEED WINTER BARLEY
In the southeastern counties
winter barley is a profitable
grain crop and deserves some
acreage on most livestock farms.
Late September is usually a good
time to make the seeding so that
the root systems will get well
strated before freezing weather.
Barley responds well to lime
when the soU is not in the 6.5 to 7.0
ph range; this should be worked
into the soil before the grain is
seeded. When lodging is a
problem only a phosphorus
potash fertilizer should be used;
applications of manure will also
increase the problem of lodging.
Barley is one of the best sub
stitutes for com in most livestock
rations; the straw is also very
suitable to livestock bedding
needs. With wheat prices less
attractive in recent years, and'
since wheat may not be as
suitable as barley on many farms
in die grain rations, it appears
that winter barley can make a
useful contribution to the
livestock production program.
a purpose? Does it make some
kind of sense? Is this real or is
life just a cruel illusion? What
are we doing here and what are
we expected to accomplish? Can
we really get anywhere with all
this struggle or is it as futile as
it seems? Am I justified in trying
to see some meaning and purpose
in it or am I simply wasting my
time’
Aren’t these questions that all
of us ask at sometime? They are
as old as man himself. Just as
man has been eternally seeking to
discover all he can about God, so
he has also been searching to dis
cover all he can about life and
its purpose. Some men have des
paired and given up the struggle
to live a meaningful life. Others
have concluded that they must
squeeze out of it all that they
can, as long as they can
Then I perceived ....
Others, however, have found
their answers as they have turned
to God The Psalmist confesses
“ But when I thought how to un
derstand this, it seemed to me a
wearisome task until I went into
the sanctuary of God; then I per
ceived their end.” (Psalms 73:16,
17). Like others, he despaired of
finding any meaning in life until
he turned to God and at last re
ceived from him the understand
ing he needed.
Apart from God we cannot find
either meaning or purpose for
life. If there is no God, then life
is futile and without any meaning.
Because we believe that he
knows what it’s all about, we can
face life with confident faith.
(Ba»d on outlines copyrighted by th«
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of tho Churchos of Christ in tho U.S.A.
Roloasod by ComrAunity Pross Sorvico.)