—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 22, 1972
10
Please Use
We notice a report m the daily press this
week that state police will begin enforcing
the Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) law on
Amish buggies by February 12
This law actually went into effect and
was supposed to be enforced on all
vehicles travelling under 25 miles per hour
in October, we were previously informed.
But it takes time for everyone to become
aware of new laws such as this and to get
around to locating and putting on the new
triangular fluorescent yellow-orange and
red emblems
Lately, we’ve seen some farm vehicles
and buggies which have the SMV em
blems, we’ve also seen many without
them
In the name of safety, we can’t urge too
strongly the need for these emblems
It wasn’t too many years ago that 50
miles an hour was a very fast speed
travelled only by drunks and fools But
today, the roads and autos are built for
speeds much faster Interstate roads
commonly have speeds of 65 and 70 miles
per hour, with minimum speeds of 40 miles
per hour
Unfortunately, motorists used to driving
at very fast speeds often are lulled into
assuming that everything else on the high
way is going at the same speed The
distance between the fast moving vehicle
and the slow moving vehicle is bridged all
too rapidly Rear-end collisions are all too
frequent
Actually, we understand that a recent
rash of collisions involving buggies and
autos is the reason for the recent decision
to begin enforcement of the SMV law on
Remember Investment Credits
A tax point made in the January issue of
Top Op magazine and being called to the
attention of local farmers is
You’ll welcome back the 7 per cent in
vestment credit on new and used
production and office equipment made in
the U S A and on some storage facilities on
the farm (corn cribs, gram bins, silos, apple
and potato storage, etc ) And for the first
time investment credit will apply to
livestock - recent additions to herds used
for breeding or dairy purposes
This credit is far better than a business
On Corn Field Management
Penn State University Extension agents
and many agri-businessmen are urging
farmers to chop, disc or plow under this
year’s corn stalks
We think it is very good advice
The debris on the surface of the ground
can enable both insects and diseases to
survive through the winter But experience
has shown that if this material is chopped
LANCASTER FARMING
I.ancastei County’s ()\mi Farm Weekly
P 0 Bo\ 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543
Oilice 22 E Main St , Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Kobcit G Campbell, Achertismg Director
Zane Wilson. Managing Editor
Subsci iplion price $2 per year in Lancaster
County $3 elsewhere
Established November 4, 1955
Published e\ er> Saturday
caster Farming, Lititz, Pa
Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa
17541
Members of Newspapers Farm Editors
Assn , Pa Newspaper Publishers
Association, and National Newspaper
Association
SMV Emblems
buggies Police will give some warnings
before making any arrests, it is reported.
Today, the only safe way to drive is the
technique known as defensive driving. This
technique assumes that every’ other
motorist on the highway may make a wrong
move at any time and that the incorrect
move of the other driver will require a
defensive maneuver in order to avoid a
wreck This attitude involves doing
everything possible to help the other guy
avoid having a wreck.
This attitude can be nerve wrecking But
it can also avoid a lot of accidents
When it’s realized that more than 50,000
persons in U.S die each year on the high
ways, including from 50 to 75 per year in
Lancaster County alone, the importance of
defensive driving begins to become clear.
This death loss doesn’t include the fan
tastic toll in terms of injuries, medical costs
and property loss
We think the SMV emblem is an easy,
clear-cut way to warn all to today’s speed
demons
Look out 1 Slow down 1 There’s a vehicle
ahead which is travelling at less than 25
miles per hour
It won’t stop ail rear end collisions It
won’t eliminate the frightful highway ac
cident toll
But we're convinced the SMV emblem is
a simple, inexpensive way to stop some
slow moving buggies and farm vehicles
from getting clobbered on the road.
We believe that every vehicle which
travels on the highway at speeds less than
25 miles per hour should carry this SMV
emblem— for everyone’s protection and
safety
deduction, because it directly decreases
the tax you owe Uncle Sam. It reduces your
tax by 7 per cent of your “Qualified in
vestments" in these * depreciable
properties with useful lives of 7 years or
longer The "qualified investment” is
scaled down by a percentage formula for
properties having a shorter life, with 3
years as a minimum You will claim in
vestment credit on Form 3468 for eligible
properties delivered on August 16 or
thereafter m 1971, or on deliveries prior to
August 16 if you ordered the items no
earlier than April 1, last year
up and brought mto contact with the soil
the debris will be rotted and the disease
and insects mostly destroyed.
These practices do not rule out the use of
no-till corn Among possible procedures for
no-till, disc the corn stalks and plant a fall
cover crop, using the cover crop in the
spring for the no-till corn cover.
We notice that many farmers are going
back out in the field after corn harvest to
harvest the stalks, chopping them for
bedding As straw becomes increasingly
scarce and expensive, we expect to see
more and more of this done But a word of
caution the more you take out of the field,
the more you need to put back in order to
continue to get top yields in the future
While it is believed that the planting of
almost all N cytoplasm corn in 1972 will
eliminate the southern corn blight, farmers
should not forget that many other potential
problems are lurking These include yellow
corn blight and northern corn blight, as
well as various other diseases and insects
Little steps and practices now to keep
these problems to a minimum will be amply
rewarded at harvest time next year
Lan-
NOW IS
THE TIME . .
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
To Recognize
Manuare Value
Manure has fertilizer values
and should be recognized as
livestock by-product on the farm.
- The proper use of manure can
grealty affect you fertilizer
needs. Although manure contains
many plant nutrients, it is most
valuable for its nitrogen content.
Therefore, manure is best suited
lor those crops that require large
nitrogen applications and where
the manure can be incorporated
into the soil The problem of how
to handle the manure supply on
the farm seems to be getting
more complicated because of the
possibility of pollution along with
the efficient use of the fertilizer
nutrients. Various forms of
storage are being used and are
satisfactory as long as the fer
tilizer nutrients are not permitted
to leach away. Spreading on the
fields just prior to plowing, or
incorporating into the topsoil, is
also getting considerable at
tention
To Deal With
Reliable Concerns
The unknown salesman of
fering a special bargain should be
accepted with caution. During
the winter and spring months,
most farmers are confronted
with many salesmen promoting
large variety of products. The
policy of dealing with reputable
individual representing a well
founded concern is usually good
advice. This individual may not
be making the cheapest offer, but
it might turn out to be the best.
To Do Farm Planning
Farm planning is a very vital
EXPENSIVE
Of SCIPLESH IP
Lesson for January 23,1972
MckgreunW Scripture Luke 9 1-6, 23-
25, 57-62
Devatianal Rnding Matthew 19 16 22.
By now you are probably re
ceiving in the mail the Christmas
bills that seem as inevitable as
the twenty-fifth of December it
self If you are like many of us,
you may have spent too much
again. Strange, how in December
Sit seems so right
to spare no ex
pense. Holiday
extravagence
seems to have be
come the norm
Rev. Althouse
No marked
down disciple
ship
If only we could
cairy that same sense of abandon
into our Christian committment.
Many of us are not opposed to
discipleship, but we often beg-off
because the cost seems too high
Maj be another way of putting it
would be to say if only we were
as prudent wuth our holiday
spending as we are with our
Christian discipleship’
In some things we are accus
tomed to sparing no expense, but
We are careful to avoid extrava
gent acts and promises Yet,
not in Christian committment.
Jesus makes it quite clear that
extravagant discipleship is the
norm for all of us, not the act of
the gifted few
part of good farm management
and should be done prior to the
cropping season. During the
winter months, it is strongly
advised that commerical far
mers do some “pencil-pushing”
in order to get organized for the
coming year Farm records
should be evaluated in order to
locate the most profitable en
terprises and to try and plug the
financial loop-holes. The needs of
each crop should be listed and
arrangements made for the
materials needed. The early
ordering of materials will give a
better chance to get the variety
and quality needed.
To Control Livestock
Parasites
All kinds of livestock are
getting additional attention this
year becuase through livestock is
the best way to market the
cheaper 1971 grain crops. This
means that larger profits will be
realized if the animals are
healthy and produce efficiently.
Both external and internal
parasites will reduce the thrift of
any animal and make him less
profitable. Stomach worms are
quite common in most species of
livestock and can be eliminated
quite readily with modern
pesticides. Body lice make the
animals uncomfortable and
permit them to make poorer
gains and efficiency. Any type of
parasite will eat into the profits
and should be eradicated from
the start of any feeding program.
Good sanitation is also needed
along with chemical treatments.
Look at the itemized bill. For
one thing it costs us our sense of
self-sufficiency. “Take nothing for
your journey ...” (Luke 9:3)
Jesus told his twelve. He wanted
them to acknowledge from the
very beginning their dependence
upon God and their faith in his
goodness Trust God to get you
through, he was saying.
Secondly, they would have to
give up their erroneous- ideas
about success “And wherever
they do not receive you ..”
t 9 5) They were called to preach
and heal and let the concern
about results to Jesus. They
would be successful if they were
faithful to their mission, the
question of statistics they were
to let to the Master. Too often we
worry about numerical success
when all God wants of us is to do
the job which he has called us.
It’s hard for us to let that in his
hands, isn’t it’
Letting-go and picking up
One of the biggest costs of dis
cipleship is letting-go of self. “If
any man would come after me,
let him deny himself . .” (9:23).
To relinquish our ideas, our will,
our desires seems almost impos
sible for some of us Yet, God can
do little with us until, in a sense,
we are willing to get out of his
way, to step aside so that he can
do what he wants
We not only lay down our self
interest, but we also take some
thing upon us, too. “ . and take
up his cross daily and follow me.”
We must be willing to pick up a
burden, to carry some responsi
bility just as Jesus bore the
weight of a heavy wooden plank
to Calvary
There is no marked-down dis
cipleship It is always expensive
and it requires nothing less than
an extravagant response
(Based on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S A.
Released by Community Press Service.)