—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, April 15 1972 10 Across the Editor's Desk Food prices have risen, but before condemning farmers and ranchers and threatening them with a wave of controls, a few facts must be considered if the nation wishes to continue eating in the style to which it has become accustomed Foremost among these facts is that farm prices still remain at pre-inflation low levels Food prices have risen because of inflationary increases in handling costs The plight of the farmer is well expressed in an article appearing on the editorial page of a major daily newspaper It is pointed out that, “Farmers and ranchers are expected to stay on the land rather than join the job-seekers in the city On Less Scare During the past year or so, warnings and prohibitive laws relative to products, eaten, worn and used in everyday life have bedeviled industries and consumers to the point of near hysteria More information is now coming to light concerning some of these alarms Last year, spokesmen for the Federal Food and Drug Administration reported “unsafe levels of mercury” had been found in bans of tuna The scare over mercury continued for months although after the report came out, another authority at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts said scientists appeared merely to have uncovered a natural phenomenon that has been going on for millions of years The pesticide DDT has been accused of about every evil in the book Its use has been widely banned Serious Error in Knowledge The belief has been encouraged that we are running out of forests and that once a forest is harvested it is gone forever. An authoritative representative of the timber industry, writing m The Wall Street Journal, seeks to set the record straight. First, he says, “We are not running out of forest” When Columbus landed on the shores of North America there was something over a billion acres of forest in what is now the 48 contiguous states “Today”, says the timber authority, “500 LANCASTER FARMING Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly :•! P 0 Box 266 - Lititz, Pa 17543 X Office; 22 E Main St., Lititz Pa 17543 $ Record-Express Office Bldg Phone • Lancaster 717-394-3047 or Lititz :i| 717-626-2191 J;j Subscription price- $2 per year in Lancaster :•! County $3 elsewhere Established November 4, 1955 Published every Saturday by Lan- |:j caster Farming, Lititz, Pa iji Second Class Postage paid at Lititz, Pa 17543. :|j Members of Newspaper Farm Editors :|: Assn., Pa Newspaper Publishers ;i; Association, and National Newspsper j: Association Farmers Must Live Too the other hand, farmers and ranchers are not expected to make more money ever because if they do the cost of food will go up When beef prices rise to levels of 20 years ago, the protest is loud and clear Bear in mind that farmers and ranchers are consumers, too, and as consumers their expenses have gone up more than 100 per cent during the same period that prices they receive for their products have remained stable ” The conclusion reached in the article quoted above is much to the point—the food we buy today is one of the best bargains in the marketplace, “ even if beef prices have climbed up to 1952 levels " More Care However, Wisconsin scientists report finding DDT in samples of soil that had been collected and sealed 30 years before DDT came into use In the summer of 1971, a government report said that saccharin was suspected of being a contributor to cancer m some instances Two months later, the government revised its report, saying a misplaced decimal point was to ‘ blame This list is endlpss and usually e?cb warning and each hastily passed law ; -has had to be considerably modified on' the basis of later facts As one editor com ments, "If environmental extremists'iji arid out of government cry wolf too often j6n the basis of bad research, they will forfeit the public’s confidence and support. If that public support is ever lost, the battle of the environment will be lost too.” * years and 200 million people later, there is still about 75 per cent of the original stand. In fact, we have some 13 million acres more today than existed a generation ago . " However, foresters warn that unwise restrictions on timberland management and harvesting could bring about the very shortage the public fears. Of the 758 million acres of U S. forest land, some 248 million acres are set aside in parks, wilderness, roadside scenery and other recreation land. No chain saws will ever touch this vast timbered area. It will be “harvested” eventually by insects, fire or old age. Of remaining timberlands, in dustry owns only about 13 per cent. The balance is held by various levels of government and about four million in dividual owners. The comparatively small acreage of industry-owned timberlands now produce about a third of the annual forest harvest and have an average tree growth of abp'ut 52 cubic feet of wood a year, nearly twice the yield of nonindustry owned timber acreage. In spite of its record of productivity, conservation and progressive management of timber resources, the timber industry is painted as a remorseless consumer of one of our most vital natural /resources—an error m public knowledge * that can have the gravest environmental consequences. NOW IS THE TIME . . By Max Smith Lancaster County Agent To Provide Fresh Water The idea of having fresh water before all livestock and poultry all of the time is so old and so simple that it seems useless to mention it again, however, it is surprising just how many animals do not get all the water they can drink during any 24-hour period With the arrival of warmer weather it becomes more important that fresh water be provided at all times Production and daily gams may be influenced by the lack of good water and in most cases it can be provided at little expense to the owner Efficient production in cludes access to fresh water at all times in all types of livestock and poultry production. To Check Electrical Systems Overloaded fuses and improper wiring are definite fire hazards on any farm or premise Misuse and abuse of electricity and electrical equipment continue to be major problems, especially during peak load periods Far mers are urged to check their electric motors and clean them, dust, dirt, chaff from hay or straw, feed bags, or rags are hazards near any electric motor or wiring system In many cases extra electrical equipment is installed without checking the weight of the line and fuses Overloading can cause a fire hazard Electrical equipment should be properly grounded at all times Local power representatives or electricians may be consulted regarding these matters. To Utilize Cover Crops The idea of permitting cover crops to reach maximum height A MINISTER IN THE HOUSE? Lesson for April 16,1972 Background Scrip fur* Acts 6 1-7, Ephe sians 4 11-16, 1 Timothy 3 Devotional Reading. Luke 10 1-9 “Is there a minister in the house’” asked a slightly flustered Master of Ceremonies. The din ner was ready to begin but the clergyman who had been sched uled to give the invocation had just called to say he had had car trouble and couldn’t get there on time. Since prayers are the kind of thing you invite clergymen to do for you, the Master of Cere monies was anx- Rev. Althouse ** a gyman to give the prayer and get the banquet un derway. Everyone a minister It didn’t seem to occur to the Master of Ceremonies that it would be just as appropriate to have the prayer given by a lay man present even himself When no one responded to his plea, a man in the front of the room stepped to the microphone saying, “I’ll give the invocation; I’m not a clergyman, but I am a minister!” What this layman meant was that one doesn’t have to be a clergyman to be a minister in the before discing or plowing is not a good practice In many cases the weather will turn dry and the ground will get hard and the large amount of green matter from all of the top growth will be hard to handle In most cases the value of the cover crop is from the fibrous root system of the plants rather than the top growth The proper stage of growth at which the cover crop should be used will vary with crops, however, in the case of winter grains such as rye or wheat, there will be little to gain after the growth is eight to 12 inches high With grasses such as ryegrass and bromegrass, six to eight inches of growth will make a good green manure crop. Large amounts of top growth are hard to turn under completely and may decrease the movement of the moisture in the soil when hot weather arrives Nitrogen ap plication on the cover crop just prior to plowing or discing will hasten the decomposition of the vegetable matter To Take Time to be Safe Farm and Home Safety is a very important subject but few people take time to realize it until it is too late. Since the spring rush of field work is about to begin, work of caution is in order. All farmers should caution their boys and hired men to keep shields and protective covers in place. Warn them against excess speed and against taking chances; > wear tight clothing around the moving parts of farm machinery. Small youngsters love to ride moving farm vehicles, and I realize that the words m this article may do little to stop this practice, but it is dangerous and all machinery operators should not allow them to ride along. Be safe rather than sorry. New Testament sense of the word. The word we translate as minister in English is diakonos in Greek. It means; “one who serves ” When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he per formed a work of ministry or humble service. He was a minis ter m that he acted as a servant. So, too in Acts 6 the ministers are those who have chosen to wait on tables at the meals of the disciples. In the New Testament the word ministry does not refer to the work of the professional cler gy All Christians were called to be ministers, humble servants. The purpose of every follower of Jesus Christ—not just an elite few—is to respond readily to serve the needs of others The association of the word “minis try” with the professional clergy came much later. The work of ministry In Ephesians 4 the writer speaks of the purpose of spiritual gifts as “for the equipment of the saints, for the work of minis try, for building up the body of Christ” (4 12). The word “min istry” here does not refer to the clergy, but the mission or task that all Christians are called to perform. Today’s English Version of the Bible (American Bible So ciety) captures this meaning when it translates the sentence as “He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Chnstiari'service ” Is there a minister in the house’ There ought to be—in every house' on outlines “copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Released by Community Press Service)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers