—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 26, 1972 24 Pesticides. The word evokes images of farmers spraying and dusting cropland for the numerous insects, weeds, and fungi that menace agriculture. True, farmers are the coun try’s biggest pesticide users. They account for a little over half of all pesticides used in the U.S. In 1970 farmers spent close to $9OO million for insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Who are the other users? Look around... at the closely cropped fairway ... the narrow yet navigable waterway flawless rosebush. Chances are, they were treated with pesticides. Industry is the largest nonagricultural user of pesticides, accounting for nearly a fifth of domestic sales. In 1970, industrial firms spent an estimated $3OO million on pesticide chemicals Industries apply a wide range of insecticides to protect their products, workers, buildings, and grounds. Carpet makers, for example, treat rugs with persistent types of in secticides to provide long term protection against carpet beetles and other insects that damage animal fibers Insecticides are also used to prevent contamination of food and stored materials, and to safeguard buildings against the onslaught of termites. Fungicides perform a variety of industrial chores—to prevent mildew in paint, and to curb slime formation in manufac turing processes. One of fungicides’ major uses is to preserve wood, such as railroad ties, telephone poles, dock piling, and fences. Preservatives prolong these uses of wood up to 50 years—against roughly 10 years for untreated woods. " Herbicides are used by in dustry mainly to protect property, against weeds and brush. Large shares go to destroy unwanted growth along rights of way, such as highways, railroads, and waterways. Industrial firms also employ pesticides to treat forest land. It’s estimated that "private use of pesticide on forests is four times greater than government ap plications the Homeowners and other urban and suburban residents account for 15 to 20 percent of ail pesticide use. In 1970, pesticide preparations for household, lawn, and garden pest control had a retail value of nearly $3OO million. Pesticides designed for homeowners usually contain smaller shares of active ingredients then those for agriculture and industry. The low concentrations minimize danger to neighboring property, people, household pets, and sensitive plants. Herbicides are increasingly sold as part of a lawn-care package that contains needed plant nutrients as well as pesticides to check unsightly weeds and undesirable species like crabgrass. In 1968, about 4 million acres of lawn and other * Moriarty ft SUBSIDIARY, WICKES CORF Clear-Span BUILDINGS • Professionally engineered structures, wide clear spans. • Rust-free aluminum or corrosion-resistant steel siding and roofing. Beautiful colors. • Free planning service. COMPARE OUR QUALITY, CHECK OUR LOW PRICE For local strvice, call 717-733-7750 turf (golf courses, public greens, sports fields, etc.) received herbicide treatments at an average cost of $3O per acre. A major urban-suburban use of insecticides is to control struc ture pests such as termites and wood borers. Upon completion, many new buildings are treated with insecticides to stop termites. Insecticides, sold mainly in small aerosol containers, have become commonplace in the home for curbing pests such as moths and weevils that destroy clothes and furnishings, and lice, flies, and roaches that may carry disease or contaminate food. Household use of fungicides is generally confined to treating diseases that attack lawns, shrubbery, fruit trees, and or namentals. Pesticides have proved in valuable in public health control, particularly in fighting insect carried diseases such as malaria, typhus, and yellow fever. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 10,000 kinds of insects that directly or indirectly infect man with disease. These insects, according to WHO, cause half of all human deaths, sicknesses, diseases, and deformities. In the U.S., insect-borne diseases are not considered a serious problem, although more than half the States reported such diseases over the past 3 years. Insecticides are used most often to control the carriers of various types of encephalitis. - Herbicides also play a key role in health control by checking the growth of allergenic-producing plants like poison ivy, oak, and ragweed. Each year poison oak and poison ivy cause roughly 2 million cases of skin poisoning and irritation, for an estimated loss of 333,000 work days. Federal, State, and local governments are among other users of pesticides, with 10 percent of domestic con sumption. Roughly 21 million acres were scheduled to be treated under Federal programs between January and August, 1971. For all of 1971, pesticides were applied on about 13.5 million acres to arrest the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) epidemic. Another 11.6 million acres in a 9-State area were treated under the Agricultural Research Service’s fire ant control program. Most of the mosquito control districts throughout the country are organized around city or county governments. In 1970, these units spent an estimated $75 to $lOO million for mosquito control. USDA Studies Rural Planning and Zoning An in-depth review of rural planning and zoning practices, issued recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, points out that while each State has authorized zoning of unin corporated or rural areas, the number and kinds of govern ments that may zone in these areas vary markedly. The report from USDA’s Economic Research details the 50 States’ land use statutes as they existed in 1968 and summarizes major changes passed by State legislatures in 1969 and 1970. The study itemizes the rural zoning enabling powers conferred by State legislatures on counties, towns and townships, and miscellaneous local govern ments. Generally, the local govern ments authorized to zone are: all or selected counties in the South and West; all or selected towns or townships in the Northeast; and both counties and towns or townships in most Lake States. Where zoning is authorized at two or more levels, the zoning regulations are usually applied by the lower level of government. The researchers note that, in SAVE 25% ON THE PURCHASE OF A New Heating Appliance EMPIRE - SIEGLAR - WARM MORNING Our Trailer load Sale is now on SAVE AN EXTRA 5% IF WE INSTALL BEFORE SEPT. 15, 1972 CALL COLLECT 717-733-2207 nfgmm || |L| | |ran Box 210, Rte. 222 Vll U II Ephrata,Pa. 17522 LP-GAS the past, the legislative practice of authorizing zoning powers for sleeted counties only (usually the more populous counties) often allowed haphazard growth in developing and problem areas of other counties. However, legislatures in 18 States have begun zoning at State level to prevent the waste of land and other resources. A copy of “Rural Zoning in the United States: Analysis of Enabling Legislation,” MP 1232, is available free on postcard (please include zipcode) or telephone (447-7255) request from the Office of Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. XXX Going camping or boating this summer? Be sure to take along either instant nonfat dry milk or canned evaporated milk. Both can be stored on the shelf without refrigeration. Dry milk needs to be refrigerated only after liquification. Evaporated milk should go into the refrigerator after being opened. Recon stituted dry milk and evaporated milk combined with equal amounts of water can be used like regular milk in food preparation.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers