From Local Ag Teachers:
Pond Problems
The article this week was
prepared by Ronald J.
Althoff, teacher of
agriculture at Solanco High
School.
Have you looked at your
farm pond lately? Are you
starting to encounter
problems that you never
expected?
Management of a pond
after it is built is just as
important as the con-
TRACTORS
FORSAU
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A. L. HERR & BRO.
Quarryville, Pa. Ph. 786-3521
I __
Thoughts
in Passing
structlon planning. Aquatic it first appears. Vegetation
plants present problems for on pond banks should be
most pond owners. Like - mowed where practical,
weeds in a garden, un- Keeping banks free of dense
desirable aquatic plants growth will also help control
must be dealt with in a snakes,
continuous program. Fertilizing to keep the
Some of the problems can water cloudy with plankton
often be alleviated by may help prevent plant
deepening the edges of a growth. The plankton will
pond to three feet with 3:1 also make excellent food for
side slopes. Cattail and any fish in the pond,
bulrush along pond edges Chemicals are available
can be pulled by hand when for weed control in ponds,
but anyone using such
chemicals in a body of water
must have a permit and
follow the procedures
established by Pennsylvania
Fish Commission and the
Pennsylvania Department of
Health.
pEED^
ybu Can
Measure
in Greater
Crop
Profits
rs. I*l
/ EH
“m, 1
A.H. HOFFMAN SEEDS. INC.
Muskrat Damage
The best insurance against
muskrat damage is a
properly designed pond.
There is little danger of leaks
in dams with adequate top
widths because muskrats
SERVIC
SUPERIOR SEED
QUALITY STANDARDS
As science discovers new and better ways of
insuring seed quality,'Hoffman applies those
higher standards ... in its own seed testing
laboratory... in the production fields where
seeds are grown ... in the warehouse where
they are processed and stored.
There are probably two key reasons
why more farmers switch to Hoffman Seeds
(about 3000 last year)—Superior seed per
formance and broad, dependable service.
LANDISVILLE (Lancaster County), PENNSYLVANIA 17538
Pennsylvania's Number One Farm Seed Specialist
At Hoffman we believe research
begins to mean something when it
finds practical application on the farm
in the form of higher crop yields. We
keep in close touch with private and
public plant breeders ... often check their
work in our own test plots and on-the-farm
trials. The object: to bring you new varieties
as soon as results are proved.
PLANNING BETTER
PAYING CROPS...
Hoffman service includes a lot more than prompt
delivery and the correct order handling. More than 400
Hoffman Seed Men, located in key farming areas, keep
up to date on local soil conditions and crop results.
They’re up on new management ideas . . . ready to
help you solve your crop problems.
Ronald J. Althoff
usually will not burrow
completely through. The top
of the dam should be at least
six feet wide.
Most likely though, even
the best designed pond will
have muskrats that even
tually become a nuisance to
the owner. Riprapping the
shoreline with largegravel or
small stones may offer some
protection. These materials
should be placed 3 to 4 inches
thick and should extend from
at least one foot above the
normal water level to at
least 3 feet below it.
Muskrat may also be
VARIETY
RESEARCH &
SEED TESTING...
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
AND DISTRIBUTOR OF
FUNK’S-G
HYBRIDS
Lancaster Farming. Saturday. Mar. 9,1974—15
Pa. Bull Captures
National Honors
A Pennsylvania bull, bred
and raised in Somerset
County, has capped a suc
cessful tour of the leading
livestock expositions by
winning the 1974 national
grand championship of his
trapped or killed for control.
However, poisons may not
legally be used in muskrat
control.
Muddy Water
The causes of muddy
water in a pond could be
almost anything from
erosion to livestock wading
in the pond. The cause should
•be corrected before at
tempting any treatment.
Agricultural limestone
(calcium carbonate) or
Agriculture gypsum may be
broadcast at the note of 1,000
pound per surface acre of
water to help clear muddy
pond water.
With a little management
and care, a pond can be a
beautiful and valuable asset
to a farm. If neglected, a
pond can become an ugly
mess.
breed in Denver, Colorado.
“SHF Sir Royal Sam Ist,”
a two-year-old Charolais,
added his latest honor at the
1974 National Western
Livestock Exposition after a
string of three grand
championships and a
reserve grand championship
in his only four previous
outings in the show ring.
“Sam” was bom into the
herd of John M. Dovey, Stone
Hollow Farm, Davidsville,
but has been touring the
livestock show circuit under
the colors of Pennsylvania
State University, whose
herdsmen groom and show
the one-ton beauty.
Dovey has since assigned
one-third interest in “Sam”
to PSU and sold one-third to
the Royal Charolais Co.,
Youngwood, Pa.
In addition to the near
perfect record in the five
leading livestock expositions
in the nation, “Sam” is also
unique in that he is a smooth
polled Charolais. Smooth
polled means the bull neither
has horns nor the bone-like
stubs that still remain in
many polled (horn-less)
cattle. “Sam” is the first
polled bull to be named
national grand champion of
the Charolais breed.
Gov. Milton J. Shapp and
Secretary of Agriculture, in
separate letters to Dovey,
congratulated him on the
singular achievement and
also for the prestige and
honor it brought to the
livestock industry of Penn
sylvania.
The other grand cham
pionships were won at the
Chicago International
Livestock Exposition, the
Ohio State Fair and
Keystone International
Livestock Exposition,
Harrisburg. The big bull had
to settle for a reserve or
runner-up grand cham
pionship at the American
Royal Livestock Exposition,
Kansas City.
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Available thru your
local dairy equipment
dealer or call the fac
tory collect to arrange
for a free demonstration
on your farm.
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o/oUG
t INDUS'PiES INC
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P.O. BOX 283,
ELKTON.MD. 21921
Phone 301-398-3451