—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. September 6,1975 10 on Dad stood by the side of the pick-up truck laughing out loud while listening to our plumber's philosophy. Never showing awareness of his dry, comical wit, the middle-aged plumber spoke matter-of-factly in a low, gravelly voice which went well with his unshaven face. Mr. Johnson stared out the side window of his truck and took a few draws on his cigarette. You hardly ever saw him without one. Pausing a moment, he let each word come out riding on a cloud of smoke. “When you have so many things to do that you don’t know what to do first, you just go fishing,” he said, returning the burning cigarette to his mouth the way George Burns uses a cigar to plug his mouth after the punch line. We could have been fishing all summer long had we taken the joke seriously. Aside from the usual chores in volving livestock which can't be postponed, we had a delay in our “Let’s get a drink, Marv,” I said, leaping from the hay mow to the flat bed wagon below. We both stood there for a moment, wiping sweat and hay dust from our faces. Working without a shirt, as usual, my entire booy 'tched from the waist up. Walking to the milk house, we massaged our hands, pulling and squeezing fingers which were beginning to feel like nothing more than bones and nerves m spite of the callouses After a coot refreshing drink, we walked back down to the tractor and wagon. A few tiny thorns and bits of hay remained lodged in the skin and underneath fingernails Although most of the sweat and dust had been wiped off a few minutes ago, the moisture began to ooze out again as soon as we entered the hot barn Thank God this wagon was empty, and we could take it easy for ten minutes while going out for the next load. LIFE the farm By DIETER KRIEG work schedules because of plumbing problems and a heifer which needed assistance with her calf. We had some hay to haul and two cows to get in for the breeder. They had been let out by mistake after the morning milking. It was also time to get ready for silo filling, which in itself would take up most of a day maybe more if a problem arose. One of the silage wagons had a flat tire but that wasn’t really a problem. The distributor had to be hauled up to the sop of the silo; equipment had to be cleaned, greased,and oiled; the filler pipe had to be connected; and fields had to be opened. A section of fence by the woods needed mending; the lawn needed to be cut; and Mom wanted some help picking peaches. It's a good thing none of us in the family ever went fishing. We never took time to find out what it's like and by this time didn’t bother to think much about what we may have been missing. A cloudless sky allowed the sun to penetrate the fields with highest intensity. Without a breeze, each ray stung our bodies with a piercing, burning sensation intensifying the already uncomfortable feeling of dust clinging to sweaty skin. We itched and sweated, but that didn’t stop us from loading bale after bale of hay. After four straight days of loading and unloading one wagon after another, and carrying milk machines and milk pails twice a day every day, our feet sometimes dragged in the timothy and clover stubbles and our arms felt like they’d fall off. In spite of the fatigue and discomfort, we kept on going We had to. If hay is grown on the farm or hauled in from neighbors’ fields, the heavy work and tired muscles are as much a part of summer on the farm as the sizzling sun All rights reserved by Dieter Kneg REPRESSED ANGEL Lesion for September?, 1175 Backfcround Scripture: Genesis 1 through 2. Devotional Reading: Acts 17:22-31. In 1890 the following ar ticle appeared in the local newspaper: The vicinity of Gap, Lancaster County, is excited ov?r the visit of Rev. David Kaufman, of Indiana, who preaches in his sleep. Mr. Kaufman arrived and went to the house of his brother. Shortly after 6 o’clock he arose in his sleep and began to preach, first in English, then in the German language, and continued to preach until about 9:30. He is now visiting various persons in die neighborhood and will preach every night in his sleep. (The Reading Eagle, Reading, Pa.) That certainly must have been one of die strangest religious announcements of all time! Something within Yet, at the same time it says something significant about the nature of man: often there is something within us more wonderful than we might ever suspect. When we are unconscious, that “something” is often released, like in the case of the rough, profane sailor, who, in a coma, prayed in cessantly. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl of Vienna says that, rather than hold that “man is a sublimated animal, we can demonstrate that he con ceals within himself a repressed angel.” Note that Frankl did not say that only some people conceal within themselves a “repressed angel,” but all men! There is something divine in all of us. Even the lowest citizen in our com munity, the worst criminal in our jail, the most dangerous public enemy has that divine potential within. This is not some strange, new idea of our own century, but one of the oldest concepts in human history. In the Judiac-Christian tradition we find it begins with the Book of Genesis (which means “beginnings”). The writer tells us: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (1:27). To be sure, man is a combination. Physically, he is composed of perishable, common material: “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground ...” (2:7). There is nothing everlasting about man’s physical beginning. It is the perfect example of “built-in obsolescence.” The breath of life But there is more to man’s nature than “the dust of the ground.” For, says the writer of Genesis, when God took that common dust, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (2:7). Thus it is God’s Spirit (his “breath”) that gives life to the common perishable body of flesh. Note, once again, that the writer does not say that he breathes his Spirit j;: To U«e Proper Livestock Equipment The handling of livestock correctly Is very Important in order to reduce stress and avoid injuries. The equip ment needed to do this is not costly and In many cases, can be constructed by the farmer himself. I refer to loading chutes, cutting gates, and a catch gate for the individual treatment of animals. All of these are very important to the suc cessful handling of all types of livestock. Also, a sick pen for slow animals is very important because in most cases they should be segregated from the herd or flock. Plans for this equip ment are available at Ex tension Offices throughout the state without charge. Bruises, broken legs, and excitement are not a part of good livestock handling and are costly. To Consider Pelleted Feed For Hogs In some recent ex periments pelleting in creased feed conversion in swine about 8 percent. Some of this may be due to less waste especially with old feeders or with bulky feed. Some other advantages of pelleting are less separation of the ingredients, less dust, and an increase in the rate of gain. Some disadvantages could be higher cost of feed, and a decrease in vitamin content if pelleting is done improperly. Pelleting might be considered by local feeders as a good practice if the cost does not increase the cost more than 8 percent. To Make Corn Silage The com crop looks very good on most farms and silo filling time is approaching. The making of a com crop into silage is the best way to preserve the most feed nutrients. More milk and beef will be produced per acre from com when made into silage than to harvest it in any other way. The full dent stage is desired by most cattle feeders and most dairymen as the proper stage of maturity. Protein content can be increased by adding 10 pounds of urea per ton at the silo and cattle feeders might want to add 10 pounds of ground limestone per ton for best results. A stalk of com with one or two ears in the full dent stage has into only some men, but all men. In two different, but significant ways, therefore, the writer of Gensis is saying that there is something unique and divine about man. He bears the “image” of his Creator and within him is the divine “breath” of God. In short, there is a divine potential in every" man, a likeness to God that links him to his Creator. Think of it; within you there is the image of God, a “repressed angel” waiting to get out. Why Not? (Based on outlines copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Released by Com munity Press Service.) NOW IS THE TIME, .. I Max .Smith County Agr. Agent Telephone IW-6K51 all of the ingredients for fermenting into good silage providing the storage place is air-tight. Silo gas is a potential danger around all sUos and owners should warn their families and employees of this situation for 10 days to two weeks after filling the silo. To Buy Rugged Healthy Cattle Many cattle feeders will be on the market in the coming weeks. The old saying, “There’s more Money made the Day the Cattle are bought than the Day They are Sold” is still very true and should be kept in mind. Big-framed, fast-growing cattle are preferred in order to make good use of roughages and give fast, efficient gains. The small, quick-maturing cattle cannot be expected to make as rapid gains and are more likely to carry more waste and extra fat when finished. Fresh cattle can be expected to start quicker with less health problems than cattle that have been shipped in and out of several market places before reaching the feedlot. Silo Filling Silo filling time is ap proaching and it might be in order on many farms to give some attention to the interior of the concrete silo. If the surface is rough and pitted, it needs to be “pointed” with cement or other material suggested by the manufacturer. A rough interior surface may mean small air pockets and eventual molding of the silage. Production costs are very high and good care of the silo will provide a place for air-free storage and good quality silage. The proper time to cut corn for silage continues to be in the early dent stage for maximum feed values. Farm Calendar Saturday, Sept. 6 York Fair runs through Sept. 13 at York Fairgrounds. Nightly entertainment and agriculture ac tivities. Kempton Dutch Festival in Kempton through the 7th. Monday, Sept. 8 Lancaster Co. Poultry Association meeting 8:00 p.m. Farm & Home Center. Wednesday, Sept. 10 Lancaster County Ag teachers meeting at Solanco High School 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 Goat club to organize at Schuylkill Cooperative extension office 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 Solanco Fair runs through the 20th in Quarryville. Wednesday, Sept. 17 Penn Ag annual convention at the Gettysburg Sheraton in Gettysburg continues through the 19th.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers