10—Lancaster Farfrlni. Saturday. September 13, 1975 LIFE on the farm Some of my earliest recollections of life on the farm were pushed to the front of my mind earlier this summer while I watched an antique farm machinery show in Port Royal The exhibits and activities carried my imagination back to my home town of Lichtenhagen, Germany, now a sprawling suburb of Warnemuende Located just a short distance from the Baltic Sea, our rural village was complete with old homes with thatched roofs and unpaved streets I lived there a generation ago, and that part of my life exists as my only link to a way of life which has disappeared. The memories of those years are especially dear to me Summer began whenever I could take my shoes and socks off and knead the warm sand with my feet while catching the breezes of the Baltic Sea in my hair Summer was a barefoot race through the stubbles of a wheat field; green apples for the taking; a visit to the blacksmith shop, making mud castles by the pond; and watching the threshing machines in action. Our changing times Sometimes things written many years ago have a ring of frightening truth to them Such is the case with the following item According to a column I read recently, a lady found a 30 year old newspaper with thought provoking information about great cultures printed on one of its pages “The average life of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years During this period each has Editor out of order Political cartoons usually amuse me, but one which appeared recently in some papers across the country is a direct slap in the face to farmers and a total misrepresentation of agricultural markets. Near the left margin of the drawing was a tall stalk of corn, somewhat higher than the eye of the GOP elephant which stood next to it Above the tassle of the corn stalk were the words “gram prices " The GOP elephant stood next to the crop winking an eye and with the words “76 Farm Vote" inscribed across his chest. The "Dreschkasten" was still in widespread use during the early 'so’s and nothing fascinated me more than to watch it chew up sheaves of gram Those were the good old days The wide, flat belt danced gracefully in an up and down motion as it sped around and around in a figure eight from tractor to thresher Occasionally it slapped a little, reacting to a change in the load The tractor growled; the thresher hummed and rustled, men sweated, and I was there to watch it all until bedtime Always reluctant to be dragged home, I left the scene covered with dust from head to toe. Once tucked into bed, I continued listening to the unique sounds of the thresher and tractor, mixed with the singing voices of crickets and frogs The light of the full moon poured into my bedroom window, as I dreamed on about the spinning pulleys, vibrating belts, chaff blown in the wind, and my bare feet digging in the sand Sadly, that is no longer a part of life on the farm. All rights reserved by Dieter Kneg progressed through sequence 1 From bondage to spiritual faith 2. From spiritual faith to great courage 3 From courage to liberty 4 From liberty to abundance 5 From abundance to selfishness 6. From selfishness to com placency 7 From complacency to apathy 8 From apathy to dependency 9 From dependency back to bondage ” The caption underneath this ridiculous drawing said - “As high as an elephant’s eye ” Farmers know the drawing is inaccurate, and although prices may seem high to those who depend on need grains to produce their products, prices are not high in relation to the expenses involved in raising a field of corn It’s unfortunate that cartoonists misrepresent agriculture It’s worse that some editors were so unin formed to place it into their paper rather than file 13 where it belonged. the following THE CULPRIT I.rsvin (or September U, 1975 Background Scripture: Genesis 2 15-17; 3 Devotional Reading; Galatians 5. 13-25. Who’s responsible for the way that I am 9 Many people have meditated, theorized and battled over that question. It is a question still pursued today whenever people are confronted by moral judgement. Many and varied answers are given: God, my en vironment, my genes, my educational opportunities, my associates, my superiors, my cir cumstances, and “the other guy.” The subtle temptor The Bible is unambiguous with its own answer to this question. The early chapters of Genesis are a case in point. It begins with Adam and Eve (which is not really the story of two people who lived a long, long time ago as much as it is our story). We find them in their wonderful Garden of Eden, leading a blissful life of innocence and plenty. But along comes the serpent: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made” (3:1). It is an apt description of temptation: subtle, crafty, ingenious. Carefully he beguiles the Eve and the clincher is a touch of envy: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5). Note, the ingenuity of the three-fold appeal: (1) (( the woman saw that the tree was good for food .. (3:6) (2) .. and that it was a delight to the eyes ..(3) . and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.. To fill her hunger, to please her eye, and to gain wisdom these were the inducements the temptor gave Eve to disobey the specific command that God had given. And it was enough just as it often has been since! “The other guy” The first two appeals were to the stomach and the eye, but the third was the most dangerous of all: the temp tation to want to be equal with God. This means that man is often dissatisfied with being the creature and wants instead to be the Creator, to be his own God. This is man’s basic sin: to say, in a sense, to his Lord, “My will’s as good as your will!” TCie end result of Adam and Eve’s sin just like ours is to open our eyes and take away our in nocence. Now they could see the difference between good and evil for themselves From now on it would be their responsibility to choose. What they had gained was a terrible power: the right to make our own moral choices ... and the responsibility that goes with them! Confronted by God, Adam responds in a manner that has become identified as I I I To Plan For Fall Seeding Wheat and barley are important crops, in fact over 35.000 acres of wheat and 17.000 acres of barley were raised in I,ancaster County last year. The unusual wet conditions during the first week of July caused a problem for our gram far mers. The harvesting of wheat and barley was delayed: this caused it to start to sprout. The mam varieties of wheat grown in our area is Abe, Arthur 71 and Redcoat. Reports from seedmen have shown that about 80 percent of Abe and Arthur 71 have been lost for seed because of sprouting. Redcoat, on the other hand, is not as susceptible to sprouting and much of it has been saved for seed. Germination tests from the Bureau of Plant Industry Seed Laboratory show good results, of about 90 percent, for all harvested Redocat. But the Abe and Arthur 71 that was harvested after the rains, indicated only about 70 percent germination and a lot of sprouted grain showed up. This means if you are planning to use locally grown wheat, be sure to run a germination test. Also if you are planning to buy seed wheat or barley, place your orders now because some varieties may be in short supply. To Be Aware of Silo Gas The most unport ant crop in our County is corn; in fact over half of our total crop acreage is in corn. As we put this real good crop in our silo, we must be alert to the possibility of silo gases. The greatest danger from “Notrogen Dioxide gas” or better known as Silo Gas, is during the first 12 to 60 hours after filling the silo. However, you should be extra careful for at least 10 days. This Silo Gas is a deadly gas which is yellowish-brown in color and smells like some laundry bleaches. It will settle on top of the silage, just below the upper edge of the top door - it will also settle down through the chute, so be careful that it doesn’t settle in your silage room or even work into your barn. The important thing is to run the silage blower for 15 to 20 minutes before entering the silo and be sure your silage room is well ven tilated. Also,, keep the door “typically human”: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (3:12). In this case, the “other guy” is not only Eve, but also God himself: “. . . whom thou gavest me ...” Today, we still try to blame God for our own choices. And Eve, is no less devious: “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” This sounds reminiscent of Flip Wilson’s “The Devil made me do it!” But both we and God know who the real culprit is don’t we? NOW IS THE TIME.. j Mux Smith ( 'oimly Agi. Agenl lelephnne PlI-MCil closed between the silage room and the barn. Corn silage is a valuable crop, but your health is much more valuable, so take precautions to be safe To Use Warning Devices on Slow Vehicles As daylight hours grow shorter, farmers will be moving more farm machinery on highways during semi-dark or dark hours. Slow moving vehicles such as farm equipment traveling on highways present a traffic hazard. The motorist must recognize that a tractor traveling at 5 to 10 miles per hour is almost standing still compared to a car traveling at 50 mph. Most highway drivers have never driven a farm machine on the high way and simply do not realize how slow they do travel. Proper identification and warning is real important The triangular Slow Moving Vehicle emblem must be used with all farm equip ment operated on the high way. An additional aid in dark conditions is a self contained, battery-powered light that can be attached by means of its suction cup base. The SMV emblem and light could be the best in surance you ever purchased for protection of property or even a life. To Aerate Your Lawn If your lawn is a popular place for children to play, you may find that the soil is compacted. Fall is an ex cellent time to aerate your lawn and relieve this soil compactions. The compaction occurs primarily in the surface area of the lawn. A compacted layer as thin as one-quarter to one-half an inch can greatly reduce water and nutrient penetration. But you can correct this type of compaction by using aeration equipment. Aeration machines remove plugs of soil from the turf area. Farm Calendar Sunday, Sept. 14 Open House at the Solanco Fair Building at 2:00 p.m Solanco’s Men’s Chorus and a portion of the High School band will be performing. Solanco’s Farm Fair will be held in Quarryville 16-20. Monday, Sept. 15 Twilight Meeting for fruit growers at the Kauffman Orchards east of Bird In Hand at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17 PennAg annual convention in Gettysburg and con tinues through Sept. 19- Beginning of the Elizabethtown Market Place Fair and festival. Continues through the 20th. Monday, Sept. 22 All American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, continues through the 26tb.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers