10 —Uncwttr Farming. Saturday. S«ptember 20, 1975 LIFE on the farm Each stalk of/orn bends over in rapid succession, tapping the next one in the row/lhey shake vigorously and dust falls from the tassles as the reciprocating knife does its work at the rate of 20 strokes per second. A continuous bundle of stalks gathers in the forage harvester and is sped along to the chopping chamber by several chains which grasp and guide the crop. There's a roar coming out of the cutting chamber, along with a con stant “sssssssss” the sound of fast and precise cutting. The cylindrical cutterhead revolves at an ap proximate speed of 16 revolutions per second. If that doesn’t sound very fast, then try 120 feet of razor-sharp knife surfaces hitting the corn stalks each second. It sings its own special song, it's so fast and it has to be fast. Big silos can’t be filled with inefficient machines. Under ideal conditions, the chopper will spit out more than 30 tons of corn silage per hour. Small bits of corn, some of them only a quarter of an inch in length, come blasting out of the spout and on to the wagon. It’s like a giant waterhose shooting water, only in this case the material is solid. Watching it all happen is fascinating. Silo filling is a relatively easy job, but it involves expensive equipment Farm Commentary President Ford last week made a statement concerning shipments of gram to the Soviet Union which makes some sense to me. He called for a pact which would allow for more uniform purchases and for com mitments which stretch several years ahead so that American farmers know for sure whether to expect huge sales to Russia or not. That should be a step in the right direction, although caution should not be tossed to the wind if negotiations for such a deal are successful The President’s statement, which appears on 67 under the headline “President Ford calls for grain export stability,’’ should be un the interest of all those mentioned by him. Caution should not be forgotten with these negotiations, however, because to put it bluntly, the com munists are for the most part nothing more than a pack of liars, thieves, cutthroats and sabotagers. The American government has failed to as does almost every farming operation today. While the work is easy most of the time, it can also be frustrating when equipment breaks, pipes clog, or the corn stalks jam. When one wagon is filled, a second one is ready to take its place. And so it goes, hour after hour and day after day until the job is done. It can be monotonous, there’s no doubt about that. Standing by the tractor and wagon while unloading watching the silage tumble into the blower can also be boring. But when you stop and think about what all is taking place and what is involved, it’s fascinating. I’m amazed to think of 30 tons of silage being jetted on to wagons in an hour's time. (Some of the newer, larger machines exceed that capacity by far.) The same can be said for unloading silage at a rate of one ton per minute sometimes air-blasting it as high as 100 feet straight up to reach the top of the silo. I can’t help but wonder at the power of these machines and the precision that has to be involved in cutting and blowing silage. I’d hate to have to hire enough men to perform those tasks by hand. Keeping those thoughts in the foreground of my mind while filling silos is probably why I have never tired of it. All rights reserved by Dieter Kneg By Dieter Krieg recognize this fact, it seems to me, while millions of refugees from behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains have fled and are continuing to try escaping the system. We fail to listen to men such as Alexander Solzenitsyn. We are doing a great disservice to ourselves by taking communism lightly and an equally great disservice to the millions who are enslaved under the red regimes. Communism would not have lasted this long if it had not been for the continuous aid from the western world, particularly the United States Lenin predicted long ago that the capitalistic system would hang itself with a rope given to us by the communists. The rope appears to me as being the lure of making a fast buck m Russia. American business interests seek the almighty dollar while strengthening (Continued on Page 15] MARK OF CAIN l.enson for September 21,1915 Background Scripture; Genesis 4. Devotional Reading: 11 John 4:7-21. The story of Cain and Abel is as old as mankind and as new as tomorrow’s headlines. It takes place every day in our community, our neigh borhood, perhaps even our home. Two or more people can play the game; we need just two of God’s creatures: two brothers, a brother and a sister, a husband and wife, a woman and her neighbor, a man and his employer or perhaps two racial groups, two religious factions, or two or more countries. Where is your brother? In the story of Cain and Abel the two people are brothers .. so are we all! And there are differences - as there always are; Abel is a shephard, while Cain is a farmer. In ancient days there were no two groups of people more unahke then keepers of animals and tillers of the soil. Even in the American West of the nineteenth century the conflict between the cat tlemen and the “sodbusters” was legendary. At any rate, there are differences and the one does not uunderstand the other. And where there is a lack of understanding, there is usually suspicion, distrust, and jealousy. In this case, Cain was jealous because it seemed that God favored his brother’s offering more than he did his own. This was no unimportant matter, for we are told: “So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell” (4:5). In this common emotion there were sown the seeds of a tragic, violent act. Why did God regard Abel’s offering more highly than Cain’s? The answer is probably to be found within Cain and not in his offering. It is apparent from what God says to him that Cain’s offering is given in the wrong spirit. He gives in order to gain God’s favor, perhaps even to gain more favor than his brother. He gives an offering to God, but he does so from the wrong motives. What have you done? “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” says God (4:7). In other words; don’t get hung-up on what your brother does, give me your best and it will be enough. It is still good advice; do your best and don’t become concerned with your brother and what he does. But Cain does not heed the advice - just as we often do not. And God comes with those terrible questions that Cain tries to avoid: “Where is Abel your brother’ ... What have you done?” (4:9, 10). Cain’s response is desperate and flippant - like outs: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” No, not his keeper, but you are his brother! Regardless of how different he may be, no matter how strange may be his ways, regardless of how he may rub us the wrong I * To Check Feed Storage Bins: We are in the fall season where we see considerable temperature change from day to nite. This causes a lot of moisture condensation, as we see on windows. This same type condensation takes place in the bulk feed bins on our farms. It causes the build-up of molds on the bins and in the feed. When feed bins are cleaned out, they should be inspected thoroughly, right down to the boot. Also, when you are taking feed out of the bin, keep a close watch for chunks of feed, it will tell you if the problem is there. After cleaning out the bin, it should be sprayed with a mold inhibitor and allowed to dry. You can use calcium propionate solution as the inhibitor, at the rate of 2 ounces per gallon of water for this spray. One of the best preventions for this problem is to insulate the bin. This will slow the temperature fluctuation. Molds can have a very bad effect on poultry and swine in particular. Take time to check the feed as it comes out of the bins and check the bin for leaks where rain can enter which also causes this condition. To Stop Unwanted Guests: Now that the weather is getting cooler you may find some unwanted guests in your bam and home. You won’t see them too often, but they’re around. These guests will destroy more food and property than they eat. The guests in question are rats and mice. It’s estimated that a hundred million rats cost Americans a billion dollars a year. That is ten dollars a rat. Rats thrive in areas where grains lie on the ground, where trash and garbage lie around and where trash piles are exposed. Rats not only spoil feed; they kill small animals and chickens. They also carry diseases to man and animals. Cold weather causes rats to migrate indoors. I’d suggest that you destroy rat foods and feeding places. You may have to rat-proof buildings to keep them out. Bait stations can also be constructed. They should be made so that pets and children can not come in contact with the bait. For Final Reminder For Gas Tax Refund Time is running out for our fanners to apply for the, liquid fuel tax refund. It must be filed by September t>U, way ... nevertheless: he is our borther! But the story of Cain and Abel is one of redemption not just judgement. When, at la st, Cain realizes the enormity of his deed and its consequences, God puts upon nun a mark. This mark of Cam is a symbol of God’s forgiving grace and his power to redeem his children • • whom he creates to be brothers! Farmers may apply for an 8 cent per gallon refund on all liquid fuels used in non licensed tractors when used off the highway for agricultural purposes or non licensed power farm machinery used for actual farm purposes. The liquid fuel tax refund is for all fuel used between July 1,1974 and June 30,1975. If you have not already received application, then at this late date, apply by calling the Board of Finance and Revenue in Harrisburg, 717-787-3365. To Water Shallow-Rooted Plants: Plants with shallow roots - such as azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and flowering dogwood need frequent waterings. And it’s a good idea to continue watering these plants on a regular basis until the ground freezes in the fall. A shallow-rooted plant has most of its root system in the upper three to five inches of the soil. Since this is the first layer of soil to dry out, it’s very important that the plants receive at least an inch of water each week throughout the season. Also, the more water your plants can take up before the ground freezes, the better they will withstand the winter conditions. Keep in mind that when the ground does freeze, there will be no free water for the plants to take up. But even though die ground is frozen, the parts of die plant above the ground will continue to lose water. For this reason it’s im portant to have as much water in the plants as possible before winter sets in. Farm Calendar Monday, Sept. 22 All American Dairy Show 22- 26. Tuesday, Sept. 23 Ephrata Community Fair continuing through the 27th. For full schedule of events see the special fair pages. West Lampeter Community Fair continuing through the 26th. See fair pages for full schedule. Friday, Sept. 26 Mini-Farmers meeting at the Coca Cola Bldg. 8 p.m. Panel discussion on Solar energy. Public invited. Wednesday, Oct. 1 New Holland Farm Fair continues through the 4th. Lancaster County Con servation district meeting at 7:30 p.m. Farm and Home Center. Thursday, Oct. 2 County vo-ag teachers meeting at 4:15 p.m. at the Ephrata Senior High School. Plowing contest to be held at the Milton Hershey Farms at 12 noon. No food will be available at the site.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers