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.