Farming, Saturday, Nov. 22, 1979 Country Comer The future - shopping malls or cornfields? Living and working on a farm tends to give you a respect and appreciation of the land. For farmers more than anyone else work intimately with the land, tilling its topsoil, enriching it with seeds and encouraging ir to bring forth produce and lush green grasses. Such a close relationship cannot even be imagined by most people. Listening to an agricultural economist talk on the subject of land use planning last week, I realized the seriousness of prime agricultural land being stripped away for industrial parks and shopping complexes Granted, almost everywhere you turn, at least m southeastern Pa, a shopping center or housing complex is not far away, but yet we tend to think that isn’t too bad since farms can be reached by a few minutes drive. But few people tend to realize that farms are quickly being driven further away by Ladies Have Lancaster Home Economist Pewter Rediscovered For’76 The Bicentennial con centration on America’s heritage has stimulated a renewed interest in pewter. The warm lustrous glow of pewter is elegantly casual in any setting. Examples of Early American pewter are relatively scarce. Colonial pewterers had to import tin, the basic ingredient, from England at a high tariff. Thus, old pieces were often traded in for newly cast items. In Colonial days pewter was hand cast. This technique is still used but has been joined by spinning and stamping methods for greater versatility. With ! LANDIS POULTRY I * TRY OUR FARM FRESH TURKEYS FOR THE HOLIDAY: PHONE 626-2410 2 Miles North of Lititz on Route 501 CHICKEN SALAD - CHICKEN BROTH - STUFFED BREASTS S ■UMMaiMMMBmMNDNMIKIBIiMMMMMIriniMMM By Melissa Piper You Heard? By Doris Thomas hand cast and finished pewter, each piece may not be exactly uniform. However, this gives a valued handcrafted look. Finishes include the dark shadings of antique, the soft sheen of satin or a bright gleam that resembles silver. depict Colonial and Though not a precious American Revolution metal, pewter lends itself to characters, all the design and use When selecting pewter possibilities of silver, yet flatware, look for good retains its own special quality workmanship. Hold beauty and is notably tarnish each piece in your hand. It resistant. Plates, platters, should feel comfortable and bowls, mugs, goblets, pit- well balanced. Some pewter chers, sugar and creamer is hollow handled and feels sets, lamp bases, can- light. Others with a solid dlebolders, vases and wall handle are much heavier, sconces are among the many Pewter is an alloy of items that are available in several metals consisting reproductions of famous mainly of tin. Smaller developers carving hugh slices of land for uses other than food production. I whole heartedly agreed with the visiting economist when he mentioned that many in dividuals were not concerned about the loss of farming land because they had plenty of food to eat and were not hungry. This principle reflects the sad truth that means until a critical food shortage is reached, most people would rather see progress in the form of shopping malls and factories instead of keeping land in production. While the whole idea is very condemnable the blame is not solely resting on the land developers r and industrialists. For the farmer himself must decide if the increasingly large sums of money offered for his pasture is more important than keeping his land in production. And with the high cost of farming these days many producers might relish the idea of receiving a little more income. It is a matter of priorities and while each producer must patterns or in modern designs. The latest innovation is fine pewter flatware, usually in satin finish with stainless steel knife glades, fork tines and spoon bowls. Decorative pewter figurines have also become popular and often 4>„ amounts of copper and antimony are. used for strength and brilliance. Pewter will not develop worn spots with prolonged use, since it is a solid metal. As a soft metal, however, it could dent easily without proper care. It has a low melting point and should be kept away from extreme heat, flames and heating elements. X X decide for himself it is essential to at least give some consideration to the society on the whole Developers fail to realize that they too must eat and use many agricultural products and by products, and without keeping some of the farming land intact this may well be a problem in the near future. Cooperation from both angles will be vitally important in the years to come and an un derstanding of just how important agriculture is to the country must be continually outlined if we are to save productive farm land. It was difficult for me to stand by and watch farril land near my parents’ farm in northeastern Pa gobbled up bit by bit for uses other than farming and while I know it will continue despite my feelings, it leaves one wondering just what the future will bring for agriculture and food production. Mention should be made of Coupled with its the pewter look-alikes. These n *' ir elegance and the are non-pewter alloys that V * r ‘*v °* designs available, have the look and feel of Porter flatware is antique pewter. The dishwasher-safe, characteristics are strength P!eces should be and durability, safe for w *f hed h * nd . in wann freezer to oven to table use. sudsy water. Rinsing in hot When purchasing pewter, wa ** r . , and ... . im : it is important to check a soft towel manufacturer’s labels and *jll 1*®!? prevent water tags for care information. s P°™ n S- This is true for (Continued on Page 47]
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers