**/ ««* tiling, Odiurojy, occ. JXJ, 1975
imk:
| The Christmas spirit makes this
5 time of year a warm season, no
I matter how cold it may be according
I to the weather report
X Christmas is always a pleasant day
X because of the warmth of family eet-
X togethers, visiting friends, ar.d the
X joys of children It’s singing, wor
| shipmg, remembering, giving,
| sharing, and loving
| We all have our fond memories of
| Christmases gone by, and I’d like to
| share some of mine Christmas on
| my parents' York County farm Those
$ days are most memorable to me.
{ According to German tradition, the
S festivities and warm feelings always
5 started the day before Christmas and
i lasted through the first few days of
* the New Year Gifts were exchanged
1 on Christmas Eve, after the barn
1 work was done-and a delicious meal
1 had been eagerly consumed
2 We children began buzzing with
| excitement about midway through
| December, and by the 24th we were
$ just about bursting with anticipation.
I suppose my parents awaited
| Christmas Eve just as eagerly
2 because their joy came when they
| saw our faces light up while we
S opened presents and admired the
I beautiful tree
S But prior to all that warmth, joy and
S love, there was work to be done. The
5 cows needed to be milked, the calves
S fed, and all the animals had to be
| provided with fresh straw to sleep on
* during this Holy Night. And in the
* house, especir'iy m the kitchen, my
I mother and sisters prepared for the
I festivities.
i The work was always done a little
i faster on the afternoon of the 24th
| not so much because we took
J shortcuts but because no one
| wasted even a minute Everybody
I wanted to get his chores done and
g en <,y the rest of the evening as much
as poss'b'e
I ~
There’s no place like home for the K
holidays, proclaims a popular £
Christmas carol. The most |
meaningful and memorable |
Christmases in my life were those on |
the farm with the entire family g
together, and animals to take care of. g
Somehow 1 can more readily S
associate a Holy Night and the first a
Noel with the way Christmas took S
place on the farm H
Have a warm and merry Christmas, *
everyone l 1
fe All rights reserved by Dieter Kneg S
' he milking
ire pulsing and clicking,
Focus on century farms
Beginning sometime in January of 1976, LANCASTER FARMING will publish
Bicentennial feature stories on farms which have been in the same family for 100
years or more
Anyone living on such a farm has reason to be proud and deserves some
publicity
We ask that thoc, s . -'o presently own and operate a property which was
originally deeded f o you family prior to Dec 31, 1876 notify us Please call us
< 717-626-2191 or 717-394-3047) or write. The Editor, LANCASTER FARMING,
Box 266, Lititz, Pa 17543
The only information we need is your name, address, how long the farm has
been deeded to your family, and directions on how to get there. In as many cases
as possible we’ll send a reporter to your farm to write the story and take a few
pictures
We’ll be looking forward to hearing from you
a pleasant scent from the cows, hay,
straw, and silage filled the barn from g
wall to wall Outside, snow was falling g
gently, creating the White Christmas g
wonderland everyone had wished for g
I like to think back to those pleasant S
Cr.nstmases g
Standing by the window m the g
barn, and looking across the pasture, g
it was no mystery how Joseph Mohr g
was inspired to write the words to g
“Silent Night.” The night was silent, S
and calm, and in its own way, it was S
also bright Soft moonlight bathed the f
countryside, which was robed in pure •
white snow, fit for a King’s birthday. X
The light from inside the barn I
seemed to flow out of the windows, X
adding a touch of beauty to the scene X
that was all its own. Stars dotted the X
clear sky, the air was almost X
motionless but crisp. X
The cows ate their hay and silage g
contentedly. Some had already laid g
down on the pale yellow straw, g
looking as comfortable as kittens in a g
basket of wool 1
When the work was all done, we’d |
walk up to the house the beauty of $
the evening kept us from running, f
Certainly, much of what we felt —and |
still feel is due to tradition. The |
physical experiences and natural |
beauties of Christmas Eve combine |
with Bible teachings, family and |
country traditions, and an extra f
helping of warmth to give the event |
an air of holiness. g
W[ /:
>\®m3iys4
•r-,-\ SPCAKi/
THE RECEPTION
COMMITTEE
l,o\on lor Ilcrrmbrr 21 IJ'5
Background Scripture;
Matthew 1 IS through 2 23
Devotional Heading: Psalms
72 1-11
We really don't know who
the wise men were We know
only that they were from the
East and that they were
probably astrologers of some
kind
Despite popular tradition
that there were three, we
don’t know how many there
were - Matthew doesn't
specify a number. We don’t
know whether they rode
camels, as usually por
trayed, or walked. We don’t
even know whether they
arrived on ChrDunas Eve or
Christmas Day, only that it
was sometime around the
tune “when Jesus was born
in Bethlehem of Judea in the
days of Herod the king”
(Matthew 2:1).
Herod the un-wise
Obviously, Herod was not
a “wise man,” not in any
sense of the term. He should
have been a wise man, but he
wasn’t. Although he had
great power, although he had
fine resources and access to
much wisdom and learning,
Herod was not very wise. To
be sure, there were times
when he was cunning or
crafty, but never wise.
He was the head of state,
the government and, in a
sense, he represents all those
who possess temporal
power. He who govern,s
whether as governor,
legislator, judge, or mayor,
may use the resources at his
disposal with great wisdom
or with equally great folly.
To possess temporal power
is no guarantee of wisdom.
Strangely enough, Herod
knew that the child Messiah
was sent by God, yet he
obviously believed he could
outsmart God. Man’s
greatest troubles and
tragedies always occur when
he assumes he can outwit his
Creator.
Neither were the “chief
priests and scribes’’ the wise
men. Their foolishness is
perhaps even greater than
that of Herod. Herod had to
come to them for their ex
pertise in the scriptures.
When, in response to his
question about the birth
place of the Messiah, he
said: “And you, 0 Be
thlehem ... from you shall
come a ruler who will govern
my people Israel...” they
demonstrated that in
tellectually, at least, they
knew the right answers!
Right answers
wrong reaction
Yet, for all their
knowledge, they were not
wise men either. They had
the right answer, but they
didn’t know what to do with
it. Or, better still, they knew
what to do, but they didn’t do
it. So, instead of scribes and
pharisees coming to the
Christchild, instead of the
religious elite discovering
the newly-arrived Messiah,
it was, rather, some
strangers from the East who
followed the star to the place
where Jesus by.
Luke tells us, instead of
wise men from the East, of
shepherds who came to
worship the newborn King.
Yet, in both Gospels, the
pj^ww^vx:-’: : y-'Wi '■
a NOW IS
THE TIME. . .
To Control
External Paraiitci
Many farm animals
become infested with body
lice in the fall and carry
them all winter When the
winter hair coals get heavier
it becomes a harder problem
to eliminate the lice
Producers are urged to be on
the alert for lice and treat
their animals before serious
infestation occurs Body lice
cut down on feed efficiency
and the general health of the
animal. Two or more
treatments are usually
needed at least 12 to 14 days
apart. Dusts, sprays, or self
treating equipment is
available to treat animals
for lice. During cold weather
it is best to use cold water
with the insecticide rather
than warm or hot water; this
is advisable in order to
prevent chilling and
respiratory infection. For
best efficiency and greater
profits don’t feed parasites
along with your livestock.
To Exercise
Ewe Flock
Sheep producers should be
looking forward to the new
lamb crop, the mam source
of income from the flock.
The proper care of the ewes
during the winter months
will have a great amount of
influence on the kind of
lambs that are dropped next
spring. Daily - outside
exercise is very important
and some shepherds will
feed hay on top of snow or
frozen ground at the far end
of the exercise pen in order
to force the ewes to move
around. To keep the bred
ewes confined to a barn or
small lot will result in weak
lambs and possible lambing
problems. Top quality
legume hay should always be
available to the ewe flock
during the winter months.
To Control
Stray Animals
The risk of permitting
stray dogs and cats in farm
buildings is too great and
may result in new disease
infection. I’d like to include
wild birds in this same
category, but they are more
difficult to control or
eliminate. Some producers
are quick to destroy stray
animals because of the
danger of spreading
diseases. In this part of the
country, where farms are so
close together, it is quite
possible for a stray dog or
cat to be in several bams in a
24-hour period; this could
welcoming committee is
hardly the one we might
have expected: shepherds
and strangers rushed in
where rulers and clergy
feared to tread!
There is a relevance in
Matthew’s story even today.
Today, as then, one would
expect the pious and the
powerful to be the ones to
recognize and worship God’s
Messiah. Yet, for the most
part, it is an image they
honor, while the real Christ
comes unnoticed into their
presence. The powerful still
think they can outwit their
God and the pious still have
the right answers but the
wrong reactions.
M.»\ smith
t mmU A|;r nt
Irleplinm I'll i.Nil
easily be » source of in
fection and should not be
tolerated The use of more
wire mesh or .screcnii
about buildings might be one
way to reduce the problem
To Practice Farm
and Home Safety
I realize that Farm and
Home Safety is “old hat” to
many folks but there is still
need for more attention to
the removal of accident
hazards before someone gets
injured or killed. Many of us
take chances with animals
and equipment that might
“catch up" with us the next
time. Here at the Holiday
Season when there are many
extra activities we tend to
get in a hurry and take
chances. We have in mind
decorations in and about the
home with the use of
evergreens and extra lights.
All of these could be a hazard
if not properly handled. We
urge attention to keeping
evergreens fresh and warn
all members of the family
not to overload the electric
circuits. Special care with
tractors and other farm
equipment is also very much
in order; the removal of
protection shields and too
much speed are often the
causes of severe accidents.
Farm
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Pa. Guernsey Breeders
Association meeting at
Schindler’s Restaurant,
Camp Hill 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Ephrata Area Adult
Farmer’s program on
dairy herd management
7:45 p.m. Ephrata Senior
High School.
Wednesday, Jan. 14
Milking, School at the Lan
caster Farm and Home
Center.
Mon., Jan. 5-Fri., Jan. 9
Pa. State Farm Show at
Harrisburg. For com
plete schedule and list of
activities see our special
Farm Show Edition -
January 3rd.
/"“X
4’V
Our hearts are aglow
as seasonal excite
ment mounts. We hope
you enjoy it to the full
est. Thanks, all.
«•