.farnrtne.Satorttey, April! 0,1976
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LIFE on the farm
By DIETER KKIEG
“Hey, Marv, I need some help with
this one!"
Staggering towards me with an
armful of rocks his eyes scanning
the ground for more Marvin
meandered to the flatbed wagon and
dropped the stones.
“That one must be pregnant," he
said, as he approached with a
sheepish grin on his face.
"Must be,” I said laughingly, “let’s
get it out of here before it produces a
whole lot of little ones for us to pick
up next year.”
Grabbing it by each end, Marvin
and I lifted the heavy rock and
carefully deposited it oh to the wagon
which was almost full. We had picked
thousands of stones sometimes
spending entire afternoons at this
task which some people say requires
“a strong back and a weak mind."
Most Pennsylvania farmers aren't
fortunate enough to not have to
remove wagon-loads of stones from
their fields each year. You can pick a
field clean this year and next year
there'll be more.
Marvin, our hired man on Dad’s
York County farm, said it well when
he joked that rocks get pregnant and
reproduce. Sometimes it’s hard to
believe how many rocks appear from
year to year. As every farmer knows,
rocks are removed from fields to that
machinery can be operated safely and
interference from them is reduced to
a minimum.
It’s a tough job one that’s not
only hard on a man's back and legs,
but also on his enthusiasm. It’s the
kind of chore that’s extremely boring
when you're by yourself, but bearable
if there’s company.
Our calloused hands stood up to
the constant lifting, pulling and
pushing. Rocks ground soil into our
palms in a “mortar and pestle”
fashion. We used our arm, back and
leg muscles and usually we could tell
by the end of the day—or at least by
the following morning that we had
labored considerably.
Normally one of us would lift and
carry a rock by himself if it didn’t
weigh over about 150 pounds. A few
weighed much more than that,
requiring two or three to carry it, and
if that wasn’t enough we resorted to
tractor power.
Nobody looks forward to an af
ternoon of rock picking, but there
were some nice things about it: It
gave a fellow the chance to exercise
his muscles, and if the weather was
nice you could get a neat tan.
What made it amusing was when
Marvin came up with some funny
comment like a rock being pregnant
... and then I could ask him if he was
responsible.
“Heck no,” he’d say, "what do you
Think I am?"
:V i ’
T '
„ t t
“Keep ‘Sandy’ in this morning,” I
told our hired man, Marvin, as he
began to let the cows out of the barn.
“Is she in heat again, or what’s the
matter?" he asked, not missing a step
in walking along and releasing the
cows out of their stanchions.
“She failed the pregnancy test and
is dropping off too far in milk
production," I explained. “She’ll be
going to Stewartstown later in the
day; make sure she has plenty of feed
in front of her.”
The ‘arrival of the cattle truck
almost always triggered a feeling of
grief at home. I say “almost always”
because there were occasions when a
real loafer or temperamental cow left
the barn and no one was sorry about
it. But usually that wasn't the case.
Some cows left the herd due to old
age, others because of breeding or
mastitis problems. All of them went
for meat. For years they had given of
themselves in terms of thousands of
gallons of milk and thousands of
pounds of butterfat. And then they’re
forced to give all that’s left their
life. There’s no other way.
The cattle truck backed up to the
door at the southern end of the barn,
gates and ramps clattering all the
while.
"Okay, that’s it!” I shouted as my
arm instantly flew into the air to
signal a stop. “That’s close enough."
The truck driver hopped out of the
cab and ambled to the rear to check
how things were lined up.
All along, like many another cow
before her, “Sandy” had watched the
truck approach, the door come down,
and gates being fastened into place.
She watched with anxious eyes. We
watched with sad eyes.
We tried not to think about what a
cow might think of her former master
when she looked back at him and her
former home through the narrow
slots in the sides of the truck, on her
way to the beef auction.
RURAL
ROUTE
By
Tom
Armstrong
» J- ,•*- 4
WUI YOU TAKE
THIS oa'gone pill
BARABBAS
CHOICE
Lesson for April 11, 1976
Background Scripture T.;
Matthew 26 through 27.
If you go to Jerusalem
today, they will show where
it Is believed that Jesus, stood
with Pilate before the crowd.
Called “The Pavement,” it is
the place where people of the
Holy City made a fateful
choice for Barabbas in place
of Jesus.
I have stood on that spot
and closed my eyes so that in
my imagination, I might see
those sights and hear those
sounds. I -have reassured
myself that I would not have
been found among those who
rejected the kingship of
Jesus and bestowed pardon
on a murderer and robber!
Yet, who knows what one
would do in certain cir
cumstances? It is so easy to
make the right choice
after almost two thousand
years of hindsight!
“Whom do you want...?”
The picture we get of
Pilate is a familiar one. He
might be a public official
today. He has an obvious
sympathy for Jesus and
seems desirous of letting him
go, but he is too much the
politician to let himself be
guided by these inclinations.
He is reluctant to make a
choice and shifts it over on to
the crowd.
Without realizing it, Pilate
makes a choice for Barab
bas: instead of letting his
sense of right and wrong
guide him, he “play! it safe”
and puts Jesus’ life in.the
hands of the emotional
crowd.
Pilate’s behaviour is not so
different from the actions of
people in our world today.
They are inclined to do the
right things, but they are too
fearful or too ambitious to
make the right choices. They
make the choice that is likely
to do them the most good or
cause them the least trouble.
Thus, the Barabbas choice is
often the choice we make to
save our own skins at the
expense of our souls. It is the
choice of the opportunist, the
coward, and the bum who
“didn’t mean any harm.”
What to do with Christ?
So Pilate makes his
Barabbas choice and so does
the crowd. And their choice
is somewhat different from
Pilate’s. They must choose
between the man who taught
that love is the measure of
all things and a man who
fervently believed that only
armed insurrection could
meet their needs.
In retrospect it seems to us
an easy choice —it usually is
in retrospect! But today
when we are faced with that
choice, we are as likely to
choose wrongly as they did.
(frM-
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'</
VAS
To Continue Pesticide
Education
The present effort to
certify and license pesticide
application may be placed
on the “second burner”
because of the extension on
the required deadline. It has
been changed from October
of 1976 to October of 197? i at
least this seems to be the
latest word in Pennsylvania.
Regardless of the required
deadline, this program has
dime a lot of good and can
still have pesticide ap
plicators better informed.
We encourage both firmer
and custom operators to
continue to keep up-to-date
on all materials and ap
plication methods. We most
practice safety and follow
regulations.
To Maintain Soil
Organic Matter
The amount of decom
posed vegetable and animal
waste in the soil is regarded
as organic matter; another
name might be the amount of
humus in the soil. The more
of this material in the soil the
better it will hold moisture,
the easier it will work, and
' will provide a better home
for plant roots and bacteria.
At this time of the year when
many fields are being
prepared for planting it is
suggested that maximum
amounts of organic matter
be incorporated into the
topsoil. Livestock and
poultry manure along with
green manure crops (cover
crops) do add good qualities
to the soil. Soils that are
worked hard each year with
doable cropping, need
special attention in order to
hold the amount of organic
matter.
To Get Ready
Com planting is a big
operation in this part of the
In church on a Sunday
morning we read this in
cident and are incredulous,
but throughout the
remainder of the week as we
are confronted with choices
for either Christ or Barab
bas, we approach them with
the same insensitivity that
influenced the crowd that
day in Jerusalem. We choose
violence and coercion, in
justice and political gain,
prejudice and cynicism,
little realizing that in doing
so we are rejecting the
kingship of Christ and
choosing Barabbas instead.
(Based on outlines
copyrighted by the Division
of Christian Education,
National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A. Released by Com
munity Press Service.)
THE TIME. . '.I
i
NO%IS
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-fiKSI
country and before this issue
of Lancaster Fanning is a
month old, much of the com
could -be planted in
southeastern Pennsylvania.
The temperature of the soil
is the keyfactor as to when
to plantfcom and the SO
degree F temperature is
desired. Soil thermometers
are available to give
guidance to this decision.
Seed, fertilizer, and spray
materials should be on hand
and the com planter in tip
top shape. Those using the
no-till method of corn
planting may have to wait „
several days longer for they>
proper temperature under
the layers of mulch andcrop
residues. Plan ahead for
exactly all of .the needs in
order to avoid costly delays
when weather and soil
conditions are correct.
. To Feed Dry
Matter.
Livestock being turned to
lush pasture for the first few
times need a prior feeding of
hay, silage, or straw. This
will-prevent bloating or
scouring and slow up the
passage of the green forage
though the intestinal tract.
Some pastures are soon
.ready and animals should be
accustomed to (he forage
gradually.. The placing of a
portable hay rack -in tiw
pastire area is strongly
suggested. The.removal ?«f
the milking herd 4 to 5 houris
. before, the next milkjig**
:period may»a*bid ‘. ( gras|R
flavored milk.,
Calendar
Tuesday, Apr. 13
Poultry Sales Service
Conference, Keller
Building, Penn State;
program continues
through Wednesday.
Twelfth annual Franklin
County'ASCS banquet at
the Lemasters' Com*
munity Center,
Lemasters, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Apr. 15
Grassland Environmental
FFA Chapter banquet,
6:30 pjn. Blue Ball Fire
Hall.
When inflation and im
provements raise the value
of your home, increase your
insurance to protect the
higher worth. And don’t
overlook your title in
surance; that might need
updating, too. Chances are it
covers you only up to what
you paid for the home.
THERE 'S More
THAN owe WAY
T' DOSE A COW
an
Farm .
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