—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1976 102 Leaders [Continued from Page 101] sponsors four scholarships for 4-H youth. Heisey presented the two $125 agricultural scholar ships to Cindy Eberly, Newmanstown Rl, and Richard Krall, Lebanon Rl. Miss Eberly is a freshman at the Altoona Campus of the Penn State University majoring in liberal arts. Krall is a sophomore at Virginia Polytechnic In stitute and State University majoring in dairy science. Receiving the two $125 home economics scholar ships were Lenore Kreiser, 122 E. Main St., Annville, and Karen Rittle, Lebanon Rl. Miss Kreiser is a fresh man at Penn State University enrolled in the liberal arts program. Miss Rittle is a freshman at Lebanon Valley College majoring in elementary education. Mewj FARM SEED BOOK LANCASTER, Pa. - Hoffman Seeds, Inc., has issued its new 1977 catalog of farm seeds. The 78-year-old company, based in Lan caster County, concentrates on crops such as hay, pasture, silage and Funk’s G-Hybrid com. The catalog consists of 32 pages printed in full color, and is divided into sections for comparative study of new and improved varieties. One section, for instance, is devoted to alfalfa varieties, another to hay and silage have a nice weekend... .eft up your hood Heisey accepted the Silver Clover citation on behalf of the Peoples National Bank. The Silver Clover award is presented to banks con tributing $lOO or more to the joint National 4-H Center - Pennsylvania 4-H Fund campaign. Kenneth Sellers, president of 4-H Leaders Organization, presented the “Friends of 4- H” Awards. Receiving those cer tificates were: the Lebanon Valley Exposition Cor poration, Agway, Evergreen Tractor Co., Mark C. Her shey, Tom B. Morrissey, and John Herr. Following the Awards presentations, the 4-H Leaders Organization conducted a business meeting and the election of their officers. The newly elected officers are: Janis Horst, president; Linda Boyer, vice president; Alvena Kneasel, secretary; Richard Kreider, treasurer. formulas, still another to com varieties for grain and silage. SeveraL unique charts are included to aid farmers in making the proper variety selection for soil and climate conditions, and the intended use. Copies of the catalog may be obtained by writing to Ivan Kaufman, Hoffman Seeds, Inc., Landisville, Pa. 17538. 10% DISCOUNT SALE THROUGH OCTOBER 3f Tools 3f Silo Forks Shovels Plow Shares 3f Forks 3^-Etc. SPECIAL No. 163 Heavy Duty D Handle Manure Forks $ 15.Q0 (Less 10 Percent) WUENNO S. BEILER R 1 Christiana, PA Near Nine Points, PA ‘Thermometers’ check plants’ health “My wheat’s running a fever and my cotton’s hypertensive!” That might sound like the rantings of a farmer who’s been out in the sun too long, but it could be a perfectly logical observation some day. Like doctors who rely on temperature and blood pressure readings to gauge patients’ conditions, U.S. Agriculture Department scientists are now making readings of plant tem peratures and sap pressures. What they hope to find are clues that will show the soil moisture conditions under which crop plants are growing. These findings could be important tools for predicting moisture-related famines, pest outbreaks, and plant diseases throughout the world. They also could help in developing information to improve crop and rangeland management and to prevent excessive soil erosion. The scientists currently are making thousands of temperature and _ sap pressure readings in six Arizona wheat plots kept at various stages of wetness. Plant temperatures are taken twice daily with thermal infra red scanners, „ the plant scientists’ “ther mometers.” At the same time, sap readings are checked with a “pressure bomb.” Eventually scientists believe they’ll be able to tell which plants have adequate soil moisture - and which ones don’t - just by checking their temperature. Sap pressure - which in dicates the amount of suction a plant has to exert in order to draw moisture from the soil-is expected to be related to the temperature reading. By relating these data to the normal wat|r use of various crop plants, scientists may be able to tell the amount of soil moisture in the root zone of any particular crop. Since the thermal scan ners can be used either on the ground or from the air, it’s possible this information could one day be relayed back from satellites. While much research is still to be done, scientists say crop-forecasting would be one of the prime benefits if their project is successful. Yearly government ex penditures for crop forecasting run about $4O million in the U.S. and some $lOO million worldwide. TRY A CLASSIFIED AD! Iod.IJiMW MODEL 200 AUTOMATIC 'Atio - %.