10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 29,1977
EDITORIAL COMMENTS Py dieter krieg, editor
Ag is too important to shove around
"Agriculture has grown so big in its
non-farm programs, which are
essentially welfare, that a lot of the
fellows working in the U S Depart
ment of Agriculture aren't really
close to agriculture.”
That statement comes from a
Washington-based staff member of
the American Farm Bureau
Federation and was made in
reference to a news story concerning
proposed reorganization of USDA
That gives us reason to be con
cerned
Although most any move to
streamline the workings of govern
ment should be praised, some
questions may be raised if that so
called streamlining interferes with a
direct relationship
The Cooperative Extension Service
is one branch of USDA which may be
altered In its proposed new capacity,
this long-time agency of service and
help to farmers will take in the needs
of city folks as well If the city people
need educational assistance, let
them get their own Let’s not dilute
the Agricultural Extension Service by
spreading it all around and allowing
it to be saturated with ideas and
DAY OF
RECKONING
Lesson for October 30,1977
Background Scripture:
Luke 12:35-48.
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 5:1-7.
television, and m novels we are many who live their lives beyond the grave, we that doesn’t come, we of Christianity is that,
are always happy to see the with an “every-man-for- assume that there is no assume that we can do what regardless of how things
To Pick and Store Apples then allow it to stand m the ters forget the landowner is and costs nothing to observe should be identified and
This is apple picking orchard overnight to cool, his host. If hunters will a few common courtesy listed for each field. Often
season but it is also un- Then, place the apples in observe a few sensible rules while hunting; ask you will find a few weeds
;hem
Remember, cool apples
will keep longer. Ideally,
they should be stored at 33
degrees Fahrenheit, at 90
percent humidity, and in dim
light or darkness. Since
many people can’t provide
these perfect conditions, the
next best thing is a family
type refrigerator Just put
apples in a plastic bag, then
close the bag loosely or
punch a few small holes in it
so air can circulate.
Now as to picking - it’s a
good practice to store the
fruit in shade as it’s picked,
RURAL ROUTE B
M
hero rewarded and the
vilhan punished. Usually,
that’s the way it happens in
fiction: justice is done at
last.
In real life, however, it
doesn’t always work out that
way, it seems. The vilhans
“get away with murder,”
both figuratively and
literally. The bad guys often
continue to win and some
even seem to die happy and
prosperous. Then too, there
are some “good guys” who
go to their graves without
vindication.
Bigger and better barns
Because the above state of
before the temperature rises
too much.
If you leave apples in a
packing shed or in piles
under the trees for one week,
you’ll shorten their storage
life by about five weeks.
To Be Alert For Hunters
The small game hunting
season will open on Satur
day. I would like to remind
hunters to be courteous and
considerate while hunting on
farms and to encourage
better relations between
farmers and hunters.
Criticism of hunting often
starts because of few hun
programs which might end
neglecting the needs of farmers
The Extension Service belongs to
farmers, and others directly involved
in agriculture Let’s not allow it to be
taken over by interests which aren’t
tied in closely to the farming and
gardening scene Too much of that
has already taken place at USDA
Another proposal made by
Secretary Bergland suggests placing
the USDA’s Office of Com
munications under the Office of
Congressional Relations Such a
direct political connection between
USDA communications and Congress
might seriously jeopardize
creditability of news releases That's
not to say, however, that present
news releases put out by USDA are
everything a journalist or farmer
would want to ask for
A third area of concern to AFBF,
and cattlemen in particular, is the
proposal to place the Packers and
Stockyards Administration under the
Administrator of the Agricultural
Marketing Service It's presently an
independent agency AFBF
challenges that removing its
himself” attitude that once
might have been called
“ruthless,” but today is
likely to be dubbed as
“aggressive enterprise.”
Why not’ If there is no
justice in the world - par
ticularly if you can afford to
buy it - why not get as much
as you can as often as you
can.
Jesus, however taught his
followers that this “dog-eat
dog” approach life is simply
an illusion, a rather
dangerous illusion at that.
Life in this world only ap
pears to be without justice
because our perspective is
keep themselves from
becoming uninvited guests.
Most landowners permit
hunting when they are asked
permission. Asking per
mission to hunt is a small
courtesy in return for a
pleasant day in the field, yet
too few people follow this
rule. Landowners may
actually need protection
from indifferent, careless
and destructive hunters.
When the trouble starts,
many farmers post their
land for protection from
irresponsible hunters.
It takes very little tune
Tom Armstrong'
(P lum Arrmlrong 1^77
autonomy would reduce its ef
fectiveness
up .
Secretary Bergland may have a
good idea in wanting to reorganize
his Department, and he’s well within
his legal responsibilities to want to do
so But any plan which would take
away from the present effectiveness
of agricultural agencies needs
reconsideration
The Agriculture Department has
been diluted and burdened enough
with people and programs which are
a far cry from the farmer's interests.
If such a trend is allowed to continue,
we may eventually have USDA
replaced by something like USDHNN
Thoughts for the season
All the seasons of the year are
beautiful in their own way, but
Autumn is - to say the least - a lot
more colorful Like the grand finale of
a July Fourth fireworks display,
Autumn's colors are an awe inspiring
event which is followed by rest,
sleep, and silence
Man has witnessed this beautiful
season for thousands of years, and
reckoning beyond that. But,
said Jesus, there is!
This approach to life is
illustrated in one of his
parables: the Wise and
Unwise Stewards (Luke
12:41-48). In looking at the
unwise steward, we might
imagine that we are wat
ching ourselves. For dften,
we have a tendency to think
as he reasoned to himself:
“My master is delayed on
coming...” In contemporary
language we would say:
“there is no judge coming to
hand out just deserts.” And
like the unwise steward,
close gates, pick up litter
after eating lunch, and stay
out of unharvested crops.
Keep a safe distance from
buildings and livestock and
be sure to respect the
property of others.
To Identify Next Year’s
Weed Problems
When you walk through
your corn fields this fall and
winter, you may be looking
at next year’s weed problem.
Now is the best time to make
field by field inventory of
weeds that have not been
controlled.
Weeds that are present
- “U S Department of Human Needs
and Nutrition " We've already seen
how a Select Committee with similar
name treats agriculture And it’s a
well-known fact that government is
trying to gain more and more say m
what we eat Reducing the ef
fectiveness of direct farmer services
and programs will in effect put
farmers further into the shadows of
urban consumer groups and others
who have little or no understanding
of the workings of agriculture
yet year after year it’s a scene which
captivates his sense of beauty.
Autumn’s beauty is one of those
things you want to see again and
again, and you always appreciate it,
whether you're five or 105
Every season, and every magical
happening in Nature is beautiful So
beautiful, in fact, that man, m all his
(Continued on Page 35)
we please without any fear of
judgement.
More than food
When people begin to
believe that there is no
divine judgement, they often
live in a completely selfish
and ruthless manner. So it
was with the servant in the
parable, but while he was
beating the hired help and
living like a glutton and
drunkard, the master
suddenly and unexpectedly
returned. Though he had
thought he was getting away
with something, the unwise
steward was judged and
punished severe
Some of the annual grasses
are prolific seed producers,
and a minor infestation of
the foxtails or fall pamicum
can be serious next year if
not controlled.
If you are growing con
tinuous corn and relying
heavily on one herbicide,
beware. Weeds that escape
control will build up very
rapidly and cause serious
reductions in com yield. By
taking a weed inventory this
fall, you can select the
proper combination of
herbicides to effectively
control weeds next spring.
Farm Calendar
Today, Oct. 29
District 1 of Maryland
Cooperative Milk Producers
holds annual meeting, North
Harford High School,
Pylesville, Md., 7 p.m.
Adams County Beef
Producers Feeder Calf Sale,
6 p.m. at South Mountain
Fairgrounds. Social hour,
with Rep. Bill Goodlmg as
guest, will begin at 5 p.m.
may seem m the world, there
is reckoning - a reckoning,
not just for some, but for all.
The reckoning will be
completely equitable:
“Every one to whom much is
given, of him will much be
required; and of him to
whom men commit much
they will demand the more”
(12:48). The key is to live
life with an awareness of the
reckoning that will
ultimately come. Then,
“Blessed is that servant
whom his master when he
comes will find so doing.”
To Protect Trees And
Shrubs For Winter
Trees and shrubs can get C
through the winter, but they
can do it better with a little
help from you. This in
formation on winter
protection might help save
some of your valued trees
and shrubs.
Thin-barked trees can be
damaged by sunscald in the
winter. That’s why it’s a
good idea to wrap the trunks
of such trees as sugar maple,
(Continued on Page 16)
Monday, Oct. 31
District 3 of Maryland
Cooperative Milk Producers
holds annual meeting,
Carroll County Ag Center, 7
p.m
Tuesday, Nov. 1
Lebanon County DHIA
banquet, Schaefferstown „
Fire Hall, 7 p.m. J
District 8 of Maryland
(Continued on Page 16)