—Lancaster Fannins, Saturday, October 29,1977 94 Christmas craft parties make By SUSAN KAUFFMAN Feature Writer QUARRYVILLE - When a group of women gather during this time of year - whether it is a group of three who meet at the super market or 30 at a Farm Women or church meeting - the conversation eventually, if not immediately, turns to - “What are you doing for Christmas gifts this year?” or “Have you seen those new craft items at so- and so-’s house or such-and-such’s store?” In recent years, homemakers have made an about-face when it comes to decorating and gift giving. Whereas a store-bought gift was once the popular item, today women, young and old alike, take great pleasure in handcrafting their own decorations and gifts which they part with, sometimes reluctantly, to special people on special occasions. Expensive craft books, even more expensive supply store merchandise, and commercially marketed craft classes can, at times, however, deter would-be craftpersons from taking the first step. To combat this problem, many craft enthusiasts have devised less costly and less disquieting circumstances in which to learn a new skill - they use their fnendsly neighborhood “crafty” person. Every club or neigh- An important step to making braided wreathes is braiding the strands with a hank attached to a chair. borhood has its handful of “crafty” people. These women have a flare for artistic design, for remembering forms, materials, effects, and for devising or improvising steps which make the end result a real creation. Rather than demand an entrance payment and the requirement that all supplies be purchased from a certain business firm, these gifted women polish off house cleaning, make a pot of homemade soup for lunch to share with their “students”, provide plenty of toys for the toddlers who accompany their mothers, and then teach the class in pleasant surroundings. Several benefits can be derived from this type of craft class. First of all, by forming a small group of three to five people, the materials can be bought and divided so that there will be little unused, but very costly, material left over. The experienced teacher has usually learned where to purchase the best quality, the right size, and the right quantity materials needs, learning fun whereas a novice is at the novices often results in over mercy of a book list and buying and expensive waste, attractive displays at stores. This lack of direction with (Continued on Page 97) FARM DRAINAGE ISA GOOD INVESTMENT HERE ARE 10 REASONS WHY; 1. Better soil aeration results from good drainage This permits deeper and more ex tensive root development and a more favorable environment for beneficial soil micro organisms and earthworms 2. Better soil moisture conditions with good drainage permit more efficient operation of tillage, planting and harvesting equipment. There is less chance of destroying soil tilth due to working soil when it is too wet. 3. Longer growing seasons can be achieved with good drainage due to earlier possible planting dates 4. An increased supply of nitrogen can be ob tained from the soil where water tables are lowered by a drainage system 5 Soils warm up more quickly in the spring when free water is removed by a drainage system 6. Certain toxic substances and disease organisms are removed from the soil due to better drainage and beftei aeration 7. Soil erosion can be reduced on a well-drained soil by increasing its capacity to hold rainfall, resulting in less runoff 8. Deeper root development enables plants to better withstand summer droughts. High water tables in the spring due to poor drainage cause shallow root development and a smaller soil volume from which plants can obtain moisture and nutrients. 9 Valuable livestock water supplies are ob tained by draining hillside seeps and piping the water to stock water tanks 10. Increased crop yields and improved crop quality result from favorable soil moisture conditions with good drainage COCALICO EQUIPMENT CO. DRAINAGE & EXCAVATING \IICA/ RD#3 DENVER, PA. 17517 \ / (215)267-3808
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers