72—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 31,1977 Farmers’ cooperative (Continued from Page 69) hung onto the wheel for dear life, legs flying m the air, and a horrified scowl on his face. Does that sound like something out of a Charlie Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy movie? Even though it may, it’s not. It was the real life experience of Earl Groff, 1410 W. Roseville Road, Lancaster, who back in 1940 was the manager of the Lancaster warehouse for Eastern States Farmers Cooperative, one of the parent organizations of today’s Agway, Inc. Now, fully 37 years later, Groff found out at a reunion of Eastern States representatives, recently, that he may never live that story down. f - I \% Donald S. Keller, left, and Earl Groff, right, are two representatives who recollect the early days of Eastern States Farmers’ Cooperative. YOUR RIGHT CONNECTION FOR SPREADERS ... NEW IN STOCK NOW ... Model 540 185 Bu Model 550 216 Bu Model 570 271 Bu Model 580 312 Bu ★ URGES! IH SPREADER DEALER IN THE NORTHEAST U.S >ll m INTERNATIONAL ■I AGRICULTURAL ■ EQUIPMENT But, according to anec dotes told by each of the representatives, Groff's incident was not the ex ception, but more-or-less the rule of the day when feed, seed and fertilizer distribution depended totally on railroad freight tran sportation. For the “younger generation” who have grown up accustomed to cooperative stores and bulk delivery, the concept of depending on the railroad for bags of feed is something new. But, during the days of the Depression and World War II up to the 1960’5, it was a way of life for farmers. “Eastern States used to ship grain from the West,” ; % J Frystown, RD 1, Myerstown, PA 17067 717-933-^l3B explained Stephen Kurtz, who was a representative for the company in Morgan town, and who is now the assistant manager of the Agway store in New Holland. Continuing his narrative, he said, “And, after shipment from the West, the gram was nulled at the regional mill in Buffalo, N.Y.” After the feed was prepared, it was shipped via railroad boxcar to the company’s representatives in New England, Penn sylvania, Delaware, and parts of Maryland. It was at these railroad stations that business was done, with farmers coming from the neighboring communities to pick up their feed. The schedules for the various “stations” wat f'' * $ USED IN STOCK NOW... • STARLINE FUIL SPREADERS • NEW IDEA 12A SPREADER • IH 275 SPREADER SWOPE & BASHORE, INC. different, depending on the needs of the farmers in the area. For instance, a typical schedule for the early years of Eastern States might have been two carloads of feed at a station every two weeks. But, it was the goal of each representative to increase his number of tons, and along with that, the number of cars. For instance, John Melhom, the representative from the Mount Joy station, proudly states that at one point he had six carloads of feed coining into his station every other week. At tunes he even hit a high of as many as seven or eight cars. “That was a heavy station,” acknowledges LaVerne S. Pownall, Quarryville, who retired from business recently after nearly four decades with farmers cooperatives. ERTH-RITE SOIL CONDITIONER MAXICROP LIQUID PLANT FEEDING Teed-rite Vitamin 5 Mineral for livestock and poultry ZOOK & RfINCK, INC. RDI, Gap, PA 17527 Phone 717 442 4171 SHOULD YOU CONSIDER AGRI-SOIL CONDITIONER? Farm Observations Show: 1. Crumbly, More Porous Soil 2. Elimination of Wet Spots in Gumbo-like Soil 3. Increased Effectiveness of Tile 4. Reduction in Amount of Water Runoff 5. Easier Tillage of Soil 6. More Uniformity in Growth and Maturity 7. Higher Yield Potential Agri-SC soil conditioner works on the soil by breaking down its plasticity 20 per cent and increasing the permability and penetration of the water by 100 per cent. Tests to prove these results have been done by the Geological Service of Omaha, Nebraska. By using Agri-SC, the farmer should be able to save on his equipment wear, his fuel use, and the fertilizer needed on his fields. Agri-SC soil conditioner loosens the soil so air and water can move down into the ground. Farmers across the nation are using Agri-SC to eliminate wet spots and reduce run off. Agri-SC will also increase the effectiveness of existing tile. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL YOUR LOCAL AGRI-INTERNATIONAL DEALER BOYD'S SEEDCENTER MILFORD MAST Galen L. Boyd RDI, lona Rd Lebanon, Pa. 717-272-6198 Pownall, who started out with Eastern States in 1939 as a manager of what was then the “new” Quarryville store, and who eventually became fieldman for Lan caster, Lebanon, and Dauphin Counties, noted that back in the years of Eastern States, the feed was all ’ss.i MC» 7Q' CLEAR SPAN 43 x !£. BUILDING On') ihi*w»h Umkau>h * 'aw 'aw M' «w» 'aat »i»''*n* cast a e we abia I* afar yau th * auislinkmf Mm value Buililmf nduM) ktlivary M*s la* aftctian #n yauf l«v«l i»t c#nsirycii*o insurance cancret* laatais unk*' all Mias hifh-auahtY buiianf matenala *nk i"» »ni»'a jab is flank** by UmkaufH « awn h |Diy in nak craw* Gal all the fads mail cauaan la any artica ka'nw an* we w n lum *n yau with carnalai* iniarmatian an this na« huh kuaiiiy low-cast larm bull* hf NaaKiatian *1 eaurse 24 HOUR TOLL FREE NUMBER 0-821-2270 (Ext a 806) D Tell me mot# ab«ut Umbaugh s new ' * l»w cost Urm buiMinf Open Sat. mornings for • Attiatt your convenience. WHY RD2 Elverson, Pa. 215-286-9118 handled in bags railroad cars. “The growth of Eastern States really shows you the changes in agriculture over the years,” he noted, “ij, * went from the big mills such as the one at ( Buffalo, to stores, and then f to smaller mills like the one * (Turn to Page 73) J t > WHITE HORSE GRAIN CO. Richard Breckbill RD2 Cochranviile, Pa 215-869-8201 RDI Oxford. Pa 215-869-8201 m LEHMAN 2412 Pa. Ave. Hagerstown, Md. 301-797-7587 the U 1 '!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers