Fanning, Saturday, January 19,1950 HARRISBURG - Crowds of people jammed the large arena on Wednesday evening to watch the annual horse pulling contests. This event has become one of the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s crowd favorites. Spectators came to see light weight and heavy weight draft horses pulling a sled full of weights. The object was, of course, to pull the load the fartherest distance. The career of the pulling horse starts when he is around two years old. The Belgian breed is the most commonly used horse for this type of competition, although Percherons are seen in pulling contests too. According to Fred Welsh, a pulling horse expert from Boston, the Belgian horses are favored because they are a good working horse. He added they are docile and Eastern Pennsylvania spudmen win most titles HARRISBURG - Potato growers from Eastern took almost every ribbon in the 1980 Farm Show potato award listing. Schuylkill County dominated the winners, especially in the youth division of the show. The Schwartz family, R 2 Begins, contributed heavily to the County’s standings. OPEN DIVISION KataMm 1 Padilla Farms Bath 2 Ernest V Geiger Schnecksville 3 Don E Lichtenwalner R 2 Macungie 4 Nevm W Reitz, R 2 Schnecksville 5 Blair Hower R 2 Northampton Kennebec, Penn-71, NorcMp 1 Hans Fritz Lock Haven, 2 Nevm W Reitz, R 2 Schnecksville Superior or other whites 1 Jennifer Schwartz R 2 Hegms, 2 EDLAfID Horse power pulls thrill Farm Show crowd easy to keep clean which helps their popularity. (hie of the contestants at this- year’s Farm Show, Drew Walsh from Mount Pleasant, near Greensburg, said his team of drafts works all year long. During the fair season, they travel to Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, or where ever there is a contest going on. Walsh continued saying draft horse teams are in better shape than most race horses. He said they’re fed better and cared for better than their fleeter-footed brothers. There were 15 lightweight and 15 heavyweight teams in this year’s Farm Show competition. The Penn sylvania contest differs from the most popular pull held in Fryeberg, Maine because it is a pull for distance with increasing load weights. In Maine, the teams pull for Padula Farms. Bath 3 Chester Schwartz R 2 Hegms 4 Jeff Schwartz R 2 Hegms 5 Isabel Schwartz R 2 Hegms Norland or other reds 1 Chester Schwartz R 2 Hegms 2 Jeff Schwartz R 2 Hegms 3 Jennifer Sch wartz R 2 Hegms 4 Isabel Schwartz R 2 Hegms 5 Calvin Geiger Schnecksville JUNIOR DIVISION 4-H Club 1 Chester Schwartz R 2 Hegms Superior or other whites 2 Gwen E Hower R 2 Northampton VOCATIONAL CLASSES Katahdin 2 Chns Walizer R 1 Loganton 3 Donald Heilman, R 1 Kempton Kennebeck Penn 71 or Norchip 1 Charles Martin R 1 Willow Street 2 John Keller, R 2 York 3 Brent Boone, Logantown, 4 Don Bennett Millersville, 5 David Raybuck, R 2 Reynoldville Superior or other whites 1 Jeff Schwartz, R 2 Hegms, 2 Mike Messer, Pitman Norland or other named 1 Jeffrey Schwartz R 2 Hegms, 2 Mike Messer Pitman. 3 Jeff Burkholder R 2 five minutes, carrying their load how ever far they can. The size of the load depends on the size of the horse. Fred Welsh explained a team that weighs 3200 pounds would probably have a load of 6500 pounds, around two “rocks” per pound of horse. A rock is the old term for the weights used to load the sled. Today, cement blocks are used instead of field rocks. Dave Caulson, North East, Maryland, said the use of a dynamometer is gaining more popularity in horse pulling contests. Invented by a Professor Collins of lowa State University in 1923, the dynomometer is attached to the back of a truck and is a vertical pull. Caulson explained the advantage to the vertical pull. The sleds tend to get hung up on any little piece of stone or clump of sod which Columbia 4 David Payback R 2 Reynoldville Champion VoA* Division 1 Jeffrey Schwartz R2Hegms Grand Champion Jeffrey Schwartz R 2 Hegms HEAVIEST POTATO Heaviest uniformed-shaped tuber of any variety 1 NevmW Reitz R2Schnecksville > wm (mowino bctto Steadying two powerful draft horses before their big pulling event is no easy task for this young teamster. can limit a teams 1 pulling of Belgians set the world * ability. With a record. Caulson attributed Shelocta 4AI Dodge Jr Rl Little dynomometer, there is no some of the record to the Meadows friction resistance. quackgrass sod which he He said the best claims gives the best footing, dynomometer pulls are held This year’s Farm Show in Michigan and Wisconsin. winners were At last year’s pull in Hillsdale, Michigan, a team ATTENTION FARMERS AND TRUCKERS Wf: ' • LIVESTOCK TTUULER .EQUIPMENT TRAILER • UTILITY TRAILER • TILT BEO TRAILER • FLATBED TRAILER 16’ long by 8' wide body has 40” sides, a grain door in rear, flotation tires for field work or 10,000 lbs., axles with dual wheels, electric hoist carrying capacity 300-350 bu. Versatile Bumper Utility Trailer. This handy 8’ long by 4' wide Ridged Midget will make a pickup of your car, Bronco, Scout, Jeep or Blazer. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers