C34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12,1980 Silo soliloquy a little humor in the round BY DICK ANGLESTEIN HERE AND THERE - What’s the most prominent feature on the rural skyline’ The silo, of course. After rising for more than a century as massive con crete crops, they’ve come to dot the countryside, par ticularly m dairy land But a silo is much more than a cylinder on end that serves as a pastoral pantry to help get a dairy herd through a long, cold wmter. Silos are something like rural history books They can reveal information about a farm’s past. Clusters of different sized silos tell of continuing farm expansion as increasing herd numbers forced newer and larger construction. Squat, con crete structures recall the days of arduous hand-filling. And a goodly number are still so used today in Lan caster County Silos serve as landmarks How many times have you given directions-by-silo to a stranger. ‘ ‘Just head toward that tall blue one, you can’t miss it ” Or. “Turn right at the farm with the twin silos ” Silos that were there long before airports moved farther and farther into the country now blink in the mght Pilots sight on them to get into the landing pattern At Christmas, almost every area has its silo with a star on top At nearby Three-Mile- Island, city TV and newspaper photo crews found out just how tall an 80- foot silo is It provided an ideal vantage point to film and photograph the nuclear plant and surrounding area, but these photographers will think twice before climbing one again Many silos resemble big blue flagpoles for displaying rural patriotism Others are a backdrop for names They are made of all different kinds of materials There are those of metal, wood, concrete and tile Some are gouged lengthwise into the ground with con crete sides and a wrap topped with old tires And now some are big plastic baggies But did you ever consider them the subject of silent countryside humor 7 They It MILLWOOD ROAD High production costs and low farm prices made me blow my top. VALLEYBROOK APARTMENTS Where did everyone go; I’m all alone now. DRYTOWN ROAD It was so slow and easy around here until that big blue bully crowded in stand as kind of a silo soliloquy Scattered on this page are various sized and shaped silos found in Lancaster County I’ve put a caption to each If you don’t like the caption provided, try one of your own The next time you’re driving to town foi some baler parts or whatever, lake notice of the silos See if they say anything funny to you If you happen to have a camera, snap a photo of your favorite and send it along with a caption Or write and tell us of one and if we’re in the area, we’ll take a photo of it And with all necessary apologies to Hamlet and Shakespeare, here’s our “Silo Soliloquy ” HERRVILLE ROAD It’s not “Oklahoma,” but it’s the silo with a fringe on top r COCALICO ROAD For rent -- no conveniences but a great view .4 ” V 4 RT. 322, HINKLETOWN Textures, history and sunrise. BUCKWALTER ROAD Let’s get a fulltime hired hand so we can go to the beach more often. LANCASTER AIRPORT We gotta watch this hugging in public, par ticularly when the little fella is around.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers