Brief answers to short questions Sheila's Shorts By Sheila Miller ‘Wood’ you know? The question What is the address of Ronald Jester, the author of an article on burning wood that appeared in the January 31 issue of Lancaster Farming? Russell Weidman Wayland,N.Y. 14572 The answer Agriculture Hall University of Delaware Newark, DE 19711 Combining talents Combining crews m the Midwest conjure up images of bygone days when other ‘cowboys’ ate prairie dust and earned their calluses driving north from Texas to Missouri. Of course in the early days of the Midwest, the drives were done with horses and the harvest was Longhorn cattle heading for the stockyards. Now the drives are made sitting on combines and the harvest is acre upon acre of gram. About the only things that have remained constant are the heat, dust, and long days of sitting. Industrial Radiators 24 Hour Emergency Service by Radio Dispatched Service Personnel MARTIN MACHINERY Combine crews are the drifters of modern day, following the gram harvest north into Canada, working mght and day to reap tne bounty before Mother Natui >: proves fickle and destroys her own creation with too much or too little ram or a similar catastrophy. Sound romantic, inviting, ready to hop on board? To most of us, the idea of joining a combme crew would be about as inviting as ... having a tooth pulled without novacame. But there are some brave souls remaining who think this type of career is for them. One of these individuals is Mitchell Fernsler of Lebanon. He writes I am interested in any in formation you might send me on working for a combining crew in the grain belt. I am planning to move to the Midwest and hope to find a job in this line of work. For some insight into this type of employment,' you don’t have to leave your home county, Mitchell. As a matter of fact, if you con tact one of the ‘help wanted’ ad vertisers in Lancaster Farming, Emergency or Prime Power Systems from I to 1000 KW Balanced Design to Give You Peak Performance For Your Application: Farm - Industrial - Commercial - Residential Safety Fan Energy Saving Low Watt Density Thermostatically Controlled, Block Heater Deep Heavy Duty Mam Frame Channels For Added Rigidity And Vibration Absorbtion OPENINGS FOR DEALERS IN DELAWARE, MARYLAND & PARTS OF PENNSYLVANIA P.O. Box 35, Martindale, PA 17549 215-445-4800 or 267-7771 MARTIN MACHINERY Heavy Duty Industrial Engines High Clearance T° Permit Access Safety Syst e m To p rote ct To Oil Dram Etc Engine From Damage Due To Low Oil Pressure High Water Temperature And Overspeed you’ll find a wheat-and-fall harvest-from-Texas-to-Montanna employer, is based almost in your back yard—Newmanstown. David Barry, R 1 Newmanstown, 717/949-2363, is one mdividual who hires people for his combine crew. I spoke to David’s mother last Tuesday since David was in the southern states 'on business. She explained that David was a ‘pardner’ in a crew last summer COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Balmy April weather is a good tune to cut and stack your firewood for keeping cozy on cold, blustery days next winter. This would also be a good tune to buy fresh-cut firewood for burning next winter if you can find it says John F. Kundt, Extension forestry specialist and associate professor of horticulture at the University of Maryland Kundt notes greenwood from all species of trees should be dried for seven to nine months in order to burn well in stoves and fireplaces The advantage of dry wood is more heat not necessarily less creosote in your chimney flue He explained wood which is either green or wet often uses one third or more of its potential heat energy to drive out moisture when burning. You can aid the drying process by cutting logs into ready-to-use Check These Features: Large Dry Type Conservatively Air Cleaner p a ted Alternator /■ JTTw • »JjTJ . > ■» and now owns his own traveling combining business. He’ll be pulling out of Newmanstown on May 10 with a caravan of com bines. She explained crew members live in a house trailer while on the road, it’s steady work, and em ployees receive a bonus at year’s end if the harvest quota is reached The only stipulations are each employee must be 18 years old or Cut firewood now for next winter lengths and splitting all pieces which are more than five inches in diameter Stack your wood loosely in long tiers not more than five feet high Keep the lower layer off the ground by laying it on lengths of pipe, railroad ties or scrap lumber. You could also dump your firewood in a loose, rounded heap. But, again keep it from direct contact with the ground. Stacking firewood in an old livestock or tobacco barn or toolshed is also acceptable, orovided there is good *<W I For Free Literature or Demonstration, ■ Send This Coupon | Name B Address I Phone Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 18,1981—D17 LANCASTER FARMING FOR COMPLETE AND UP-TO-DATE MARKET REPORTS Deluxe Engine Control System With Cycle Cranking Control Minimum of Five Channel Cross Members Martin Machinery Martmdale, PA 17549 over and able to drive a gram truck or tractor. Single people are preferred. She recommended you contact her son either at 7 a.m. or p.m. since he’s out the rest of the day readying the combines for the long haul ahead. Happy trails, and be sure to stock up on ice water, suntan lotion, and a 10-gallon hat. ventilation. However, do not store firewood in or near your house, or in a building attached to your house, Kundt cautioned. This precaution is necessary in case the wood is harboring insects which could cause damage or become a nuisance in your home. If possible, your outdoor tiers or piles of firewood in a sunny location, exposed to breezes. Cover their tops with a plastic film or other waterproof material. READ Large Shock iMounted Control Box Completely ■ Brushless Alternators Modern Solid 'State Voltage Regulator P.O Box 35
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