UA- JiJtV S?T •t'.JS I'tVrtn^i AlQ—UwcMtor Faming, Satwday, May 29,1992 Memorial Day or “hayday”? Memorial Day christens the long-awaited summer season with picnics, swimming pool parties, and parades. But for most farm kids, Memorial Day memories aren’t filled with these kinds of fun. Instead, our hard-working parents convinced us that a day spent making hay was the best possible way to observe this national holiday. While all our other school friends were busy enjoying themselves at the park or in the pool, we ‘lucky’ few who lived on farms were equally busy raking, stacking, and sweating. Somehow, we never were the envy of our peers. Occassionally, the innate salesmanship ability that seems to cone to farm kids had a way of working in our favor, though. With only slight exageration, we’d broadcast the great muscle-building, weight losing benefits of spending the day in a sweltering hay mow. Sometimes we'd be so convincing, we’d sell the “townies" into a day on the farm for physical fitness, of course. Unfortunately, these types of sales usually worked only once. After one day on the farm, most town kids never wanted to come back for a second bout with "hayrobics.” The constant struggle to find helping hands was usually fruitless, however. Speaking from experience, about the only kids who were “conned” into blistered hands and aching backs thanks to overweight hale bales were the ones who woke up every morning in the farmer’s house. Some good things did come out of those holidays spent haying. For instance, we farm kids kicked off the summer season with great tans a little uneven though, thanks to T shirts and longs pants that were the armor needed to protect limbs from the prickling hay stems and occassional poison ivy leaves. We also learned the basics of assembly-line manufacturing. One kid on the wagon, one at the elevator, and one in the hay mow was the ideal. But occassionally we learned how to improvise and “cut costs" by eliminating the elevator person. That allowed two people in the mow one to pitch bales and the other to stack and helped the wagon person to develop better aim and timing, accuracy needed to drop hay bales into the narrow mouth of an elevator By the end of the day, as we neared exhaustion, it was always a time for NOW IS THE TIME To Fertilize Alfalfa Alfalfa is an important crop in our livestock program and every effort should be taken to maintain a healthy stand. This would include top-dressing, at least once a year, with phosphorus-potash fertilizer to replenish the roots with these two major elements. A very good tune to make this application is after the removal of the first cutting. A well fertilized stand of alfalfa can withstand insects and other abuses much better than one lacking fer tilization. Keep in mind that the first cutting of alfalfa removes about one-half of the tonnage produced on an acre for the year, so a lot of Off the Sounding By Sheila Miller, Editor By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent Phone 717-394-6851 plant food is used up in the first cutting. To Check Corn Fields (or Weed Control Much of the corn that was planted during the first two weeks of May is now showing weed problems. The conditions were excellent for planting, warm and dry, so a lot of the herbicides that were applied were not activiated in the dry soil. Then the rams started during the last part of May, bringing the corn and the weeds along. At this time, we suggest you take a walk through your corn fields to determine if the weeds are being controlled or not. If weeds are actively growing, then consider celebration when we saw Dad heading in the farm lane pulling the last wagon behind the baler. That was a signal that our work detail was almost over and there might still be time to take a swim or play some volleyball. How great that water would feel on tired, aching muscles after the initial pain that is felt when scratched arms and legs are emersed. But, nine times out of ten, just as we were climbing down out of the mountain of hay for the day, black, ominous clouds would roll across the horizon and put the final damper on our holiday spirits. Dodging raindrops in a mad dash to the house, we would have to forget about our chance to play until all the house windows were battened down. While most folks wish for bright, sunny holidays, there were times when we all had the fleeting naughtiness to wish for a "harmless” drizzle. The damp weather might "rain on everybody else's parade," but it also would put an end to the day's haymaking efforts without ruining the crop. Then we could watch the twirling batons instead of the spinning rake teeth, and hear the beat of the drum instead of the pounding of the baler. For all our complaining about Memorial Days on the farm itchy, sweaty, sun-stroke holidays most of us farm kids wouldn’t trade them for the any other way of life. It's just one of the dues we pay for the enumerous joys that life on the farm brings, not only on holidays but everyday. Just recently we received a letter from two young students who would like to experience life on the farm an American farm. The two students are in their third year at an agricultural college in France. They write “Between the third and fourth year, we have the possibility of taking a sabbatical year. During this year, we decide to discover the states and especially the U.S. agriculture. So we would like to work m an American farm or in an associated business during several weeks.” Perhaps they wouldn't mind helping with the haying next Memorial Daj. Heaven knows, we all could use some extra hands around the farm. They could improve their English, and we could learn French. If you’d be interested in giving two students a taste of U.S. farm life, why not drop a line to Mr Picard, G. and Mr. Aubry, J.F., 24 Rue Aug-Fonteneau, 49044, Angers Cedex, France. spraying witn a herbicide. Depending on the kind of weed involved, broadleaf or grass weeds, use Bladex or Atrazme plus oil or surfactant or Banvel or Basagram. Post-emergence weed control herbicides must be safe to use on corn and be applied according to precautions on the label. The tick season is here. These pests may be on almost any dog or person that walks through un cultivated fields or woody areas from May to September. Ticks await their victims on low growing shrubs and on tall grass. Board To Be Aware of Ticks (Turn to PageAl2) COMING SOON May 30,1982 Background Scripture: Revelation 21 through 22 Devotional Reading: Matthew 11:25-30. There is a sobering warning at the end of John's Revelation (22: 18,19) that no one should miss: I want everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book; if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share In the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. It is a warning, not only to those who would literally take away or add words, but those who would use words to make the prophecy say something that John’s angel did not intend. ALL THINGS NEW But that leaves us with a tremendous problem, doesn’t it? For the Book of Revelation is the most difficult to understand of all the books of the Bible. It literally begs us for interpretation. What is meant by the vision of “a new heaven and a new earth”? Where shall we find the “new” Jerusalem? Here on earth or in heaven? And where is it that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be Farm Calendar Saturday, May 29 York County Dairy Princess program, 4-H Center, near Bair. High-tensil electric fence workshop, 10 a.m.3 p.m., farm of Don and Carol Good, 2533 HAV HAWS Km M