AlO—Undrtir Fifing, Sntnriiy, April 18,1983 One , big garbage can BY DICKANGLESTEIN For the past two years, I've taken a hundred or more Farmland Preservation photos in a number of counties. The photos are designed to emphasize the intrinsic scenic beauty of what can and should be saved for future generations For a good many of these photos, I have been forced to do some preliminary housecleaning before I could click the shutter. I’ve cleaned up just about every brand of soft drink bottle and can imaginable, as well as those from other beverages. I've carted away entire bags of garbage and other items that have been tossed along rural roadsides by passing motorists. The accompanying cartoon may stretch my dismay at these garbage tossers a bit, but it helps to get across the point. These drinkers' discards and other garbage are not limited to one area. They can be found everywhere across the rural countryside. During the height of the Bicentennial in 1976, I worked for a week or so in the Con cord, Mass. area. In some free time, I made a hobby out of photographing the area’s historical sites which are closely associated with the founding of our country. I photographed them in two different ways. One way was to show them as beautifully as I could. And the other way was to include the bottles, cans and garbage that were carelessly Farm Calendar Saturday, April 16 All-ag banquet, 7:30 p.m., American Legion, Eldred, Md. Sunday, April 17 Southeast Grape Industry Assn., 1:30 p.m., Lancaster Farm and Home Center Monday, April 18 McKean County Sheep Producers meet, 8 p.m., Extension Center, Smithport Adams Co. Beekeepers, 7:30 p.m., Penn State Fruit Research Lab, Biglerville Tuesday, April 19 Poultry Sales and Service con ference, University Park OTIS campus, continues tomorrow, registration in J.O. Keller Bldg., begins 9 a.m. McKean Co. Beekeepers, 7:30 p.m., courthouse, Coudersport Bradford Co. 4-H Advisory Committee, 8 p.m., Extension office Wednesday, April 20 Hunterdon Co., N.J. Agricultural Development Board, 8 p.m., Extension Center Bradford Co. 4-H leader’s clothing training, 10 a.m. till 2:30 p.m., Extension office Bradford DHIA board, 8 p.m. you MEAN IT NEVER EVEN &ETS WASHED ? I S 3 '(S3 MOPE "I'm all for this farmland preservation stuff. After all, without farms, where would I throw my cans and other trash?" tossed around at the sites. None of the sites were spared the garbage -- Concord Square, Longfellow’s home, the bridge where the ‘‘embattled farmers fired the shot heard around the world," Wayside Inn and Walden’s Pond. And, I guess, quite appropriately a lot of the cans and bottles were decorated with flags and slogans in commemoration of the coun try’s 200th birthday. Another time, I crossed the country tracking down farmers who were using the first forage harvesters equipped with a metal detector. Everywhere, the choppers were stopping because of the discards of modern society. One instance close to home happened at the Hershey Estates, along Rt. 322, where har vesting was being halted every couple of feet by the metal detector. Finally, it was discovered that a paperboy was opening his bundles nearby and tossing the wires over the fence into the alfalfa field. There's a proposed beverage deposit bill currently in Harrisburg. I don’t know if it's the complete answer. During my travels, I too, watched the groups of youngsters cleaning up the Oregon roadsides where such a law was in ©ffect. But, in any event, it’s high time that something is done. The time is long past for some kind of action to stop rural roadsides from being the garbage can for the rest of the world. Extension office Thursday, April 21 Bradford Co. Home Ec. Advisory Committee, 1:30 to 3 p.m.. Extension office Pa. Jersey bred heifer sale, Mercer County fairgrounds, Mercer Empire Polled Hereford Assn. sth Annual Classic Sale, Ithaca, n.y. International trotting pony sale, Farm Show Complex Maple Festival, Troy Fairgrounds, continues tomorrow / * LAWRENCE W-AIIHOUM “saißai. THESE VAIN THINGS April 17,1983 Background Scriptures: Acts 12:25 through 14:28. Devotional Reading: I Peter 1:19-25. The opposition which Paul and Barnabas encountered—as well as other apostles, too—as they went forth to preach the Good News, came from two different sources: the Jews, who believed the Gospel was threatening to their depen dence upon the law, and the Gentiles who worshipped the pantheon of Roman/Greek gods and goddesses. When Paul and Barnabas en countered some of the latter at Lystra (modem Turkey), they spoke out against the idolatry of their religion and called them to “turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the earth and the sea and all that is in them." The “vain things,” of course, were the pagan idols. TWO KINDS OF IDOLATRY Actually, there is a sense in which idolatry is at the heart of both the groups that are opposing the apostles. Idolatry means to worship, revere or look for salvation to an object, usually made by human hands. For the Gentiles the idols were their pagan gods who at best were capricious and amoral. The apostles tried to help the Gentiles to realize how fruitless it is to worship or put our trust in anything made by human NOW IS THE TIME Lancaster County Afnculture Afent Phone 717-394^5851 To Check Water Supplies Your water supply should be checked at least once a year for nitrates and bacteria. Nitrates can get into ground water from several sources from a septic field, a barnyard or feed lot, silage seepage or from nitrogen fertilizer on surrounding cropland. Nitrogen can travel further through the soil than bacteria, with the likelihood that more wells may be polluted with nitrates than with bacteria. And, nitrates can be dangerous. Nitrogen in drinking water reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen and causes symptoms of oxygen deficiency in people and animals. If your drinking water hasn’t been checked within the last year, then do it now. Also, if you notice any changes in your water, such as an off-color, an unusual flavor or even an odor than be sure to have it tested immediately. Remember, these samples should be taken to the lab in either a container provided by the lab or a sterilized bottle. To Incorporate Manure Many bams, poultry houses and feed lots will be cleaned out in the next few weeks. We repeat the suggestion that this material be either injected into the soil or worked into the topsoil within a few days after application. This will not only preserve more fertilizer elements but will reduce odors and preserve good public relations with your neighbors. Discing, chiseling or plowing after the waste ap fen hands. These “vain things” were utterly powerless to help anyone., Not only could these idols not help them, but they were even more dangerous in that they tended to become inferior sustitutes for the experience of the true God, “a living God who made the heaven and the earth...’’lt is the exchange of lifeless objects for the source of life. Whereas men designed and made their idols, it is God who designs and creates his children. Thou source of life is not to be found in out creativity, but in that of the Creator. In many ways, the heavy dependence upon the Jewish religious law was a kind of idolatry, for it tended to substitute human religious traditions and interpretations for the experience of the living God. As we saw in last week’s passage from Acts 11, Peter turned to the law as his defense against the command of the living God. It does not mean that the law was all wrong, but that people made of the law something that was not intended. RAINS AND FRUITFUL SEASONS Is that not still one of the great dangers that confronts the Gospel? Are we too not prone to finding idolatrous substitutes for the ex perience of the living God? Isn’t it possible that our religious systems and structures, which came into being to preserve the experience of the living God, often end up as substitutes. Instead of relying upon the living God, we tend to rely on doctrines, creeds, ecclesiastical systems, clergy, rituals, etc. Even the Bible itself can be used—and often has been—as a substitute for the living God. When that happens, we have made of it an idol just as surely as if we had fashioned it with our own hands. There are lots of “vain things” that can lead us away from an encounter with the living God. Idolatry is not dead—just disguised. By Jay Irwin plication is strongly recom mended. Livestock and poultry manure have considerable fer tilizer value when applied into the soil before exposed to weathering. We urge our farmers to recognize this organic fertilizer and utilize it fully. To Manage Alfalfa Stands With nearly every species of livestock, the feeding of top quality alfalfa hay or silage is highly recommended. At dairy meetings we hear how good alfalfa is in the rations, and at sheep meetings-we learn that good alfalfa hay is the backbone of the ewe feeding program. Alfalfa meal is often used as a source of protein in other rations. It all adds up to the fact that alfalfa is one of our most important forage crops. Every farmer should make a special effort to produce maximum amounts per acre. This takes management along with proper lime, fertilizer, insect and disease control. Since we are now at the beginning of another cropping season, more attention to alfalfa might benefit many farmers. Don’t be satisfied with a poor stand. The crop is worthy of our best at tention. Many farms have alarm systems, and unless they are tested regularly to determine that they will function immediately in an emergency, they may create a false sense of- security. It is im- To Check Alarm Systems (Turn to RageAl2)