muster Fanning, Saturday, June 9,1984
Second childhood
BY DICKANGLESTEIN
Chronicling the dynamic, ever-changing face
of agriculture has its rewards and sometimes
they come at the least-expected times.
I’ll let you in on a secret. I don’t particularly
like being an editor. It’s too confining and
office-bound. Very little real farming is done in
a windowless office.
But a couple of hours out of the office this
past Tuesday during the first real “hay week”
of the season helped to get rid of some of the
“editor blahs” at least for awhile.
Wandering aimlessly through Northern
Lancaster and Southern Lebanon counties
unveiled some panoramic farming scenes Itiat
help you maintain a balanced perspective of
what it’s all about.
The first such scene contained all of the
elements needed for a good Dairy Month
photo -- a stream running swollen beige, a lush
pasture nurtured by the recent monsoons, a
big old tree slowly coming into leaf, lazily
lounging cows and a farm conveniently
positioned in the background below a blue
hued sky with high wispy clouds.
Add to this a muddy bike, a fishing pole and
a tackle box.
But what is missing from this scene, shown
on Page One? The boy, of course Barefoot and
carefree not really caring if he catches a fish or
not.
So photographically, I became this boy and
continued a trek from one scene to another -
as shown elsewhere in this section Scenes
that unfolded before my eyes today but
unlocked the mind to yesterday.
A blossoming, clover field with old flattening
round bales. (Bales never came in such weird
shapes as a kid.)
A disinterested duck waddling through
soggy windrows.
A meadow that squooches to the step (I can
Farm Calendar
Saturday, June 9
Dauphin County Dairy Princess
Pageant.
Dairy Month Cal Ripken Jr.
“Growth” poster give-away
contest, Orioles-Tigers game,
3:30 p.m., Baltimore.
Strawberry Festival orchard and
farm tour, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.,
Blevins Fruit Farm, R 1
Stewartstown.
Hunterdon County, N.J. Dairy
OK*
HAVE you FINISHED
CUTTING ALL INHTHRY
RL READY ?
I
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Princess Contest and Milk
Promotion, Turntable Junction.
Pa. Lamb Cook-off Contest at
Grand Opening of Appalachian
Lamb Company, Greencastle.
Sunday, June 10
Northeastern Assn, of State
Departments of Agriculture
Conference, Rehoboth Beach,
continues through Wednesday.
Monday, June 11
PennAg annual grain mealing and
hear, Monr Do you think shoes grow on
trees 7 )
A little old brick barn - climbing ivy and
weathered wood offer a contrast of textures
Rye as high as an elephant’s eye
A herd marching back to the barn
As I write this I'm back in that office again,
staring at a paneled wall with its phony wood
hues. I close my eyes and see a gnarled tree or
barn wood weathered regal grey
Overhead is that monotonous rectangular
suspended ceiling. I close my eyes and see that
blue sky with wispy clouds.
The office smells stale and musty. I close my
eyes and smell damp hay curing in a warm
sun.
Now, that infernal plastic and electronic
contraption on the desk rudely interrupts.
Curious cows who instinctively pose always
have the courtesy not to interrupt.
My fingers are linked to a computer age
machine but my mind is linked to a slower time
of another age -- a better time. It almost seems
to be literary blasphemy to write about that
former time in such a modern manner
Just as you can take the boy out of the
country but not the country out of the boy, you
can plunk my body into today but you can’t
take my mind out of yesterday.
How would you like an Otis’ Original?
If any of you are interested, we’ll be giving
away the original pen and ink drawings of the
special Otis Dairy Month cartoons that are
running throughout June in Lancaster Far
ming.
The originals measuring about 4 by 14 in
ches are signed by Dave Carpenter, who
draws them way out in lowa - another state
that’s known a little bit for its farming.
We’ll even frame them for you for hanging in
your trophy room or even just in the barn as a
conversation piece.
' To try for one of the Otis' Originals just drop
us a postcard with your name, address and
telephone number on it We’ll draw five
winners at random early in July and the first
will get his or her choice and so on until all are
gone.
Send your postcards to:
Otis Originals
Lancaster Farming
P.O. Box 366
Lititz, Pa. 17543
So get those postcards into us. Who knows
Old Otis may become a dairy memorabil
collector’s item one day.
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OTIS ORIGINALS
pesticide re-certification
workshop, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.,
Sheraton-Conestoga, Lan
caster.
27th Mushroom Industry Short
Course, continues through
Wednesday at Penn State.
Tuesday, June 12
Bradford Jr. Holstein Club, 8 p.m.,
at Alfred Sparling’s.
Wednesday, June 13
Bradford Wool Pool, Bresee’s
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V ■J
RESISTING THOSE
“EVIL SPIRITS”
June 10,1984
Background Scripture:
1 Samuel 18:1-29.
Devotional Reading:
Genesis 37:12-24,
Saul was a real human being,
wasn’t he?
At first, when with God’s help
they wanted to make him king over
Israel, he hid among the baggage.
But later, when he had drunk
deeply of the cup of political
power, keeping his throne became
in insane obsession. Yes, how very
human.
Of course, Saul’s problem was
not that the people didn’t respect
him. When he returned from his
battles with the Philistines, the
people would line the streets and
hail him with “Saul has slain his
thousands.” With an accolade such
as that in the midst of all the
singing and dancing, the timbrels,
the songs of joy and instruments of
music, wouldn’t you think he would
be satisfied?
WHAT MORE?
But what really angered Saul
was the fact that the people also
sang, “and David his ten
thousands.” Instead of feeling
gratified and pleased with his
choice of David to lead his armies.
Saul could only feel fear: “...what
more can he have but the
kingdom?” Like a petulant child,
Saul goes into a sulk and the writer
of I Samuel tells us, “And Saul
eyed David from that day on”
(18:9).
NOW IS THE TIME
To Move
Livestock Carefully
Hot weather requires some
special handling of livestock, if
losses are to be kept to a minimum.
When temperatures and humidity
both reach 80°F., livestock suffer
the same as human beings. Fat
animals suffer more than breeding
animals, and fat hogs can stand the
least amount of heat and humidity.
We suggest that livestock be
moved during the early morning
hours, and be hauled on trucks
bedded down with wet sand. A
minimum of stress and excitement
will also reduce the danger of heat
exhaustion. Trucks should be
either open-sided or have good
ventilation during hot weather.
Losses during breakdowns can be
reduced by having a stand-by
truck available on short notice.
'to TO
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*•*: i
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
Phone 717-394*6851
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From this day forward there
would be no peace in Saul’s heart
or his house:
“And on the morrow an evil
spirit from God rushed upon Saul,
and he raved within his house,
while David was playing his lyre,
as he did day by day” (18:10).
I would give a name to that “evil
spirit” .-shed upon Saul, I
would call him “Jealousy.” But
unlike the writer of 1 Samutu, *
would not ascribe this evil spirit to
God, just as Jesus did not attribute
evil spirits to his Father. Nor
would I be willing to say with the
writer that the 1-ord “had departed
from Saul” (18:12). Rather, it is
apparent that Saul had departed
from the Lord.
SAUL WAS AFRAID
Furthermore, the reason that the
“evil spirit” could enter his life
that there was a void in Saul where
God had been pushed out of his life.
As Jesus was later to illustrate in
his parable (Matthew 12), the evil
spirits of life fear suspicion
jealously, etc. can rush in only
when our hearts are empty.
Had Saul been grateful to God
for what he had done with and for
him, if he had been content to be
the great Saul who “has slain his
thousands,” the evil spirit of
jealously could not have “rushed
upon” him. If he had continued to
walk with God, he would not have
had to fear David. For it was God,
not himself, who had made him
king, just as it was God who was
giving David his success.
“And when Saul sgw that he had
great success, he stood in awe of
him” (18:16). That was Saul’s fatal
error: he kept looking at David
when he should have been wat
ching God. And is that not also
often our mistake, too, focussing
on the creature instead of the
Creator, creating a void in our
lives that invites a host of evil
spirits to rush in upon us?
Livestock are valuable; don’t
experience losses because of
careless handling.
To Use
Mediclation Wisely
Every livestock and poultry
producer should be sure that
medications are used in strict
compliance with the directions and
regulations. Failing to do this will
invite more regulations and place
the product in jeopardy. When
these materials are used, be sure
to read the directions and follow
them accurately.
In addition, I would suggest
keeping a record of the application
or treatment. This could be very
important if the Food and Drug
Administration find excess
residues. Withdrawal periods
should be recognized as vital to the
future of the market. Don't take
chances.
To Prepare
Grain Bins
We are approaching barley
harvest season with wheat not too
far behind, so I would like to
remind our grain producers that
now is a good time to clean up your
grain bins in preparation to har
vest. First, clean out all the old
grain, sweep down all the sidewalls
and floors making sure to remove
old grain lodged in the cracks.
Next spray the floor and walls
with a residual insecticide.
Malathion and methoxychlor are
still very effective - follow the label
for directions. Finally, prevent
birds and rodents from entering
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