(Continued from Page Al) “Tree growers have kept their prices relatively stable,” Strathmeyer reports. But the only real way to test the market, he said, is to compare the price of a tree this year, to the amount paid to the same seller last year. Trees sold in rural areas are generally less expensive than those purchased in cities because of the cost of transportation and maintaining a lot in the city, he continued. A grower himself, Strathmeyer has had customers come from as far away as New Jersey and Wilmington just to buy a tree. These customers know they are getting a good, fresh tree when they buy directly from the grower, he said. Growers usually start har vesting their trees around Thanksgiving. Douglas fir and Scotch pine are the two largest sellers in Pennsylvania, although other varieties are grown. One of the biggest miscon ceptions about Christmas trees is how old the tree is. Many people think the tree is only three or four No-Till Conference (Continued from Page AI) visited from 8 a.m. to the start of the morning program at 9: 30 a.m. The “Quiz the Experts” segment will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Industrial sponsors include: Advanced Ag Systems, Inc., Ag- Chem, Inc., Agway, Inc., Leon P. Miller, Arco Seed Company, Beachley-Hardy Seed Company, Butler Manufacturing Company, Chevron Chemical Company, Chem Pros,, Inc., CSI Chemical, DeKalb-Pfizer Genetics, Delmarva Farmer, Hamilton Equipment, Inc., Hoffman Seeds, Inc., ICI Americas, Inc., Jacques mi flBi" TiWi Jill Order Earl 1250 Gal. Polyethylene Tank ■ 10% DOWN Hold* Till Vertical Transport -Water - Fartilizera Reg. $529.95 Pick-Up Tanks -Plant Foods -Chamicals -Foods HEAT BULBS Clear 125 Watt or 250 Watt 12 per case Reg. 1.99 $ |49 Red Stain Reg. $3.99 250W*tt f 459 12 Per Case Yule trees years old, when in fact most of them are between 10 and 12 years old when they are harvested. He believes if consumers knew how much time is invested in each tree, they would be less inclined to complain about paying $25 to $3O for a tree. In Pennsylvania, “the part-time growers far, far outnumber the full-time people,” Strathmeyer said. Many of them have pur chased small farms and have found that Christmas trees are an ideal crop. To find out more about the growers and the Christmas tree industry, the Christmas Tree Growers’ Association and Penn State University are working together on a study of Penn sylvania growers. James Finley, an extension specialist in forest resources, said 3,100 surveys have been sent out. From the information provided in the surveys, the researchers hope to leam more about the economic and production characteristics of the industry. Finely said the survey has four basic objectives: Seed Company. The J. E. Baker Company, Lancaster Farming, Mobay Chemical Company, Inc., Na Churs Plant Food Company, New Idea Farm Equipment, PAG Seeds, Pennsylvania Farm Credit Association, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Inc., Precision Laboratories, E-K Agri Service, Inc., Stauffer Seed Company, Seedway, Inc., Telmark, Inc., Thomasville Stone and Lime, Todd Farm Equipment, Inc., Velsicol Chemical Cor poration, Willard Chemical Company, Inc., JS Woodhouse Company, Inc. V'-sTy?'' ALL TOYS 20% OFF EARLY 9,000 or 10,000 ft. per bale *14.98 bale *14.75 bale *14.50 bale 1-10 Bale 9,000 Ft. 10-50 Bale 50+ Bale Next Spring *399.95 *229.95 TEXACO PffVMHt Aiti-Fretze I Gal. 7 HMMDITUMEE2E *3.99 w Case of 6 *3.49 GAL New Aluminum Formula 'VwXS JOIN * n A FOR PUNCH SANTA & COOKIES FRIDAY, DEC. 21st 6:30 - 9:00 P.M. , SPECIALS | PAINT DEPARTMF sK' *i RPER TWINE KENDALL All Non-Sale Items 20% OFF jpiCjfeVi’ FREE Gallon of Teat Dip w/Purchase of Any Case of Filters at Reg. Price Prices Effective Thru Dec. 22nd • To identity the Christmas ti ec growers in the state. •To determine the economic importance of the Christmas tree industry on the state’s economy. • To determine the marketing and production characteristics of Christmas tree growers. • To determine if members of the Christmas Tree Growers’ Association are a representative sample of all growers. Final results from the survey are now being compiled and should be released at the Growers’ Association meeting in January. Strathmeyer believes the Christmas tree growers must make a greater effort at mer chandising their trees, even though statistics show that in recent years live trees have been making a comeback. “We have not been mer chandising our trees, but that is changing,” he says. This year the Growers’ Association has started an ad vertising campaign promoting real trees, and Strathmeyer said he expects that campaign to be even bigger next year. The Association is working to educate retailers about how to sell their product. Often, Strathmeyer said, trees are sold by volunteers, who don’t always work as hard to please a customer as the grower or a paid employee would. Retailers must also cater to the consumer’s desire to dispose easily of the tree once the holiday season is over. Some retailers, he said, have started giving away a disposal bag with every tree they sell. This practice makes clean-up easier for the customer and keeps him happier about purchasing a live tree. SPECIALS Stock Up Now - Close Out Prices Van Sickle - 2 gal. White Creosote... s l2** Handigard - 5 gal. Creosote Wood Preservative Handigard - 5 gal. Pentachlorophenol Wood Preserver - HOG & CATTLE PANELS HxL Re». LM 34"x16' HOG 52”x16’ CATTLE CHAIN SAW CHAINS 14".... 16"....., 18”.... 20”..... CORDOVAN yjTERIES w/Trade-in 60 Month Warranty Groups 22F, 24, 73, 74 Your Choice *39.95 (Continued from Page Al) Out of seven pregnancies, two heifers are on the ground, four bulls have stud' interest and another female is due to come. The winning bid came from a "Lancaster Syndicate.” And even the Bachus Duo veterans of countless sales can forget themselves. "Bring in Number One,” they an nounced to get the sale started. "Whoops," they corrected themselves, “We keep forgetting they don't have to come into the ring anymore." But a full-color photo of the dam graced the auctioneers' booth. ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) newest apiary inspector truly has a nose for trouble. He answers to the name of Max and recently qualified for his position with the Department by graduating from the Baltimore County Police K-9 Training Center. Yes, Max is a real dog. To be exact he is a handsome Labrador retriever who weighs in at about 80 pounds. His enrollment at the training center was for the purpose of learning to “sniff out” American foulbrood in bee hives. And, ac cording to his handler, Maryann Tomasko, be graduated with honors. American foulbrood is a bac terial disease which annually causes economic loss to Maryland’s beekeeping industry. The present system of inspecting for American fourbrood is time consuming since MDA inspectors must dismantle the bee hive to examine cells containing im mature bees. Furthermore, in- FRU EYE, ONLY ALL CHRISTMAS^^ ITEMS 50 % OF •14.99 10 or more $17.99 •16.99 10 or more $19.99 2 FER SALE ...2 /• 19.95 2/24.95 _2 728.95 2/32.95 Recommended for use on plastic pipes Lancaster tanning, Saturday, December 15,1954-A35 Empty ring Dog inspects bee hives •15** •17** R-30 30,000 BTU R-50 50,000 BTU R-70 70,000 BTU R-100100,000 BTU M-1505 150,000 BTU ALL 3M& DENNIS WEATHER STRIPPING K,TS 25% OFF spections have been restricted to the warm months since hives opened during cold weather may kill the bees. Max’s technique is faster, more thorough than human inspections and can be used during winter months since he only sniffs the outside of the hive. When Max comes to a diseased hive he alerts his handler by sitting down. Normally MDA discourages its inspectors from sitting down on the job, but in Max’s case, it has made an exception. According to Ms. Tomasko, “by using Max and his marvelous nose, we will be able to inspect more colonies more often.” More frequent inspections will result in the early detection of American foulbrood and thus help reduce the incidence of this disease in Maryland apiaries. Max is only the second dog known to have been trained for this unusual job. The MDA is proud to be the first state agency in the nation to own a bee inspecting dog, thanks to the Baltimore County Police K-9 Training Center. ***** PORTABLE REDDY HEATER NOW 169t55 219.95 259.95 309.95 379.95 Was 189.95 239.95 289.95 349*95 429.95 MISER 19
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers