150 Years Ago John Deere MOLINE, HI. - They came on horseback through the Cum berland Gap, on foot over Brad dock’s Road, on barges across the Erie Canal, on rafts down the Ohio . . . men and women with hope in their hearts, and the West in their eyes ... a West, in the early nineteenth century, that began just beyond the Appalachians. They’d left New England or the Middle Atlantic states or the South for a thousand private reasons, drawn irresistably by the magnet of opportunity ... the chance for a new start on cheap, abundant, virgin land ... the chance to satisfy an adventurous spirit ... the chance, perhaps, simply to get away from it all. “Many are inclined to remove to new places,” a Connecticut farmer wrote, “that they may have some room, thinking we live too thick. ” Some settled in the Northwest Territory around the Great Lakes. Others moved on to the Mississippi Valley. In many places they found a sea of prairie grass, as tall near the river bottoms, one observer said, “as a rider on horseback.” The grass, the hundreds of wildflowers mixed with it, and the dark earth beneath offered vivid evidence of the land’s agricultural promise. But first it had to be tamed for crops, a job for teams of oxen, heaving and hauling heavy prairie-breaking plows through alluvial soil, cutting matted, cord like plant roots, some as thick as a man’s finger. Sod-busting was hard work, but it needed doing only once. A more Com, Soybean Varieties Released By Asgrow KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Asgrow Seed Company introduces four new com hybrids and five new soybean varieties for the 1987 growing season to complement its extensive selection of field crop seeds. Com hybrids RX79B and RXB6O have both exhibited high yield and test weight potential in the Central Cora Belt. The 114-day RX79B hybrid is characterized by medium to tall plants that produce mature ears on green stalks. RXB6O, a 116- day hybrid, produces medium-long ears that are held close to the stalk by very short shanks. RX9S6W is a Central Cora Belt single-cross, white-kernel processor hybrid of approximately 118-day maturity rating. The other new corn hybrid, RX9B9, is a southern U.S. hybrid of Farm Product Buyers Protected By ‘Gear Title’ Legislation HARRISBURG - The Penn sylvania Departments of Agriculture and State recently reminded lenders and buyers that farm product purchases are now governed by provisions of the federal Food Security Act of 1985. “Those who buy farm products in Pennsylvania have clear title unless notified in advance by a lien holder of a lien on the products,” said Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Grubb. Effective Dec. 24, the new provisions affect farm product transactions covered under the Uniform Commercial Code, Grubb said. Under the Act, pre-notification of buyers by lenders with mortgages on farm products is required to protect secured interests unless a Central File system has been enacted at the state level. “ The Department of State’s Corporation Bureau is continuing to plan for the establishment of a centralized filing system for Had A Better Idea A Vermont blacksmith named John Deere revolutionized farming in 1837 by building the first wrought-iron moldboard plow with a steel share. Experts believe the first plow looked much like the one pictured. frustrating problem developed later, when farmers began cultivating. If it contained any moisture, the soil clung like putty to the rough-textured wooden and cast-iron moldboards, or earth turning plates, of the settlers’ plows. Fanners carried sticks to unclog moldboards, a task which had to be repeated so often that plowing efficiency was impaired. It was in the resolution of this problem that John Deere, a Ver mont blacksmith who had emigrated to the Illinois prairie, left tiis mark on American agriculture. In 1837, he developed a plow with a cuttino oHge or share, 126-day maturity. RX9B9 has ex cellent processing qualities with yields and standability often testing superior to that of Asgrow/O’s Gold RX4O4 the market-leading yellow processor hybrid. Soybean introductions run from Group 0 to late Group VII maturities. New soybean variety A 0949 is a late Group 0 soybean combining good emergence with genetic resistance to races 1-3,6-11,13,15, 17, 21-24 of Phytophthora root rot. A 3205 is an early Group 111 maturity and A 3733 a mid-Group 111 maturity. They hold excellent emergence records and high levels of field tolerance to Phytophthora root rot. Seed supply is limited for both of these varieties for 1987 planting. secured lending transactions in volving farm products,” according to Secretary of State Robert E. Gleason Jr. Under a Central File system, lenders file statements showing evidence of mortgages. Farm product buyers then would have to register with the system to assure that they receive notice of hens. “We’re confident such a program at the state level will respond to and remedy a problem within the farm sector,” Gleason said. ‘‘We have proposed a Central File system in the 1987-88 Com monwealth budget, and pending budget approval, a tentative im plementation date has been set for July 1988,” he added. BREAKING MILK RECORDS! Lancaster Farming Carriat OHIA taports Each Month! of steel, fused to a polished wrought-iron moldboard. Because of its smooth surface texture, kept polished by the soil it turned, and its curved shape, earth wouldn’t adhere to this implement. Thus, pioneer farmers now could plow without having to stop frequently to clean moldboards. Their productivity increased. John Deere’s better idea seems remarkably simple today, in an age when complex technological advance is a commonplace. But for its time and place it was a significant advance, and con tributed importantly to opening the Midwest to agricultural development. Mid-Group VI variety A67BS, does well on heavy clay soils and is resistant to races 1-3, 6-11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 23, and 24 of Phytophthora root rot. A 7986, a late Group VII variety, is tolerant to stem canker and resistant to Phytophthora root rot races 1-4 and 9-14. Both A 6785 and A 7986 are moderately resistant to common root knot nematode. In addition to com and soybean seeds, Asgrow markets a broad selection of sorghum, alfalfa and forage mix seeds. RACINE, Wise. - The new Case IH Model 5200 mounted grain drill is designed to save farmers valuable time and offer unexcelled seeding accuracy, according to Joe Neville, Case IH product super visor, planting and seeding. This new grain drill is the first mounted drill for Case IH. "Mounted drills provide better maneuverability than trailing drills especially in smaller fields and on headlands,” says Neville. “They also have wider widths.” Case IH all-metal feed cups are featured on the Model 5200. The feed cups offer top performance regardless of the size and type of seed. A three-position bottom with a simple lever adjustment on each cup allows smooth sowing of all sizes of wheat, soybean and kidney bean seeds. Quick-change high and low rate drive sprockets speed sowing rate changes, for greater convenience to the operator. According to Neville, a distinct time-saving advantage of the new Model 5200 is a hand crank Pd justment used to regulate down pressure on opener units. This provides proper penetration in a wide variety of soil condition^ Front delivery seed tubes, which are featured on the Mode! 52u0, are more accurate than rear deliver) systems. Rear systems will often tumble loose soil and seed togethei in the furrow, while the front deliver) tubes '<ia n, © New Grain Drill From Case EH Stanford Offers New Com Hybrids DENVER, Pa. - Stanford Seed Company has introduced 6 new Hytest hybrid corns to their Hytest lineup. Each Hybrid has shown exceptional capability to out perform existing hybrids currently in the marketplace. After years of testing and evaluation by Stanford agronomists, the following hybrids made “the final cut”. HT2I2 - A 92-day dual purpose hybrid, tall plant with long ears that drys down extremely fast. HT276 - A 97-day hybrid exhibits excellent plant health resulting in strong stalks, high test weight, top yields, even at higher populations. HT454 - This 102-day hybrid really responds to intensive management, resulting in an at Book On Grazing Management Available COLCHESTER, Vt. - Greener Pastures On Your Side Of The Fence is a 232-page book full of practical information on Asing Voisin grazing management. It clearly shows a way for livestock farmers to increase the profitability of their farms. Feeding costs account for a large part of the total expense of livestock production. Cutting feeding costs is the most logical and feasible way of increasing net farm income. Permanent pastures ion the United States are a neglected resource, producing far below their potential the way they usually are managed. American farmers generally consider pastures to be mere holding or exercise areas for livestock. They use a practice of year-round feeding of stored forage to livestock in confinement. This requires large capital investment in facilities and equipment and large amounts of purchased supplements. m,**»*>*4e*>* m - -fcH*. V ' *- ‘ «*** 2** * «*.♦ * The Model 5200 is Case IH's first mounted grain drill. forms a cracking slit above the seed, while soil is surrounded on both sides of the seed This prompts seed germination and emergence. at full turrow depth. Furrow openers can be attached and detached quickly. This eliminates wear and tear on idle openers for the operator who chooses to row-crop. Magnetic covers can be placed over the feed cups for convenient conversion from solid seeding to row-crop -.ceding Depth press wheels on the Model 5200 accurately control seeding depth. Press wheel tires are designed to prevent moist soil t uiid-up. A standing center rib tractive plant with u ect leaves, a producer of many bushels of com, and a very high test weight. HTSBB - Although this 111-day com performs extremely well under stress, it really shines with good fertility at medium-high populations. HT7I2 - Excellent emergence, early spring vigor combine to give this 117-day hybrid an advantage over similar hybrids resulting in large blocky ears that dry rapidly. HT797 - This tall 122-day com exhibits excellent MDMV (virus) resistance, without sacrificing high yield potential. For additional information, contact Stanford Seed in Denver, Pa. (215) 267-3805. In contrast, New Zealand’s highly productive and profitable agriculture depends almost en tirely on permanent pastures grazed according to the system defined by Andre Vmsin. Farmers using Voism grazing management obtain high yields of excellent quality forage over long periods, with small capital investment in facilities and equipment in creased net income is the overall result In Greener Pastures Bill Murphy explains how to set up and use the proven Voism grazing management system He provides many helpful suggestions drawn from his tive-year experience of using Voism management, and from that of hundreds of other farmers now using the system in the Northeast. The 6x9 softcover edition (ISBN 0-9617807-0-3) is available from Arriba Publishing, 213 b Middle Koad, Colchester, VT 05446 for $14.95 postpaid. »-■ 4 *Wm ~ * ****** **•*» • - . 1.. ~..* r-<*< / -A „ K 'mk'i.l.y ju i ~'V- New hydraulic-fold markers are available as an option on the 20- foot Model 5200 d/ill With a choice of hydraulic or electric selectors, these hydraulic breakaway-type markers prevent the waste of seed and tune due to overlaps and skips Optional non-folding markers aie available on the 15-foot version
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers