AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19, 1987
OPINION
The Child Of Christmas
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing
was first made when Cyree-ni-us was governor of Syria.) And all went
to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of
David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with
child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accom
plished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first
born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch ove&their flock by night. And, 10, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not; for,
behold, I bring you, good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all peo
ple. For unto you is bom this day in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into
heaven, the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary,
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it,
they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
the child. All they that heard it wondered at those things which were
told them by the shepherds.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that
dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined.
For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given: and the govern
ment shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonder
ful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace.
Farm Calendar
Tuesday, December 22
Farrowing Short Course, PSU
University Park, Rm. 111, Hen
ning Bldg. 11 a.m., through the
23rd.
PSU Farrowing Short Course, 111
- Henning Bldg., University
Park, through the 23rd.
Wednesday, December 23
Farrowing Short Course, PSU,
Rm. 111, Henning Bldg., Uni-
I FARM FORUM our readers write J
Editor:
There are different groups sup
porting the proposed 23/30 high
way corridor that would sweep
southeast from Lancaster near
Strasburg and east toward Gap.
They say this route would skin
south of prime farmland. Actually,
this route goes through prime
farmland as we have received com
yields as high as 180 bushels per
WASN'T THAT A NEAT )
CHRISTMAS PARTY AT s
THE CHURCH LASTNieHT’’
'Of YEA.ESPECIALLY
o\ WHEN SANTA
ARRIVED
versity Park, 11 a.m.
Tuesday, January 5
Dairy Nutrition School, Eastern
Lancaster County, Gap Fire
Hall, 9:45 a.m.
Schuylkill Co. Dairy Day, PSU
Schuylkill Campus, 9 a.m.
Wednesday, January 6
Lancaster Conservation District
Dinner meeting, Stock Yard
Inn, 6 p.m.
acre in our area east of Strasburg.
This route would cut up many
farms, Amish and non-Amish
alike.
I feel alternative Route #7 that
follows the railroad line would be
the least' destructive to area
farmers.
James C. Landis
Ronks
t> • - *
7,’'
r 1
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Understand Firewood
Volume Terms
Energy costs continue high and
many people are using wood burn
ing stoves as a means of reducing
oil, electric or gas use. This means
buying more firewood.
It is a good idea to know what
you are buying. Some firewood
sellers may offer such “measure
ments” as face cord, rack, stack,
truckload or “pile” and buyers
often believe they are getting a
cord.
A “cord” is defined by Pennsyl
vania law as “the amount of wood
which is contained in a space of
128 cubic feet when wood is
ranked and well stowed,” The
means a neatly piled rank of wood
4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet
long. Those selling fuel wood are
liable under the law when they use
the term “cord” alone.
A “face cord” which is a term
widely used is a neatly piled rank
of wood 4 feet wide, 8 feel long
and as wide as the lengths of the
Thursday, January 7
PSU Christmas Tree Management
short course, Buckout Lab,
through the Bth.
Tax Prep meeting, Farm & Home
Center, 8:45 a.m.
Northeast Regional tomato grow
ers meeting, Thompson’s Dairy
Bar, Newton, Ronsom Blvd.,
Lackawanna Co., 10 a.m.
Friday, January 8
Association of Conservation Dis-
tricts meeting, Grantville,
1/8-9.
Dairy Reproduction School No. 1,
Western Lancaster Co.
Sunday, January 10
PA Farm Show. 1/10-15
American Farm Bureau Annual
meeting, New Orleans, 1/10-14
ay your joys
as are our thanks to you.
sticks of wood. If the places of
wood are 16 inches long, you have
one-third of a cord of wood.
It pays to know the amount you
agree to buy.
To Prepare For
Slippery Conditions
Slippery roads, walks and steps
will be a common hazard in the
next few months. Many people use
salt too freely in cutting the ice; it
may get the job done but also may
injure nearby turk or shrubbery.
I’d suggest the use of sand or saw
dust. These materials will make
the surface safe without possible
injury to vegetation. In areas with
out any vegetation, salt will give
good results. Along our main high
ways there is some evidence that
the constant use of salt is inflicting
injury to nearby trees and shrubs.
Don’t let this happen to your favo
rite tree, shrub or the turf lining
your walk.
To Control
Livestock Parasites
The winter feeding programs
are underway and parasite infested
livestock are poor money makers.
Body lice are often found on nearly
all species of livestock. In cold
weather the heavy hair coats make
it difficult to eradicate these pests.
For best results, use two treat
ments at 12 to 14 day intervals.
HOW FAR TO
BETHLEHEM?
December 20,1987
Background Scripture: Matthew
2:1-12.
Devotional Reading: Isaiah:
60:1:7.
One of my favorite Christmas
carols is an old English piece
called the “Children’s Song of the
Nativity.” The words of this carol
are the voices of children on their
way to Bethlehem, asking “How
far is it to Bethlehem?”
In this haunting carol, the
answer is: “Not very far.” But, of
course, your answer depends upon
your perspective. Geographically,
Bethlehem is but a few miles from
Jerusalem, although from your
home it is several thousands of
miles distant. In terms of time, the
birth of Jesus was almost two thou
sand years ago. Or, looking at it
from still another perspective, by
the time you read these words,
there will be only four more shop
ping days until Christmas.
If, however, you are thinking in
terms of the experience of the
Incarnation in your own heart, the
answer may be “very close,” “far
away,” or “somewhere in
between.” Bethlebpm, the coming
of Christ anew intd our lives, is as
close or as far as you want it to be.
THE WISE MEN
That’s the way it was when
Jesus was bom. Geographically
Some cattle operators will have
automatic louse control devices
filled with an approved insecti
cide. This is excellent and effi
cient... if the materials are kept in
the equipment. In milder weather
cattle can be sprayed with the
material using cold water. Sto
mach worms should also be eradi
cated in order to make the best use
of feeds. Your local veterinarian
can check fecal samples to deter
mine the infection. You cannot
afford to operate with parasite
infection of any kind.
To Protect
Small Pigs
Cold weather is here and many
small feeder pigs are not given suf
ficient protection. In our modem
open-fronted finishing houses the
small pigs may become too cold
and come down with digestive and
respiratory problems. We suggest
that the pens be covered with
boards, or other materials to form a
hover over the back part of the pen.
This will help maintain body heat
and reduce the chance of any drafts
over the smaller pigs. When the
pigs pile up during cold weather,
they are not warm enough. You
may want to use heat lamps, or
other forms of supplemental heat,
on the small pigs during very cold
weather.
and religiously. King Herod was
very close to Bethlehem. Herod’s
palace the Herodium, lies but four
miles from Bethlehem. Further
more, Herod had been raised in the
knowledge of the Jewish religion
and was knowledgeable enough to
know of its messianic
expectations.
The wise men from the East, by
way of contrast, were both geogra
phically and religiously distant.
Matthew gives us the impression
they traveled a considerable dis
tance. (Tradition indicates they
came from Persia.) Nor do we
know anything about their religion
although tradition and some
scholars believe they at least were
knowledgeable about astrology
but it is unlikely they were well
informed about Judaism.
There was a third set of charac
ters in Matthew’s Bethlehem
story: the chief priests and scribes.
These were the religious experts
whom Herod consulted. Geogra
phically, they were as close to
Bethlehem as Herod, and reli
giously they were much, much
closer. They knew the Hebrew
scriptures and the messianic
prophecies.
THE OTHERWISE
Yet, for all their “closeness” to
Bethlehem, Herod and the scribes
and pharisees were still far away
from the Incarnation. They had all
the right answers, but the wrong
responses. The scribes and phari
sees knew the scriptures. Herod
knew just how threatening this
Messiah could be. But it was these
sages from an unknown land, pro
fessing an obscure “pagan” relig
ion who proved to be closest to the
meaning of what was happening in
Bethlehem.
Herod knew about the Messiah,
but he was not going to let this
messenger from God interfere with
his own plans and purposes. The
scribes and pharisees knew about
the Messiah, too, but their know
ing was one of the head, not the
heart. But the wise men from the
East, strangers and ignofant of the
Jewish faith, allowed themselves
to be led by God’s spirit and thus
they knew his newborn Son in a
way that quite eluded Herod and
his experts.
So, how far is it to Bethlehem
for you?
(Based on copynghted Outlines, produced
by the Committee on the Uniform Senes and
used by permission Released by Community
& Suburban Press)