MO-UKHtor Fanwnp. Muntoy, March 26,1988
OPINION
A Matter Of Life Or Death
With so many reports that try to
scare us, we could easily ignore
another “epidemic” report- espe
cially since we have heard about
rabies for the last two years. But
Ted Fox told Lancaster Farming
this week that Lancaster County
now has the highest number of
rabies cases in Pennsylvania. Ed
Gosnell called it an epidemic. Fox
and Gosnell are State Conserva
tion officers.
Since wildlife such as skunks
and raccoons get credit for much of
the spread of the disease, farmers
are likely to be apathetic. But they
shouldn’t be. At this lime of year
when the domestic animals head
out to the spring pastures in close
proximity to infected wildlife, far
mers become especially vulner
able. For all practical purposes,
these paragraphs are a life and
death warning to all of our farm
family readers.
Don’t play with Rabies. This
means don’t pet wild animals
especially nocturnal creatures that
come around your farm buildings
in broad daylight and act friendly,
dumb or sick. If the animals don’t
have their normal fear of you,
assume they have rabies. This is
not open season, but if this kind of
animal gets on your property, near
your children or farm animals.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, March 26
Schuylkill Co. Fair Assn., Third
Annual Spring Auction, New
fairgrounds, formerly Happy
Holiday Park, 9:00 a.m.
York County Pork Producers
Assoc. Banquet, Colonial Val
ley, 7:00 p.m. Donald Sunda,
764-0233.
PA Spring Holstein Show,
Harrisburg.
Spring Dairy Cattle Judging Con
test, Ag Arena, Penn State Uni
versity, State College.
Cook College Home Gardeners’
School, New Brunswick
PA Spring Holstein Show,
Harrisburg
Spring Dairy Cattle Judging Con
test, Ag Arena
Sunday, March 27
Northeastern Dairy Conference,
Burlington, VT, March 27-29.
Monday, March 28
Bradford County Farm Energy
Management, Wysox Fire Hall,
10:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Free calibration of farm sprayers
March 28 through April 1 at any
Delaware Extension Office.
Call 302/451-1125 for
information.
Regional Meeting, Energy In
Lancaster Fanning
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
At Record-Express Office Building
22 E Mam Street
Lititz, PA 17543
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A SMnrmn Enltrprk*
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
C«p«ri«M I** l LaneaMl
shoot it, carry it with a shovel, bury
it deep enough that your dog won’t
dig it up, and leave the contami
nated shovel in the sun for a few
hours to kill the disease germs.
In addition, don’t feed your pets
outside at night because wild ani
mals will be attracted to the food.
Keep your dog tied. It’s the law,
and it will provide one less possi
ble contact with rabies for your
family and livestock.
You should be aware that many
infected animals are destroyed
without being tested, so they don’t
get in the publicized numbers for
reported cases. Authorities know
this. Some think it’s good because
its puts less strain on the testing
system. Others think it creates a
false impression that could lead to
complacency when the numbers of
rabies cases are reported. Either
way you should know that right
now you are in a hot spot for the
rabies virus. Be cautious. Watch
for tell-tale signs in every animal
you see- both wild and domestic.
Do everything you can to protect
yourself, your family and your
farm animals from this dreaded
disease. And if you are exposed to
a suspected rabies carrier, call the
emergency number and get advice
immediately. In this case, it is a
matter of life or death.
Agriculture, 10 a.m.-3 p.m,
Wysox Fire Hall.
Increase Farm Profits through
Energy Management, 10 a.m.-3
p.m., Bradford Co. Wysox Fire
Hall.
Tuesday, March 29
State Farm City Council Meeting,
Kiwanis Office, Harrisburg,
10:00 a.m.
Chesapeake Bay Research Confer
ence, Belvedere Hotel,
Baltimore.
Calibration Field Day (spreader,
planters and sprayers), Grey
stone Manor Farms, 10 a.m.
Contact Mike Brubaker 717
627-0065.
Eastern Milk District 15. Lebanon
Valley & Shafferstown Fire
Hall.
Wednesday, March 30
Maryland/Virginia Milk Coopera
tive annual meeting, Ramada
Inn, Hagerstown, MD, 10:00
a.m.
Thursday, March 31
Lancaster County Holstein Tour,
Farm & Home Center, 8:10
a.m.
Saturday, April 2
York 4-H Spring Judging Contest
(Turn to Pag* A 23)
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
I know some farmers are consid
ering the use of feed oats for plant
ing this spring, but this may not be
a good idea. Feed oats may contain
quackgrass, bindweed and other
weed seeds. Planting feed oats will
generally result in lower yields.
You also have the problem that any
weed seeds planted will be a prob
lem for years to come. Keep in
mind that high quality seed is the
smallest part of producing a crop.
So, saving a few cents by using
inferior or weedy seed doesn’t
make much sense. On the other
hand, homegrown seed of varieties
proven successful on your farm
can be cleaned, treated and planted
if the germination is 80% or better.
You can place the seed in a tray
with moist soil, cover with wet
burlap and keep in a warm place.
Then count the seeds that germi
nate against the total and deter
mine the percent of germination.
To Evaluate Winter
Wheat Topdressing
During this season of the year
many fanners ask the question,
does winter wheat need fertilizing?
According to Agronomists, top
dressing with fertilizer may cm* may
not be a good idea. There are sever
al things that should be considered
before making the decision.
In the first place, do not topdress
winter wheat with nitrogen fertiliz
er if the wheat is to be overseeded
with clover or alfalfa. Nitrogen
causes heavy growth of wheat
which may smother out the new
seeding. Now, the winter wheat
fields that have come through the
winter looking thin, should be
topdressed. Use only a straight nit
rogen fertilizer, such as urea. Top
dressing winter wheat with pho
sphate or potash fertilizer has not
given any increased wheat yields.
Apply the nitrogen fertilizer in
early spring at the rate of 30-40
pounds of actual nitrogen per acre.
Theft and vandalism on farms is
on the increase. This is very diffi
cult to prevent because of the vari
ous items around farm buildings
and homes; also the number of
buildings and places to enter arc
many. However, we suggest that
every farmer take some steps in
protecting his machinery, tools,
livestock and supplies. The auto
matic lights that come on at dusk
and go off at dawn should be of
Tm
To Plan For
Oat Planting
To Provide
Farm Security
real value in discouraging burg
lars. There are also many new
sensing devices that detect move
ment around the premises.
Watch dogs are also very useful
in detecting strangers around the
property. Shops, garages and other
smaller buildings should be kept
locked when possible. The identi
fication of animals by tags, brand
ing and photographs is very help
ful. It is also a good idea to mark all
machinery and tools with a perma
nent ID number. The best number
to use is your drivers license num
ber preceded by DL PA (Drivers
License, Pennsylvania).
Remember, Social Security
numbersd are non-retrievable so
it’s best not to use it Farm thefts
are on the increase so farmers
should lake steps to protect their
property.
To Increase
Pasture Production
One of the best ways to improve
permanent pasture is to apply lime
and plant food, practice rotational
THE SILENT
VICTOR
March 27,1988
Background Scripture:
Matthew 26:57 through 27:61
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 53:4-12,
Matthew’s story of Jesus’ last
hours is a study in power. There is
the mighty power of Rome vested
in the Pilate, the Roman Governor.
There is also the power of the chief
priests and elders. It is not an abso
lute power, but, although the Jews
have been subjugated by the
Romans, the latter cannot rule suc
cessfully without some coopera
tion from the former. And there is
the power of the people—subject
though they are to Roman military
might, Pilate cannot afford to
ignore their potential for disrup
tion of the Pax Romana, the peace
of Rome.
Then there is Jesus.
At first glance, it would seem
that he is powerless. The chief
priests and scribes arrest him in the
Garden of Gethsemane and hand
him over into the custody of Pon
tius Pilate. Jesus appears helpless
against both Jerusalem’s religious
leaders and the occupying Roman
Empire. Furthermore, he is appa
rently in the power of the crowd,
for Pilate puts it to them whether
he shall release “Barabbas or
Jesus?”
HOW POWERFUL?
Yet things are not what they
seem. For all of the might of Rome,
Pilate is obviously uneasy about
this situation. When Jesus remains
silent in the face of his questions,
instead of flying into a rage, Pilate
gropes for some alternative to
Jesus’ crucifixion. To further
unsettle him, his wife sends word:
“Have nothing to do with that
f&n unciform f
grazing and clip them regularly.
This is quicker, cheaper and
involves less risk than tearing up
the old sod and reseeding. Most
permanent pastures have sufficient
seed of desirable grass species.
The only thing they need is a little
tender loving care and the oppor
tunity to grow, and to recover from
grazing pressures. Thus, fertility
and rotational grazing are very
beneficial. The more paddocks
you have, the better it is. If your
acreage is limited for your size
herd, restrict the amount of time
cattle and livestock are permitted
to graze. Don’t let them trample
the grass unncessarily by allowing
them to roam freely over the pas
ture while not grazing. After a pad
dock has been grazed, it can be
clipped to control weed growth
and to keep the grass young and
nutritious. This is also a good time
to apply fertilizer and necessary
herbicides, while allowing the
grass to recover prior to being
grazed again.
righteous man, for I have suffered
much over him today in dream”
(27:19). If Pilate had the power of
life or death, why would he feel
compelled to publicly wash his
hands of all responsibility?
Pilate, a man accustomed to
controlling large armies and admi
nistering Rome’s holdings in
Israel, could not compel Jesus to
confess or deny the charges
brought against him: “...he gave
him no answer, not even to a single
charge; so that the governor won
dered greatly” (27:14).
Consider also the chief priests
and scribes. Neither are they as
powerful as one might suspect. It
must have galled them to have to
come to Pilate to petition him for
permission to put Jesus to death.
These guardians of religious recti
tude, for all their power, couldn’t
get Jesus convicted without false
witnesses, perjury, and manipulat
ing the mob. If they were so power
ful, why did they have to resort to
all of that?
Those who comprised the crowd
outside Pilate’s palace were also
engaged in the struggle for power.
But their power was a delusion.
Pilate gave them the power of life
and death over Jesus, but he was
simply using them, letting them
take responsibility should this
prove to be an unpopular decision.
The chief priests and scribes also
used them, manipulating them to
call for the release of Barabbas and
the death of Jesus.
So who was in control here? Not
irresolute Pilate, not the impotent
chief priests and scribes, nor the
frenzied crowds. As one reads this
account over and over, it becomes
apparent that it is Jesus who really
is in control. Jesus, the silent victor
teaches us all the nature of true
spiritual power. Jesus could have
made a brilliant legal defense, dis
rupted the court with violent out
bursts or played upon the sym
pathy of the mob. But, refusing to
play their power game, he con
quered them with his silence.
(Based on copyrighted Outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission. Released
by Community A Suburban Press.)