AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 17,1988 OPINION Lottery Drawing But the official in Harrisburg said “We did it to attract a crowd to the Monday night program.” When the official was asked if he thought a lot of fanners would be against gambling at the family oriented Farm Show, he said, “I hadn’t even thought of it. It never came up. The gen eral public has accepted the lottery as a means of supporting the elder ly. I would think the general farm community would feel the same way about it” The text, that is reported to be in the official Fam Show program, says that this is the first time the Pennsylvania Lottery has ever taken the drawing show out of the television studio. In addition, the text says “The Pennsylvania State Lottery takes great pride in its operation, whether it is selling tickets or conducting the drawing shows. The sec urity, integrity and credibility of all lottery operations is of utmost importance. The extensive security controls and measures you will witness during the drawing preparations and broadcast exist to main tain that integrity and credibility. “The Pennsylvania Lottery was established by legislative action in 1971 with proceeds targeted toward property tax relief for the elderly. Benefits funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery have expanded to include rent rebates, inflation dividends, free and reduced-fare transit for senior citizens, reduced vehicle registration fees, a co-pay prescription program and Area Agencies on Aging services. The Pennsylvania Lottery is the only state lottery which exclusively targets its proceeds to benefit older citizens.” But the letter writer disagrees, “...don’t use the cover-up for greed that you are buying a lottery ticket to help out senior citizens,” the let ter says. “...Whose interest really is at heart...? I go into a convenience store in Middletown, and there are ragged, unattended elderly people spending what little money they do have on lottery tickets. Supposing someone does win a $5 million lottery; they are only entitled to $30,000-$40,000 per year. Who benefits from the other $4,070,000 until you draw out your limit during the next 10 or 20 years? What if you die before your 20 years of installments come through? Where does that money go? Who decides what bank/investments that will be placed in to earn more money? I believe most farmers would be con tent to live off just one month’s interest on the money of those who died before they received the full amount “Anyway, I don’t believe the lottery should be part of the Farm Show. Does anyone else feel the same way. If so, call th<* Lottery Commission,” the letter concludes. Or you could write a letter to the editor of Lancaster Farming. j 1 FARM FORUM our readers write To Whom It May Concern, I would like to send my thanks and appreciation to those who sent the really lovely apron, “Pork, the other white one,” to me. I had sent a recipe and was overjoyed to receive it. It is such a great style & Farm Calendar Monday, December 19 Wayne County Farmers Associa tion Board Meeting, Extension Office, Honesdale, 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 20 Monroe Co. Ag Security Meeting, Polk Township Fire Hall, 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 27 Lebanon County 4-H Livestock , UNCLE OTIS, ARE >OO HAVINCr V Lancaster Panning ANV RELATIVES OVER TO J° a Established n:s YOUR HOUSE FOR Published Every Saturday R CjTAAAS Ephrata Review Building V-n (/v lEMainS! V DINNER ? Ephrata, PA 17522 c> —by c ° j Lancaster Farming, Inc. 4 S/e/nman Enterprise Robert G Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor ° Copyright 1901 by Loneattor Faranlng " (Continued from Page A 1) top-grade quality! Please convey my thanks to the proper people! Have a blessed Christmas! Frances Krammes 312 Amwell Rd. Neshanic Station, NJ. 08853 Winter Roundup Beef & Sheep Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 28 Lebanon County 4-H Swine Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 8:30 a.m. Lebanon County 4-H Livestock Sale, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 6:00 p.m. /• 0 (3 O a* > - o 03 V o vs Tf |l NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Consider Manure Nutrients Did you know that on the aver age, more nutrients are brought onto the farm in feed for the ani mals than fertilizer purchases? Well, that may be a surprising fact but research has shown this to be true in southeast Pennsylvania. This serves to make a point for considering the importance of manure management. In the past, management of manure nutrients has “taken the back seat” to other management problems. The research done in this area in the past several years has had the same conclusion: taking a closer look at the benefits you are receiv ing from manure applications is a profitable idea! It is time to turn the manure problem into an opportunity. To Review Partnership ■ Agreements There are a number of advan tages to establishing farm partner ships, but an annual review of the agreement and its value in relation to current needs is essential. I would like to offer a few sug gestions for those who have entered into farm partnership agreements. Once a farm partnership is drawn up, the agreement should be reviewed at least once a year. This should be done for two rea sons. First, to see how well each of the partners is meeting his obliga tions - and secondly, to carefully evaluate the agreement to see if it is doing its intended job. Then too, farming is rapidly changing business. So, don’t be surprised if the agreement you set up just a couple years ago isn’t entirely adequate to meet today’s needs. So review that agreement care fully. If it doesn’t quite measure up to current needs, plan to make necessary changes before 1989 rolls around. To Prepare For Slippery Conditions Slippery roads, walks and steps will be a common hazard through 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 turf or shrubbery. I’d suggest the use of sand or sawdust. These materials will make the surface safe without possible injury to vegetation. In NOPE o O O m areas without any vegetation, salt will give good results. Along our main highways there is some evi dence that the constant use of salt is inflicting injury to nearby trees and shrubs. Don’t let this happen to your favorite tree, shrub or the turf lining your walk. To Protect Trees and Shrubs Your trees and shrubs will be able to withstand the winter condi tions in better shape - with a little help from you. Some winter pro tection might help save your val ued trees and shrubs. Thin-barked trees can be. damaged by sunscald in the win ter. That’s why it’s a good idea to wrap the trunks of such trees as sugar maple, tulip tree, American linden, flowering dogwood and GOOD NEWS! December 18,1988 Background Scripture: Luke 2:1-20. Devotional Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7, Christmas has become so many things to so many people— increased sales, time off from work, parties, too much to eat and drink—-that it is easy for us to quite forget that essentially Christ mas is good news. No matter how old the story may be, nor how many times we’ve heard and read it, Christinas is always news and always good, even if what we make of it is not “good” and treat it like something “old.” Someone has said that “A classic is news that stays news.” That makes Christmas the ultra classic. No amount of holiday hassle can diminish the meaning of Christmas, no matter how cheap, trite, commercial and vul gar it may be presented in our society. SAME OLD DRAMA The Christmas answer to the world and its woes is just as fresh and untainted as it was two thou sand years ago when the angel proclaimed; “I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people” (Luke 2:10b). The world is no less in need of saving than it was on that starry night. The cast and the plot may seem quite different, but it is essentially still the same old dra ma that is playing on the world’s stage. There is still poverty, hunger, pestilence, war, prejudice, injus tice, oppression and tyranny. Mary and Joseph were poor and humble people, and today the plight of people like this is no bet ter than it was then. There are still common people like the shepherds of Bethlehem who seem to be “out plum. You can wrap them now but be sure to take the wrapping off late next spring. You can use com mercial tree wrapping, starting at the ground level and working up the tree, overlapping about every half-inch. Tie the wrap with twine or use a waterproof tape several places along the stem. Smaller ornamentals should be mulched; this will not keep the soil from freezing but it helps keep the soil frozen to prevent root injury caused by alternate freezing and thawing of the soil. The mulch should be loose, but it should stay where you put it. Shredded bark does a good job. Penn State Cooperative Exten sion is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational insti tution. in left field” when the pic is divided. Although I’m sure there was nothing romantic about the Bethlehem stable, it is likely that some of the places where babies are bom today would make that stable seem like a palace. GOD’S V.I.P.S Yet, old as the problems are, that fresh is the solution that com es to us in the Incarnation. The values and perspective of Christ mas today are as much in conflict with society as when Jesus was bom. The home into which the Messiah was bom was a simple, humble family, the very antithesis of power, pomp and prestige. The announcement of Christ’s birth was not made to the high and mighty, but to lowly shepherds. Of those who found their way to the manger in Bethlehem, there wasn’t a Roman commander, a high priest from the Temple, a wealthy noble, or a government official. That doesn’t mean that God didn’t reveal it to somebody important, but that the “important people” of God are not the same as the “important people” of this world. Another part of the good news is that this “great joy will come to all the people.” Please note that it is for the “bad guys” as well as the “good guys,” for the Gentiles as well as the Jews, for the down trodden as well as the up-and coming, for the poor as well as the rich, for both liberals and conser vatives, for all colors, all races, all sexes. There may have been for Mary and Joseph “no place in the inn,” but the good news of their son Jesus was for the whole world. So, if Christmas is good news, why are we not filing it? That’s what it is all about—not buying, selling or even giving gifts, but sharing the good news. The shep herds, poor and illiterate as they were, understood that: “they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child... And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (2:17, 20). Why not put that at the top of your Christmas list! (Based on copynghted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used by permission Released by Communi ty & Suburban Press) 'CAUSE THEY'VE TASTED WV COOKING v BEFORE, y 0 c * °o
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers