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
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—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.
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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
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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)
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