a farm Joyce Bupp -And other hazards With its usual ear-splitting “bang!,” the engine of the riding mower became silent After secur ing the wide doors of the woodshed from the inside, I picked my way through the dark ness, across the tractor’s robber tires and mowing attachment to exit the shed’s smaller front entrance. (Our mower rarely shuts off without a backfire, about three seconds after the engine switch is , v ’ More In tb* fioML IjlolPertag rv-‘, fA^fay to begin s, vsriery . ri« under the growing conditions tact nanageiMM program or yourfarm. EXCALIBUX Early roawrtog/vigorous Valued for broad spectrum resistance and rapid recovery for prime alfalfa ground, you can) do bejtter than Excaßbut. ®1989 Agw»y Inc turned. Inside the shed, the noise is deafening. But let me cover my ears in self-defense, and the dog gone thing just sits there, inno cently silent Time after time after time ) A newly-mown lawn - especial ly after several inches of rain and a mowing interval of more than two weeks - equals instant gratifica tion. Grass that was shaggy and scruffy-looking transforms to trimmed and neat. Flower borders have edges again. And the littering maple leaves, chopped into tiny bits by the lethal slashing of whir ring blades, have vanished into the clippings. But, even when newly trimmed, the lawn surrounding our farmhouse will never resem ble those freshly-manicured, thick, lush, green lawns that look like a picture. Our lawn is lived in - and looks it. A permanent path, worn to the bare earth, betrays the route we travel daily from the basement to the barn. It’s the “inter-state” across maybe twenty-five yards of lawn, the shortest, most direct route to our business. On rainy days, the cats also conform to the route of the hard-packed barn path, where their paws find less soggy traveling. Only slightly less barren of grass is the packed path under the laundry lines, stretched between two of the ancient maples. Laun dry hung here long before our arri val a quarter-century ago, as the trees have actually grown around Dell Your so don'tdefc* Qtderywjrswtf , Mk Salesperson or Agwiy " ' the metal bars fastened to their old trunks. Clothes driers have les sened the traffic during bad weather, but the path still gets reg ular use year-round. At least once each summer it seems a flat, shaded part of the back lawn sees temporary use as a rehabilitation center for an injured cow or heifer. Last year, it was for a heifer that became temporarily paralyzed due to calving difficul ties. Just recently, the “patient” was a yearling that slipped and injured her back. , The lawn offers the most soft, cool spot on the farm, with excel lent footing for an injured animal, struggling back onto its feet The joy and satisfaction of their heal ing more than compensates for a lawn ornamented with residue of hay and manure, and feed and water tubs scattered across the grass. Two square, barren patches cur rently mark the locations of the guineas’ pens, before they became itSSS!% Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 7,1989-B5 roaming residents of the farms tead. Grass has mostly rcgrown over the patch of gravel washed into the lower lawn during a flood ing cloudburst some 16 months ago. And the bare patches under the bird feeders'are merely a ground level of feeders for a competing species. That’s where the half dozen remaining bantams scavenge fallen sunflower seeds, scratched off the feeding platform by the finches, jays and sparrows. Our lawn looked even worse than usual before this last (of the season, maybe?) mowing session. Winds whipping through the maples as Hurricane Hugo dashed north, followed by the cold front which raced south a day later, shook loose hundreds of small twigs and branches. Only one large limb tumbled, missing the comer of the green house by mere inches. A growing pile of kindling now awaits the season’s opening of the wood stove, maple droppings with a final purpose in life. Still, our littered lawn was insignificant, compared to losses suffered by farm friends in the storm’s path of devastation. Virgi nia friends woke to find every acre of their com uprooted and flat tened on the ground, before a single load had been cut for silo filling. Another, from North Car olina, had roofs tom from most of the farm buildings, a chimney ripped from the house, and fences shredded from falling trees and limbs. Makes a scuffed, scarred and ragged lawn seem pretty unimpor tant, huh? Or ONO FIRE CO.^S 2 37th ANNUAL 1 2 DEITSCH A T FERSAMMLING £ A • Turkey Dinner \ V • Entertainment By V “Joyful Strings” W kj • Guest Speaker - A /i Allen Musser A 2 OCT. 14 - 7:00 PM A B Cost $7,50 |w\ For Tickets & Information Call; Bj* 717-865-4915 HONDA ENGINES G 100-2.2 HP No oil-alert $220 GX-110 3.5 HP $275 GXVI2O 4 HP, verticle shaft ......$250 GXI4O 5 HP $315 GX24O, 8 HP GX24O, 8 HP, Electric Start GX34O, 11 HP GX340,11 HP. Electric Start $570 GX34O 11 Hpw/2»1 Reduction ..$535 WH2OX 5 HP, High Pressure. High Volume Pump For Irrigation Use $570 Honda Generators - Call For Prices All Engines Have 011-Alert - Standard Shaft - Recoil Start And Full 1 Year Warranty, Unless Otherwise Stated. We Pay All Shipping And COD Costs Except Next Day Air Service. Dally UPS A RPS Service. Pa. Non-Farm Use, Add 6% Sales Tax * Orders Received Before 9AM Will Be Shipped Same Day. Burkholder Equipment ~..$445 ...$495 ...$530
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