Onbei a farm -And o bazar Joyce B A regal queen on a royal throne, that’s what she looks like. Surveying the surroundings from her lofty position, she reigns over her very own little kingdom. Few dangers threaten her, since a devoted and mighty security pat rol watches, ever alert, ready to do instant battle with any foe. Well, maybe not so mighty, but certainly devoted. But none of us is about to do battle with this security force. Though he might be a feather weight, our Canada goose gander patrol packs a power greater than his slight poundage might suggest And he’s powered by a short tempered fuse, easily sparked by the slightest intrusion. If our calculations based on a gestation chart from one of my prized almanacs are correct, there should be goslings afloat on the big pond within a week. The “island” we wrestled some weeks ago onto pilings in the center of the pond is about to produce its first harvest We were pretty certain of the goose couple’s acceptance of the mid-pond nesting offering when they began physically and verbal- ly (do geese verbalize?) running off anything that got even close to their chosen homesite. That included other geese, a couple of Mallard pairs scouting nesting niches, humans setting foot any where near the pond bank, and even passing tractors. Consider, if you will, the frustration level of a lovesick goose declaring war on an Interna tional 806. Mrs. Goose, meanwhile, sits tight on the raised wooden-pallet platform decorated in camouflage cornstalks, bushy branches and soft grass, stretching her long, black neck to peer warily at visi tors. She leaves the nest only briefly, to preen in the water and partake of pond-bottom fast food. Her protective mate, we believe, spends his nights on the “porch” of the nesting platform, moving in early morning to the pond’s south bank, where the farmstead can be watched for potential pond pests. Not all our nesting mothers have such a support system. But then, not all are quite as selective about homesites, either. On a recent morning, I bent to yank a bale of straw from up in the mow of the bank bam and came face to face with the lavender guinea hen. In typical guinea fash ion, she hunkered down on so many eggs that a few spilled be yond the reach of her feathers. Two, roosters we figure, regu larly screech and squawk every evening on their way to roost in the old bam. That leaves two of the flock of five unaccounted for, probably hens hidden somewhere on their own caches of eggs. Less secretive are the bantam hens, more stubborn than sensible about nesting. With all sorts of cozy, safe, hidden niches around the place, they ’ll pick some sense less location like the middle of an in-use hay rack or a bare cement comer of a feed alleyway. 'When he learned that a neigh bor was pitching out eggs being laid by his pet wild turkeys, the Farmer acquired a few to relocate under our broody bantams. One little chicken has cooperatively assisted, remaining faithful to a nest of oversized substitute eggs. But the other has, twice, fled the sheltered, straw-cushioned site he provided to go sit on a flat, bare, exposed spot she had originally chosen. And not a single egg any where near it. Even more amusing is the feathered dynamo that began depositing one small, brown egg every day in the grain feed cart. Each evening, he would remove the hen’s contribution as he fed grain; and every morning, there’d be a new replacement. After having contributed well over a dozen truly-farm-fresh eggs to the kitchen refrigerator, she now continues to sit in the comer of the cart, hatching a patch of dusty grain-cart floor. The temper PARMER BOY AG FENCING Tired Of Replacing Gates? Farmer Boy Ag Has Your Answer. Buy'em and Forget ’em Look Inside - You'll Be Impressed! Farmer Boy Fencing is Hot Dip Galvanized after fabrication (inside and outside) covering all weld spots for the ultimate rust protection. FEATURES: □ Vertical Rod or Horizontal Rod □ Solid Or Tubular (Schedule 40). □ Fasteners Available - Thunderstuds, T-Bolts, Etc. W« stock A Full Uni Of Blna And Aug«r« _ Swine ft Poultry Systems Specialists FARMER BOY AG. 410 E LINCOLN AVE MYERSTOWN PA 17067 24 Hour Service Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:00 to 5:00; Saturday 7:30 to 11:30 tantrum she throws nightly on her If chickens swear, we’ve no ejection from the feed cart is loud doubt been called every poultry and long. cuss WO rd imaginable. Cook’s Question (Continued tram Page B 8) ANSWER Fay Bordner, Hummelstown, wanted recipes for blueberry or strawberry syrup for pancake toppings. Thanks to Carolyn Gutshall, Carlisle; Anna Brubaker, East Earl; and Mrs. Austin Hough, Sussex, N.J.; for sending recipes. Blueberry Sauce Stir together: 3 /« cup water 1 /« cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch Add: 2 Vt cups blueberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Serve hot. For a quick dessert, toast slices of frozen pound cake, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm blueberry sauce. Pancake Syrup Wash all fruit or berries. Drain but do not dry. For each 6 cups berries, add 4% cup sugar. Set in cool place for 8 hours or overnight. Stir well and place on stove. Cook until candy thermometer reaches about 220 degrees. It will take about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent scorching. You can remove fruit or strain, then reheat and ladle into hot sterilized jars. Contributor prefers to leave fruit in syrup. When USDA Issues A Recall You turn on the radio or TV and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspec hear the announcer say The U.S. tion Service have personnel avail- Department of Agriculture recent- able around the clock to check out ly announced a voluntary recall of claims of contaminated food pro- XYZ pasta and meat balls in ducts and, if necessary, implement 8-ounce cans... This is a “product a product recall system to protect recall,” but what does that mean? the iblic health. Chock Our Ware* Houaa Pricaa INC. PH 717-866-7565 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 19,1990-B9 MEMORIAL WEEKEND SING! - 3 BIG DAYS - LANDISVILLE CAMPMEETING GROUNDS (Church St., Lindltvilla) Friday, MAY 25 • 7:30 PM * DIXIE MELODY BOYS * SINING AMERICANS Saturday, MAY 26 7 P.M. * SPEER FAMILY * CHRONICLE "Kmgsboys” * BARBARA FAIRCHILD * DONNIE SEABOLT BAND Sunday, May 27 2:30 P.M. * FOX BROTHERS * DOWN EAST BOYS * HENRY and HAZEL SLAUGHTER Tickets, $7 per day -3 days $lB Children 12 & under Rain or Shine - Seating SOMETHING TO CROW A80UT.... t Free/Parent Under Cover Camping Available Refreshments Call (215) 775-4627 for Into.
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