On bet a farm -And o hazar Joyce B A knocked-down gate is a sis make. They’ll usually manage pretty dependable indication that to slip in with the cows and we’ll something is wrong around here, retrieve them easily enough. Or, Usually it indicates some four- on occasion, a bull calf will high footed friend -of the bovine type - tail it toward the fields and lay out running amuck. down to hide in a field of alfalfa or Sure enough. The pen, where snuggle in along a grassy bank, just a short time before I’d fed a “Look at this,” the Fanner corn baby bull calf his breakfast bottle, mented about a half hour later, was glaringly empty. glancing out the kitchen window Another calf had skipped town, during a morning cookie break. So to speak. Our runaway was trotting up One escaped calf does not a cri- the field road from the meadow. . i sui \ & ition Price A ; $36.00 - *1 Bar outsid \ DE, NY, \ A it Your Fatl & ERLANCAS tF ck one) □ new subs \a □ RENEWAL I TATt .COUNTY \ ¥ f I Allow 2 weeks for delivery of your first issue. We can also add 1 year to existing subscriptions sent in for renewal. ffk^V» v 5^ c Subscription Price: $19.00 per year; $36.00 - 2 years $29.00 per year outside of: PA, NJ, OH, MD, DE, NY, VA & WV • P.S. - Don’t Forget Your Father-In-Law! lV; PLEASE SEND MY FATHER LANCASTER FARMING *fl (Check one) v\* ■Ti □ $19.00 ■ 1 YEAR VI \& □ $36.00.2 YEARS □ NEW SUBSCRIPTION £i I U □ $29.00- 1 YEAR □ RENEWAL f\ \ € □ $56.00 - 2 YEARS ENCLOSED IS A f/\ JJi □ CHECK □ CASH □ MONEY ORDER /J I\ ir h * ,|> oorrectiy cod * your eddres, plnM himlth COMPLETE address As an example, Include number of the Q\>m 5 \ dwelling, street name, city and state. When appropriate, include other specific Information such as suite, I | \ apartment, floor, bos number, etc. If you have an RD. please Include Bos Number) | it NAME VI |f ADDRESS |/ CITY_ h>\ Jlr zip +4 yj Send Gift Card From Send us your coupon now with your payment to: Lancaster Farming P.O. Box 609 Ephrata, PA 17522 where he had apparently been cooling his heels on the sunny side of the remains of a big bale stack. Close behind was friend Frank, who spied the escapee as he drove up the road and headed him in the homeward direction. Even before the Farmer closed in from the opposite direction, the calf saw what he took to be a way out of this two-to-one contest. He took a flying leap in to the upper pond. This pond is not large, but it is about ten feet deep. Watching from the back porch, I saw a black-and-white blur furiously paddling through the open water beyond the rim of cattail foliage. One very wet - and no doubt surprised - bull calf was returned to dry off back home in his pen. When I climbed the gate to feed him that evening, he bawled, low ered his head, and threatened to ram me. Apparently he didn’t appreciate the swimming lesson. Unpredictable animal behavior is the predictable animal behavior here - one more thing that makes triing farm living so enjoyable and interesting. Take the geese, for instance. Matter of fact, we thought some one had. Early this month, “our” geese hatched out six fluffy yellow brown goslings from their mid pond nesting site. When several days passed and the goslings still numbered six, we rejoiced in the pair’s good fortune and lack of predator devastation this go round. Then, the entire family disap peared. No little geese. No big geese. After our initial dismay, ho feathers, no scene of destrution, no evidence of “fowl” play of any kind seemed a bit reassuring. Surely foxes or dogs or hawks or owls couldn’t have wiped out eight geese without some sort of trace. When they got the guinea hatch last spring, at least we found feathers. Perhaps the appearance of more geese at the pond, encroached on their turf despite Papa Goose’s best defensive efforts, had scared off our little family. Maybe they had moved down into the brushy areas along the meado' '/ fl STANDING SEAM ROOFII ROLL FORMED Galvalume, Galvanized PANELS FOR and other materials CONTINUOUS available. UNIFORM SEAMS Work approx. 80 mils radius of Labanon, PA tr Uncart* Farming, Saturday, May 30, 1992-83 Several search trips through with the three-wheeler yielded no sign. But a suggestion that the geese might have moved to the closest neighboring pond was right on target The fact that it’s probably a half-mile away, either through the meadow or the short-cut route via the neighboring wooded housing development made the walking journey for those short-legged little babies seem highly improbable. A week later, they returned to our pond, hung around a couple of days, and split again for the neighbors. Not long after sunrise a few mornings later, they again came trudging back up through the mea dow. Soon after, five interloper geese splashed down. Papa dis patched them elsewhere in a hurry. Apparently this is home, but our neighbor keeps his pond banks beautifully mown and neat - mak ing for easier walking and better predator watch. I promptly looped short our pond-area grass, which we had left grow for the heifers to nibble. Next thing, these geese will demand landscaping. The 1990 average national re tail pice of 2 percent milk was $1.39, a bargain for the best die tary source of calcium. One cup of milk provides 288 mg of calcium the same amount found in 5.6 half-cup servings of broccoli and has more potassium per serv ing than frozen orange juice. A serving of milk has as much zinc as two servings of whole wheat bread and more protein than one huge egg. Milk is not only a grocery bar pin, it is an investment in health. CONCEALED FASTENERS Route #2, Box 3SO-A Annvllle, PA 17003 717-865-3093 WATER TIGHT DOUBLE I Of* If APPLICATION For Free Estimate Phone