Ordinarily I would have my
garden planted by the end of
March. But, today as I write this
the ground is still covered with
snow and ice. Actually we’ve
been so busy with various meet
ings that it is hard to imagine find
ing time to plant a garden.
Last week we attended a meet
ing on irrigation of farmland and
heard the rules and regulations
that apply to farmers. There was
emphasis on the amount of water
that flows into the Susquehanna
River and the amount that is
removed. I had not realized that
the city of Baltimore has a pipe
line from Conowingo Dam to their
city. The potential capacity of the
do
'1
not a
my
i’s cab is
i 3 -point-
) Series
Test
see if
Forrest Wessnerjr. jams about3ooacres
of potatoes, oats, wheat, soybeans, and hay
near GemansviUe, Pennsylvania.
liis is
laflldo
g I want
kerM
HC.
)hwiy
'A
II
KISTL9
7866 King*
LynnpK
610-2 W
miller-lake INC.
Belleville, pa
717-935-2335 SCHEFFEL
EQUIPMENT CO.
Red Goou Rd.
Somerset, PA
114-4454500
I. INC,
J A
16
.ANDIS Bi
LancaM
717-29 P
LEHIGH/
EQUIP*
AlltntoM
610-39 W
MILLER'S
EQUIPMENT
RD <1 Hi. m
Falrmount City, PA
PIKEVILLE
EQUIPMENT INC.
Olay, PA
610-987-6277
LONE*
SALES 4«
N»w AIM*
412-66 H
tVICE
•.PA
LOST CREEK
IMPLEMENT
Oakland Mila, PA
717-463-2161
P°LE TAVERN SMITH'S
EQ. SALES CORP. IMPLEMENTS, INC
609458-2880 Mircersburg, PA
609-358-2880 717-328-2244
GEORGE V. SEIPLE
& SON
Eaalon, PA
610-256-7146
line is 500 million gallons per day.
Everyone’s need for water seems
to grow and grow. Now instead of
a bath once a week some folks
take a shower twice a day.
We attended a travelogue on
Italy in a local high school. It is so
much easier to do arm chair travel
than to do the planning for a plane,
train or ship vacation. Although, I
find that the memories do not last
as long if you do not personally
experience the countries’ land
scape and people.
Last month our square dance
group had a large attendance.
Instead of two or three squares we
had more than 50 people. Maybe
they were glad to be able to get
't i n r «r r « -
Because die work is never done, you need performance
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engines are up to die task with qualify John Deere
maintenance parts and lubricants.
Hard-working engines deserve the
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Torq-Gard Supreme* Plus 50 oil.
Tests show it reduces engine wear
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Trap dirt and other engine
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John Deere 10,20,30,40, and 50
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Only $3.62* 010044)
S.P.E., INC.
Rd. 1, Box 157
Towanda, PA
717-265-4440
TOBIAS
EQUIPMENT CO., INC.
Halifax, PA
717-362-3132
Workshop
RUTGERS, NJ. Does the
idea of spring give you thoughts of
flowers and pretty things? Join
Charity Rinker, president of the
home economics advisory coun
cil, Rutgers Cooperative Exten
sion, in making some interesting
crafts to enhance your home for
springtime. The date is Tuesday,
March 8, 2 - 4 p.m. at the Hunter
don County Extension Office, 4
Gauntl Place, Route 31, Fleming
lon, New Jersey. The fee is $6. To
register for Spring Crafts call Rut
gers Cooperative Extension (908)
788-1342.
away from home between snow
storms. It is one affair that you can
attend when you are tired from a
day’s work and after expending a
lot of energy come home less tired
as the music is so lively.
Over the weekend our daughter
and her young son from New
Jersey visited us. The grandchil
dren look forward to visiting our
dairy farm when they come to
Lancaster County. Sometimes
they are lucky and not only find
cows, calves, and cats but also
pigs, a lamb, and geese. The farm
is so very different from their
home surroundings.
i j
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Keep engines running dependably
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‘John Deere dealers art independent retailers who
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may vary Jrm the prices shown. Ofer good through
March 31,1994
WALTEMYER’S
SALES & SERVICE
R»d Lion PA
717-24; 4168
WINELAND
EQUIPMENT, INC.
Mirtlmburg, PA
814-793-2109
M.S. YEARSLEY
& SONS
Wttl Ch««t*r, PA
610-696-2990
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 5, 1994-817
Farmers Needed
To Grow Flax
(Continued from Page Bt«)
then bundled by machine and sam
ples are mailed to France for
inspection.
Farms producing quality flax
will be asked to grow a minimum
of 25 acres of flax in 1995 with a
promise that it will be purchased
by Flax America.
Although Zinzendorf did not
diclose a price, he said it is com
parable to other grain prices. He
promises that the contract drawn
up between the company and far
mers will include a specified price
so that no speculation is involved.
“The market for linen is grow
ing at a fast rate, which is why the
company is searching for more
land to grow it,” he said.
After the flax is harvested, far
mers can plant any winter grain or
grass they prefer for double
cropping.
Flax is grown in many countries
since it does well in both warm and
cool climates. It does need rainfall,
and is suitable to Pennsylvania’s
rainfall so that irrigation is not
Efficient Farms Are
Productive Farms
U.S. farmers use about $2 billion worth of electricity
each year for lighting, crop drying, ventilation, irrigation
and countless other activities. As energy costs rise and
farmers’ profit margins shrink, implementing a strategy
for efficient use of electricity becomes paramount.
The cost of electricity used in farmproduction depends
on the amount used and* when it is used. Farmers can cut
energy costs by reduction how much electricity they use as
well as by prudently scheduling when they use it.
When large motors are used only during off-peak per
iods, power suppliers can offer more favorable rates be
cause generation and transmission facilities are being used
more efficiently. If, however, large loads are used during
peak periods, suppliers assess a special demand charge for
the extra generation capacity required.
Farmers can reduce the amount of electricity they use
without reducing productivity simply by following a few
painless practices.
Here are some suggestions on how to increase electric
efficiency on the farm:
■ Set water heater thermostats as low as permissible
while meeting sanitation requirements, to reduce tank and
pipe heat losses.
■ Turn water heaters off during long periods when hot
water is not needed.
■ Add insulation to water heaters and pipes that carry
hot water.
■ Use curtains or partitions to confine animals to small
areas during periods of high heal requirements, such as
brooding.
■ Establish routines for switching off all lights when
they arc not needed.
■ Light only work areas rather than entire rooms.
■ When replacing incandescent lamps, use more effi
cient, lont-life fluorescent units.
■ Locate motors in the coolest, cleanest, driest environ
ment possible.
■ Maintain proper belt tension and pulley alignment on
motor-driven equipment.
■ Add rodent guards to open motors and keep equip
ment clean.
Many more suggestions are available in publications
produced by the National Food and Energy Council Low
Cost/No Cost Energy Management Practices on Farms is a
pamphlet offering energy-saving tips that cost little or no
thing to implement The Farm Energy Analysis is a collec
tion of more than 300 pages of energy-management tech
niques and evaluation procedures.
To obtain copies, contact the NFEC at 314 875 7155 or
.write 409 Vandiver Drive, Suite 4-202, Columbia, MO
65202. The cost is $1 for die Low Cosl/No Cost brochure
and $27 for the Farm Energy Analysis.
needed. A low pasture or meadow
offers better growing conditions
than high fields where drain off is a
problem.
Zinzendorf said that he was
asked to be an advisor to Flax
America because he is part of the
Christiansbrunn Brotherhood, a
religious cloister that currently is
the largest producer of flax in the
state.
But the method the Brotherhood
uses to grow and harvest flax is
entirely different than that prom
oted by Flax America. The cloister
uses no electricity or motor-dnven
machinery where they live in the
Mahantongo Valley of central
Pennsylvania. As a self-sufficient
community, the Brothers are
expected to produce crafts for the
cloister’s use and to sell. The
Brotherhood was founded in 1749,
but disbanded before 1800. It was
reorganized in 1987.
The Brotherhood demonstrates
the pre-mechanized process of
turning flax into linen at historic
sites and events. An annual open
house is held at the cloister located
l‘/> miles outside Pitman, two
miles east of State Road 125. This
year, the open house is scheduled
for August 13, 1-5 p.m.
Farmers interested in raising
flax are asked to write to Johannes
Zinzendorf at Christiansbrunn
Kloster, R.D.I, Box 149, Pitman,
PA 17964.