We all get unexpected sur- prises. Sometimes, they're less than welcome. Like walking out your back door and slipping on ice. Finding a flat tire on your car. Or having your accountant inform you that you owe more income tax than you estimated. Much more welcome are the pleasant surprises. An unexpected phone call from a long-lost friend. A letter saying you've won something (actually won something, not one of those junk-mail come ons). The magnificent rainbow like a friend recently spied in the midst of a snowsquall. Or, having your accountant call you back to tell you he made a mis take in figuring your tax and Theres no •Subject to approved credit Standard rate applies after initial 24 months and continues to end of maximum 60 month contract term (Minimum down a || payment or trade is required} Additional low rate installment financing available at 24% for 24 months 36% for 36 months 48% for 48 months jjjfA. AOCO 5 9% for 60 months Rates are subject to change without notice 0% financing offer available on AGCO Allis models 8745 8765 8775 8785 9735 , is and 9745 0% offer ends March 31 1998 SEE YOUR DEALER TODAY! MANOR MOTORS SANDY LAKE B.H.M. FARM On Rte. 553 IMPLEMENT EQUIP. INC. Penn Run, Pa. Sandy Lake, Pa. Annville, Pa. 412-254-4753 412-376-2489 717-867-2211 HERNLEY’S FARM EQUIP., INC. Elizabethtown, Pa. 717-367-8867 that you will actually get a refund. Even tiny surprises are day bnghteners. Like the one I found upon peeking in the greenhouse one morning last week. There, at the top of a long stem above a cluster of foliage, was a giant, calla lily flower. Ivory-white, with a waxy tex ture, the magnificent bloom was absolutely stunning and totally unexpected to pop out here in the middle of winter's chilly, gray weather. This yard-high plant with its lush, arrowhead-shaped foliage began life as a small shoot snitched from a friend. Well, not actually snitched. Her calla plant had wintered here last year. Before returning it, I etter way to get one. Introducing six all-new, all-efficient 8700 & 9700 Series tractors from 70-145 PTO hp. They combine sleek new looks, super comfort cabs and the clean, quiet power of the new AGCO® Allis liquid cooled diesels. And, it’s easier than ever to get one by March 31, 1998 with 0% APR financing for 24 months. So take a test drive and you’ll see why these new high-performance models are the ones to get. But get one soon, this offer expires March 31,1998 NICHOLS FARM EQUIP. Bloomsburg, Pa. 717-784-7731 6. EQUIP., INC. Waynesboro, Pa. 717-762-3193 Fmancin, GRUMELLI FARM SERVICE Quarryville, Pa. 717-786-7318 fi' n '¥’* 't ' »- r*<» t v r ) repotted the plant and removed one of the young shoots it had grown in the interim. The baby lily thrived in manure-rich potting soil, push ing up ever-larger leaves as its roots poked outward and down ward. From a four-inch pot, the calla moved to an eight-incher, and then into a large, nursery stock container. It was all set to summer out on the porch, and maybe, if the plant felt happy there, even bloom. I couldn't have imagined a move delightful promise of spring. But companion plants blos soming nearby have also responded to the lengthening daylight and stronger sunshine. Geraniums are sporting flower clusters of bright red, glo-pink, and deep fuschia shades. Scruffy-looking impatiens are pushing out new buds, a petunia tentatively opens a purple blos som and the lobelia plants moved inside to winter cover themselves with deep, heavenly blue flowers. And the first pot of paperwhite daffodils are filling the kitchen with heavenly fra grance. Outside, the response is also evident, if a bit more subtle. Our first crocus, at a sheltered corner of the house, spread yel- \P-V HOLTRY’S EQUIPMENT Roxbury, Pa. 717-532-7261 C.J. WONSIDLER BROS. Quakertown, Pa. 215-536-7523 New Tripoli, Pa. 215-767-7611 Oley, Pa. 215-987-6257 low and purple blooms when the .sun shines, then curl back up into fetal buds at sunset. Topmost limbs of our aged pussy willow, a good 20 feet above the lawn, are covered with furry, white catkins. And the more sheltered forsythia bushes are on the verge of popping their buds. Meanwhile, our orchardist neighbors chew their nails, anx iously watch thermometers and Fall Floriculture Plants For Profit LEBENSBURG (Cambria Co.) - Penn State Cooperative Extension has announced a new program designed to assist growers interested in producing fall-potted plants. Fall Floriculture Plants for Profit will be held Tuesday, March 31, at the Arena Restaurant in Bedford from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This program will provide growers with the tools to suc cessfully grow profitable, fall blooming potted plants. Whether you've grown these crops in the past or are just get ting started, this program will give you information you need to grow the best fall plants around. LONG DISTANCE PHONE SERVICE ONLY 6.9 cents a minute to 9.9. cents for all toll calls 24 hrs/day 7 days a week For business and residential 1+ and 800/888 calls Rates vary depending in which state you’re located • NO Prepayment • 18/6 second Increment Billing • Monthly Billing • Account Codes with individual • NO Access Codes billing for community phones Low Foreign Rates - Canada from 12.9 cents Pre-Pald Phone Cards only 15.9 cpm. NO surcharge. These rechargeable cards are activated and ready to use. Call anywhere in the world. Send $2 plus the amount of time. Use check or Visa, Master Card or Discover credit card to order as many cards as needed and to recharge. Tel-Com Phone Services 539 Hilltop Rd. Myerstown, Pa. 17067 For more information call 717-866-6520 or 800-779-7729 Part time or full time sales people wanted. Inquire about the $50,000 annual income plan Customers cut your bill to zero with our referral plan long for colder weather. Buds pushing so early have little pro tection against early-spring cold snaps. So, thank you, Mother Nature, for a late-winter sur prise like a calla bloom. And, we fresh peach lovers would be ever-so-grateful if you'd turn the bloomin' temperatures outside down for just a little while longer. While early spring may seem to be a little early to start thinking about fall plants, mums cuttings are set in June and need to be ordered very soon. Preregistration is required because class size is limited and program materials need to be ordered. The cost of the pro gram is $2O per person and includes all program materials, lunch, and morning beverages. For information and registra tion, call Steve Bogash at (814)693-3265. Registration brochures will also be available at Bedford, Cambria, and Somerset cooperative extension offices.
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