84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 4, 1998
On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
Knee-high by the Fourth of
July.
“We have a question,” queried
a trio of neighborhood friends
who routinely take their exer
cise power walks on the stretch
of township road that loops
through the middle of the farm.
“That saying about corn
being knee-high by the Fourth of
July?” one continued.
“Whose knee?”
We all chuckled together—
and I confessed to having no clue
whose knee the saying referred
to. But pondering their teasing
later brought to mind a memory.
July Fourth one year ago,
corn wasn’t knee high to any
thing. Except maybe a grasshop
per. We eyed the drying, stunted
fields of corn with growing
dread. The rains hadn’t come.
And, didn’t, as we all remem
ber. And area farmers with live
stock and/or poultry to feed and
bed have paid the price in
scrounging for costly replace
ments.
What a difference a year
makes. This Independence Day
celebration finds us not checking
for cactus growing in the back
forty, but scanning to see of the
racket m our backyard rainfor
est is a group of monkeys taking
over the maples. Which turned
out to be just the resident fami
ly of fat, irate squirrels grum
bling at Butch the Tiger Cat,
who has recently claimed dibs
on the bird feeder for his cat
naps.
As we celebrate our nation’s
birthday this weekend—a
nation founded, defended and
won pretty much by a rag-tag
army of untrained farmers—
there is much for which we can
be thankful. Three things espe
cially come to my mind on this
1998 national birthday celebra
tion.
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Freedom. Family. Frequent
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And who but a farmer would
delight in a rainy holiday week
end?
A cornfield grows directly
across the road from the farm
house-office door. It was our first
planted when the early May
monsoons stopped and the first
wave of Sahara heat swept
across southern York County.
Few things delight farmers
more than watching things
grow. But the growth of that
field was ploddingly slow at
first, it’s initial race out of the
seed and up into springtime
stymied by goofy weather Then,
once germinated and poking
through the soil, the early
growth looked sort of a pale, yel
lowish color. Remember the
chilly nights in late May when
we tossed another blanket on
the beds?
Recent greenhouse conditions
and the booster feeding of liquid
nitrogen fertilizer have since
coaxed the cornstalks into a spi
raling growth that is an absolute
delight to watch. The field
across the road is shooting corn
growth up on a couple of inches
a day has obliterated the view of
our neighbors on the ridge above
the farm.
And while our early summer
combination of abundant mois
ture, plentiful heat and choking
humidity are the most miserable
kind of weather to us people
types, the crops that sustain our
livelihood thrive in those condi
tions. No, it’s not favorable for
cows or pigs or chickens but
absolutely loved by corn, soy
beans, and hay.
So, everytime I begin moan
ing about the bouts of heat and
humidity, I try to jolt my con
science with memory-minders
about last year’s lack of green.
Gloucester County 4-H Fair
For the first time, the
Gloucester County 4-H Fair will
run from Thursday, July 23
through Sunday, July 26.
For all four days, the
Gloucester County 4-H Fair
grounds in Mullica Hill will
become a beehive of activity.
Route #77 will swarm with a
steady stream of vehicles bring
ing more than 900 4-H'ers and
their exhibits to show off to more
than 12,000 Fair visitors. The
fair hours will be Thursday, July
23, from 4 p.m. - 9;30 p m.;
Friday and Saturday, July 24
and 25, from 9 a.m - 9 p.m ; and
Sunday, July 26, from 9 am,-6
p m
For the four days of the annu-
Because everything—every
thing—this summer is green.
Green is poking out of the
cracks in the pavement around
the buildings; we may have to
mow the driveways. It’s climbing
over the raspberries, hanging
over pond banks, threatening to
obliterate the mailbox. Green is
growing on the mid-pond
goosenest, sending roots right
down into the pond for moisture.
Green is happily thriving in
the rainspout high overhead at
the edge of our house roof. Green
is poking out of every nook and
cranny, every niche, every bare
spot where an upstart weed or
grassy patch can take root.
And it is beautiful.
At least for this year, we have
an idea whose knee the corn will
reach this Fourth of July week
end.
The Jolly Green Giant’s.
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0 4-H
HAPPENINGS
al Gloucester County 4-H, the
animal barns will burst with
rabbits, horses, pigs, goats,
steers and cows, while the
exhibit barn will show visitors 4-
H woodworking, needlework,
quilts, crafts, vegetables and
flowers. Exhibiting marks the
culmination of a full year of
work for 4-H members.
An exciting schedule of
events over the four days will
provide something for every age
group. In addition to 4-H
exhibits and shows, the fair will
also host both the New Jersey
Peach Flestval and the
Gloucester County Tomato
Expo, both of which will provide
exhibits, tasting, and contests
throughout the four days
On Thursday, horse, and
swine shows will be followed by
the naming of the Gloucester
County 4-H Ambassador Team
and a performance by the
Pitman Hobo Brand at 8 p.m.
Friday's event will include
sheep, rabbit and small animal
shows, a Western Horse Show, a
livestock auction, and the Miss
Peach Pageant Children can
also enjoy a magic show and
compete in a Kiddie Tractor
Pull.
The Gangi dancers perfor
mance will be followed by coun
try dance lessons. Saturday is
"Kids Day." Activities for kids
start with a Diaper Derby and
Baby Parade followed by Tur le
Races and a Frog Jumping
Contest. On stage, Sci Fi Robot
present a children's program
and 4-H Leader John Means will
present a Rock-N Reptile Show.
The entire family can enjoy an
English Horse Show and a Draft
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Horse Pull and storage, the
Gloucester City Old Time String
Band.
Sunday will feature a Mini
Horse Show, a dairy goat show
and a dog show and for good eat
ing something new, a pig roast.
Prize 4-H market lambs and
hogs will be auctioned off Friday
evening, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. at
the 4-H Fair.
Arrangements will be made
to have your purchased animal
taken to the slaughter house
and packaged for your freezer,
roasts, chops, bacon, even scrap
ple. The 4-H members who raise
these animals use the money to
purchase new animals for next
year. Many set aside any profit
they receive toward their future
educational goals.
Is your preference chicken,
seafood or pork 7 On Thursday,
Friday, Saturday and Sunday
from 4 p.m. - 7.30 p.m , a special
food will be the feature for din
ner. On Thursday, you will
choose from steamed clams,
clams on the half shell, shrimp
or barbecue ribs or all of them!
Each item is priced separately.
Freshly picked sweet corn, rolls,
and iced tea will complete this
ala carte menu.
On Friday and Saturday
enjoy 4-H's delicious chicken
barbeque dinner. This includes
sweet corn, fresh Jersey toma
toes, rolls, iced tea, and potato
chips. On Sunday from 1 p.m. to
4 p.m. There will be a pig roast.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, Miss
Peach f for 1998 Will take the
crown and the Govenor's trophy
will be presented for the finest
quality peaches.
ORAft-b| LT
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MANHEIM, PA
(717) 653-4023
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