On Being a Farm Wife (and other hazards) Joyce Bupp One moi£ time. Or maybe not? No one could accuse us of being obsessed with lawn care. There are simply too many other crops to maintain here on the farm to get hung-up on having a perfect stretch of grass around the house. And the lawn’s appearance of ten testifies to that STIHL Defensive Line Chain Saws "Once in a Lifetime Deal " c-jue STIHL ® 0 .00 02114 " * 1.8 hp, 9.9 lbs. Excellent power to weight ratio. 'Value Priced”BlowerslVacs STIHL Electric Blower BESS^ U& $69.95 Lightweight 6.2 lbs 139mph/362 cfm Vac attachment available. Available at these servicing dealers iwn MESSICK'S RD *1 Box 255 A 717-259-6617 Allentown LEHIGH AG EQ. INC. 6 %°ioT 9 P .“ d BOMBERGER’S lawn 1*800*779*361 6 & GARDEN _ , Lltltz: 717-626-3301 Carlisle Lebanon: 717-272-4155 construction supplies Loysville/Csrlisl 1490 RITNERHWY. 1*800*248*6590 Dallastown CONCRETE, INC. 435 Locust St. 717-246-3095 1-800-632-9018 East Earl GOODS LAWN & GARDEN CENTER Rout* 23 717-445-4490 Elizabethtown MESSICK'S Rheems Exlt-Rt 283 717-367-1319, 717-653-8867 Ephrata WES STAUFFER ENGINES & EQUIPMENT 23 Pleasant Valley Rd 717-738-4215 Ephrata. Hershev HOLLINGER'S LAWN & GARDEN EQUIP. Ephrata, Pa. 717-859-5455 717-656-2710 Hershey, PA 717-533-4060 Gap GAP POWER EQUIPMENT Corner of Rt. 30 l> Rt. #97 717-442-8970 Hummels Wharf HUMMEL’S TEXACO Rt. 11 a is 717-743-7459 DISTRIBUTED BY KEYSTONE STIHL One romp through soggy blue grass by a couple of heel-kicking heifers can wreak havoc that takes weeks to undo. And a cow with a sore foot, turned out for R and R in the shade of the trees for extra comfort and better footing, creates its own set of lawn problems. On baking hot summer days, The Farmer will occasionally park NEW! STIHL 029 Super Farm Bos» t^o- 00 3.75 hp, 13.2 lbs. For the serious woodcutter. STIHL Gas Blower $169*95 9.5 lbs 135 mph/377 cfm Vac attachment available BLUE MOUNTAIN ENTERPRISES, INC. Rt 72 South 717-865-2994 GUTSHALLS INC. Loytvllle - PA - Carlisle 717-789-4343 717-249-2313 C.B. HOOBER & SON 717-463-2191 Oxford DEER CREEK EQUIPMENT, INC. 6600 Limestone Rd 610-932-8858 Palmyra HERR'S REPAIR SHOP RO 2, Boa 11SA 717-838-1549 Palmyra WEAVER’S LAWN & GARDEN 740 W Main St 717-838-5999 Peach Bottom A.K. SAW SHOP 214 Peach Bottom Road mea DREXEL AUTO SUPPLY 333 Stelnman Farm Road 717-284-2916 Reamstown EAGLE RENTAL CENTER Rt 272, Raamatown Traffic Light 717-336-3945 ♦Limited time offer. Ronks A & B SALES & SERVICE 370 Newport Road 2 Miles South of Rt 23 Along 772 Thru Monterey Schaefferstown MARTIN’S EQUIPMENT CO. Rt 50111/2 Miles South of Schaefferstown, PA 717-949-6817 Shartlesville MOUNTAIN VIEW SUPPLY, INC. (Formerly Shartlesville PO. Box 529 610-488-1025 thippensbun LEINBACH FARM EQUIP. 1120 Rltner Hwy 717-532-5511 Tamaqua CHARLES S. SNYDER, INC. RD 3 717-386-5945 Waynesboro QUINCY TRUE VALUE HARDWARE Rt 997 in Quincy 717-749-3653 Hagerstown. MD GARDEN 16409 Falrview Road 301-733-4158 lockevsville MD SUBURBAN SALES 10757 York Rd 410-785-2277 Whiteford MD DEER CREEK EQUIPMENT, INC. 723 Wheeler School Rd 301-879-5090 the tractor and hay windrower un der the trees in the shade to do midday maintenance repairs. Or run through it with the backhoe en route to perform some dig-out chore around the bam. And there’s practically a packer trail through the yard made from his endless trips back and forth with the four wheeler, hand-spray-rig for field spot-spraying. Often, at this time of year, if it weren’t for crabgrass, there’d be no grass at all in a few comers. Es pecially after the prolonged hot, dry spell we’ve had. While finer grasses hunker down and wait for more favorable growing condi tions, crabgrass thumbs its nose at heat and dry and sends up more distant shoots in defiance. All that said, I still enjoy mow ing the lawn. In early spring, it’s a delight to climb aboard our aged riding It’s a fact' Contaminated water can have a costly effect on your livestock and poultry performance Our years of experience plus hundreds of farm related treatment systems has proven the validity and practicality of correcting contaminated water. ♦ Call us today for treatment of: * Nitrates * Bacteria * Iron * Sulfates * pH - Acidity!Alkalinity 740 E. Lincoln Ave Myerstown, PA 17067 Ph: (717) 866-7555 800-887-7555 308 W Penn Ave RD #3 Box 109 G 309 W 4th St Cleona, PA 17042 Stoyslown, PA 15563 Quarryville, PA 17566 Ph. (717) 273-7555 Ph. (814) 893-5081 Ph. (717) 786-7373 . Install The Gates & Fencing That Are Manufactured To Last! Finished with Top Grade TGIC Polyester Coating TGIC Powder Coating Finish; • Is superior to epoxy * Resists chemicals * Protects corrosion • Resists &- ' * Stays cleaner m|||Standard Heights * bar 38 Ji£i* * 5 bar 48 high • 6 bar 54 high All Gates & Fencing manufac- /C,, ' 1,7 ~~ Z " ; Z.% • j - „ . . ? .. . Hinge for 3/4 pin Round corners foi 1 tured Of 1.9 outside diameter w welded logale safely & strength high yield steel tubing with - - 13 qauae wall s,ub welded 10 gate ► 3 3 k for automatic latch 13 gauge steel is 15% heavier ~ ’~ " than 14 gauge 45% heavier than Vertical bracing 16 gauge & 85% heavier than 18 *” ~ gauge J,. \\\\ \ \ \ Slant Bar Feed Thru \ \ \ \ \ \ \ _ Fence Section \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Custom Built i \ j—LJ to Any Length LAPP’S BARN EQUIPMENT 5935 OLD PHILADELPHIA PIKE, CAP, PA 17527 JSMgBgiBSg PHONE: 717-442-8134 • FAX 717-442-3112 SALES & SERVICE Call or Write For Free Catalog mower and trim the clumpy green growth that by first-mowing is thick and lush in our low-lying, damp lawn. The spring bulbs are still in bloom and perennials are resprouting confident new growth. And the fresh-cut grass smell is absolutely heavenly. That first mowing is a true rite of early spring, a ceremonial sal ute to the coming of the growing season. By September, the novelty of mowing lawn has worn a little thin, like the browning grass gasp ing at the roots of the maple trees. The coarse, fall grasses have choked out the more delicate lawn turf. And while the prolonged dry spell of the past several weeks have halted the grass growth, those straggly weeds just keep thriving. Still, looking out the kitchen Water Quality an IMPORTANT Ingredient In vestock Management WATER CONDITIONING Your Water Treatment Center 800-893-5081 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 26, 1998-B7 548 New Holland Ave Lancaster, PA 17602 Ph: (717) 393-3612 800-224-3612 window over a raggy lawn bothers me. So, the mower is fired up one more time to trim those indom inadble weeds and level off the more enthusiastic clumps of fall growth. The thatch residue is thin enough it is no longer necessary to rake and gather the clippings. No matter, since the trimmings are no longer needed to mulch the fading veggie patch. And the low-mois ture grass no longer gives off that intense, wonderful smell of new mown lawn. But the lawn mower seat makes a great observation post to assess the year’s horticultural successes and failures. Invasive grass is hav ing its way with the daylilies and the rosebushes need to be trim med. Last fall’s butterfly bush ad dition bought on sale and parti ally flattened during the winter by a stampede of invading cows has tripled in sire and continues to bloom. Canna roots dug up two years ago. and which froze to mush overnight in a chilling temperature <lrop, have sent up new shoots this year from tiny bits of root apparently left be hind in the ground. And the muliple plants propagated from one double-blossomed, fushia-shaded geranium given by a friend a cou ple of years ago contin ue to bloom cheerfully in the border. Such surprises are the delights that keep gar deners always digging ahead toward another vear. And keeps lawn mowing for the most part more a pleasure than a chore. Even as we mow the aging grass. One more time. Free Water Test No obligation - we will test •Hardness •Acid Level »lron Send For Your Free Test Kit Eco-Tcch 1 Hanover Street Gettysburg, PA. 17325 or call 717-337-9325, 337-9486 fax Oas Stoves^sHf AND Fireplaces 1060 Division Highway 322 East Ephrata. PA 17522 1 Block East of Rt 222 (717) 733-4973 800-642-0310 www bowmansstove com Mon lues Wed 10 to 8 Thurs Fn 10to8 Sat 10to4
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