September brings a cornucopia
of familiar, and seasonal, farm
stead changes.
Tall, lush, green corn has
begun to brown, leaves fading
from the bottom up, ears begin
ning to droop, as moisture in the
plants dry and ear kernels hard
en toward maturity. Forage har
vesters chew noisily through the
earliest stands, chopping the
sturdy plants to bits, to pack
away as winter chow for chomp
ing cows.
Trees hang thick with the red
blush and pale gold of apples at
the orchards nearby, a bumper
crop of summertime sunshine
packed into juicy and flavorful,
fist-sized nuggets of nutrition.
Pears and purple plums have
begun turning up in our kitchen
counter fruit basket, but have
short stays because they are two
of The Farmer’s favorite grab
and-go snacks.
Pumpkins begin filing onto
center stage at local markets, a
favorite of our now-kindergart
ner, eldest grandson, who pleads
to begin picking our few large,
but not yet ready, fruits of the
vine. Hopefully, they won’t rot
before they finish maturing, as so
many vine crops, including
pumpkins, have done this sticky,
swampy summer.
What we don’t usually expect
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Betts Equipment
3139 Windy Bush Road.Rt 232
New Hope, PA 18938
215-598-7501
Hoober, Inc.
Mam Street
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Mam Street
McAlisterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
Detlan Equipment, Inc
141 East Mam St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt 220, Mam St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391 , , ,
here
chicks.
Well, actually it was a day in
late August when I stepped out
the front door to welcome the
grandkids and found them with
noses deep into a cardboard box
in The Farmer’s hands.
“Something alive,” a warning
instantly flashed in my brain.
Sure enough. Inside the little
box very much alive were
seven small chicks, just begin
ning to poke tiny feathers
through their fluff. Five white
and two a mottled brown.
“Guineas,” grinned The Farm-
A flock of a couple dozen
guinea fowl once roamed the
meadow, yard and garden here,
until the aggressive local foxes
wiped them out. All but one.
Which has hung out here, all
alone, for at least two years, find
ing company with a few old, ban
tam-crossed chickens and the
usual farmstead pigeon popula
tion. We figured he must be lone
ly, and have often discussed ac
quiring a few chicks, but they are
available on a limited, seasonal
basis. And aren’t cheap.
The Farmer had picked these
up as week-old “leftovers” at a
farm supply store at a slashed
price. Natural housing spot was
where else? the kitchen,
where the box was tucked in a
Pennsylvania
Eckroth Bros Farm Equip. Stoltzfus Farm Service
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Rmgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth Equipment Co
4910 Kernsville Rd
Orefield, PA 18069 •
610-366-2095
Hines Equipment
RT 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
M.S.Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikeville Equipment Inc
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-927-6277
in September
are
%
V’
cozy spot between the wall and
appliance cart, with a window
screen across the top. I dug out a
curved-neck sewing lamp from
under the mending pile and
perched in on top the screen, an
electronic “hen” to keep the ba
bies warm.
A portion of coarse-textured
calf starter feed, sifted through a
kitchen colander, solved the feed
problem as the chicks gleefully
pecked their way through a
handful of the siftings scattered
among the wood shavings bed
ding base. Within a few days,
their rations were balanced with
chopped lettuce, lawn grass
snipped in fine pieces and hand
fuls of lush, moist chickweed.
In less than a week, the guinea
flock had outgrown the box and
were installed in the large pet
carrier in which Derra, the fami
ly yellow lab, had flown from the
west coast. It’s an ideal make
shift poultry housing, relocated
to the basement to banish the
chick-nursery “fragrance” from
the kitchen.
baby
I stepped into the house one
day while the chicks were still in
the kitchen to find the window
screen bumped loose from the
box. With ever-busy grandson
Caleb in tow, I plunked the
screen back on the box and kept
moving. After dark, Derra Dog
dashed into the house following
our usual evening dog-walk and
promptly planted her nose be
hind the computer printer table
in the office, tail going furiously.
A mouse, I figured.
Then I spotted the frightened
guinea chick huddled back there.
Which had apparently escaped
earlier in the day when the
screen was ajar.
Good thing Derra’s a bird dog.
Ushering in another Septem
ber tradition. Hunting season.
landpnde com
Cochranville, PA
610-593-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-8424
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N J 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County Service
Center
228 Route 94, Blairtown, N J
908-362-6916
Frank Rymon
& Sons, Inc.
RD 3, Box 355
Washington, N J 07882
908-689-1464
Felton To Head Penn
State Entomology Department
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre 1983 and received his doctorate
Co.) Gary Felton, professor of in entomology from the Universi
entomology at the University of ty of California, Davis in 1988.
Arkansas, has been appointed
head of the department of ento
mology in Penn State’s College
of Agricultural Sciences.
“Dr. Felton brings to this posi
tion an outstanding record of
quality teaching and research, as
well as excellent leadership skills
that will help continue to move
our entomology programs to a
higher level,” said Robert Steele,
dean of the college. “He is a
great addition to the college’s
leadership team.”
Felton’s research interests in
clude insect-pest interactions, the
physiological mode of action of
natural plant products, oxidative
stress and insect biology, and nu
tritional physiology. He has re
ceived research grants from a
wide range of agencies, including
the USDA and the National Sci
ence Foundation. He also holds
patents for ultraviolet protect-
ants for insect pathogens and for
using insect glucose oxidase as
an elicitor of plant resistance.
Felton earned his bachelor’s
degree in biological science from
the University of California, Ir
vine, in 1975. He earned a mas
ter’s degree in entomology from
the University of Kentucky in
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He was a postdoctoral associ
ate in the entomology depart
ment at University of California,
Davis, before joining the Univer
sity of Arkansas as assistant pro
fessor of entomology in 1990. He
was named associate professor in
1994 and full professor in 1999.
Felton has published more
than 40 refereed articles, eight
book chapters, and many other
publications. He has presented
numerous invited lectures and
serves on the editorial board for
the Archives of Insect Biochem
istry and Physiology.
He was invited speaker and
moderator for the Gordon Con
ference on Insect-Plant Interac
tions in 1998 and chaired the ple
nary session for the Keystone
Symposium, “Signals and Signal
Perception in Biotic Interactions
in Plants,” in 2000.
Felton is a panel member of
the National Science Foundation
Physiological and Evolutionary
Physiology Program. In 1998, he
served as panel manager for the
U.S. Department of
National Research Initiative for
Entomology/Nematology.