814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 9, 2003
This column is for read
ers who have questions but
don’t know who to ask for
answers.
“You Ask-You Answer”
is for non-cooking ques
tions. When a reader sends
in a question, it will be
printed in the paper. Read
ers who know the answer
are asked to respond by
mailing the answer, which
will then be printed in the
paper.
Questions and Answers
to this column should be
addressed to You Ask—You
Answer, Lancaster Farm
ing, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata,
PA 17522. Attention: Lou
Ann Good.
Or, you may e-mail ques
tions and answers to
LGOOD.EPHQLNPNEW-
S.COM
Please clarify what ques
tion you are answering
when responding.
Do not send a self-ad
dressed, stamped envelope
for a reply. If we receive
the answer, we will publish
it as soon as possible.
Please include your phone
number because we some
times need to contact the
person to clarify details.
We will not publish your
phone number unless you
request it. However, if your
question requires someone
to mail items to you, you
must include your address
or phone number for pub
lishing.
QUESTION - Amy
Marple, Mullica Hill, N.J.,
wants to know where to
purchase Pride of Wiscon
sin cantaloupe seed. Her
father grew them in the
19505. The cantaloupe
were of great size and ex
cellent flavor, she writes.
QUESTION - Bruce Nat
tiess, Fleetwood, wants to
know if anyone knows of a
source to buy replacement
tips for the cone on a
Woodbuster PTO driven log
splitter. Or, perhaps a read
er has an extra one to sell.
Call (610) 944-9162.
QUESTION - Betty
Jakum, Littlestown, wants
to know where to purchase
a gasoline-powered rotary
lawn mower that cuts 18
inches or less to use for
trimming.
QUESTION - Mary
Sasscer, Maryland, is look
ing for a Dick and Jane
reader that dates back to
about 1943-1944. The book
contained a story about a
neighbor who was restoring
an old rocking horse, which
was white with dapple
spots on the rump and the
platform was red. Mary has
a rocking horse like the
one in the story and has al
ways remembered the
story. Hers had leather
ears, real horse hair mane
and tail, a saddle, bridle,
and reins. She would like to
have the book to keep with
her rocking horse. The
rocking horse is well over
100 years of age and be
longed to her father. Any
information on the Dick and
Jane reader would be ap
preciated. Call her at (301)
627-5178.
QUESTION - Dick Her
ring wants to know where
to find railroad ties.
QUESTION - Jennifer is
trying to locate an article
that she believes appeared
in one of our June issues
about a father and son
team from the Allentown/
Lehigh area who specialize
in painting old farmhouses.
Anyone know to whom she
is referring?
QUESTION - Diane
Gray, 70 Damascus Rd.,
Blandon, PA 19510, wants
information and bottles
from the former Lebanon or
Lebanon Valley Dairy.
QUESTION - W. Spence
Haines, Lansdale, has sev
eral push, old-style reel
mowers, which she heard
may have some value. She
asks how she can find out
the worth of the mowers.
QUESTION - Jean W.,
Newmanstown, wants to
buy the book, “It Happened
in the Hills of Kentucky,” by
John Vogel, copyrighted
1952. Call (717) 949-2846.
QUESTION - C. Faus,
Hegins, wants to know how
to store raw vegetables
such as carrots, squash,
kohlrabi, and more to store
for winter use.
QUESTION - Nicolette
Wagman, Seven Valleys, is
doing research for a book
about musical instruments
and makers in York County.
She wants information and
photographs of instruments
and their makers from any
era. Call her at (717)
428-1856.
QUESTION - Shirley
Schwoerner, Wysox, writes
that some time ago she had
clipped an answer in this
column from Joyce Rau
benstine who told how to
make creams from aloe
vera. The instructions were
unclear, and she asks if
someone can tell her the
exact amount of aloe vera
to use. The directions she
has are as follows: To pre
pare a herb ointment or
salve, crush the leaves of
the aloe vera and mix with
four parts melted fat (lard
or shortening) and one part
dry white wine. Heat gently
for 20 minutes. Cool slight
ly and strain.
Shirley writes that her
husband’s chronic back
problem was aggravated
during haymaking. She
rubbed aloe vera leaves on
his back, and it helped in
stantly. He was amazed. It
was a sloppy procedure, so
they’d like to make the
salve if possible.
Shirley adds a bit of
humor by writing that she
can’t boil water without a
3x5 card, “so you can see
my problem with the aloe
vera (instructions).”
QUESTION - Kenneth
Wirtz, White Hall, Md., is
having trouble finding re
placement parts for his
electric three-point hitch
that is on a 10HP Sears
garden tractor purchased
in 1977. The parts are no
longer available through
Sears. The item is Model
number 917.253130
electric 3-point hitch. Wirtz
would appreciate hearing
from someone who no long
er uses the part. He doesn’t
need the complete hitch,
just the power assist lift.
He is willing to pay a fair
price for the item. Call him
at (410) 329-2175.
QUESTION - Sharon
Heller writes that they have
75 acres in Perry County.
About half of the acreage is
mowed by a neighbor who
sells the Vb ton mixed hay
rolls for his own profit. She
wants to know how to find
an average rental for the
acreage. What is the best
way to advertise the avail
able acreage?
QUESTION - Cindy Esh
leman, R. 3, Box 7957,
Jonestown, PA 17038,
wants to know what day of
the week the Selingsgrove
Horse Sale is conducted.
Also, she asks, if a sequel
was written to “Gone With
the Wind” and “Scarlett”? If
so, what is the title of the
book? Eshleman also wants
the May 2003 issue of
“Paper Horse.” She is will
ing to pay postage.
QUESTION - Mike
White, Bemville, writes that
the last tew years, he has a
problem with black birds
(grackels) after he plants
field corn. When the com
first comes up until it is
two to three weeks old, the
birds either pull out the
small plants or tear them
off. This year, he had to re
plant a three-acre field be
cause of the destruction
the birds caused. No one
else in the area seems to
have a problem, but White
has witnessed the birds
digging and pulling out the
corn. It seems the area is
hardest hit on the hills
where the morning sun first
shines. He has tried scare
crows, which only works in
a 20-feet area around the
scarecrow. Any help or
suggestions will be appre
ciated.
QUESTION - Marie Hix
son, Crystal Spring, wants
to know how to grow wild
rice. They live on a farm
with some wet areas that
she believes would be suit
able for growing rice. Any
one know where she can
find information?
QUESTION - Warren
Glidewell, Bloomsburg,
wants to know where to
find Flemish giant rabbits
in a fawn color.
QUESTION - C. Gut
shail, Carlisle, is looking for
proper cleaning instruc
tions for printed cotton
seed sacks made in the
19405. She also would like
a Web site address that of
fers information on older
cotton and burlap feed
sacks.
QUESTION - Eugene
Maute, 327 Asbury Ave., El
kins Park, PA 19027 wants
to know who sells thick,
clear, flexible plastic sheet
ing like that used to make
seat covers. Maute wants
to buy several yards.
ANSWER - A reader
wanted to know what
causes swimmers in a farm
pond to become itchy the
morning after swimming in
the pond. It looks like mos
quito bites over their bod
ies and they are very itchy.
Thanks to a reader for writ
ing that they believe the
problem may be what is
known as “swimmer’s itch,
caused by cercariae, a lar
val form of animal flat
worms penetrates the ep
idermal skin layer. After
penetration, these parasit
es remain and die, causing
an allergic reaction in some
people. The embedded par
asite does not mature, re
produce or create a perma
nent infection. Symptoms
usually appear from 5 min
utes to two hours after ex
posure. Some people expe
rience a tingling or burning
sensation. At each point of
penetration, a raised, red
spot will develop on the
skin. The spot may in
crease in size during the
first 24-30 hours. Itching
may last as long as a week.
In some people, itching
may subside for 10-15
hours and then re-occur
with greater intensity.
Some individuals may de
velop blisters, which may
later become pustules.
Symptoms typically disap
pear within a week. Most
cases do not require med
ical attention. May treat it
with calamine or anti-itch
lotions. Also baking soda
paste and baths may help.
Avoid scratching or the
skin reaction my worsen or
Pleasant Hills Hay and Dairy Farm was the site of Ly
coming County Farm-City Day.
Farm-City Day At Lycoming Dairy
REGINA STEPPE
Lycoming Co. Dairy Princess
WILLIAMSPORT (Lycoming
Co.) Pleasant Hills Hay and
Dairy Farm is a five-generation,
family run, century farm. It is
owned and operated by my par
ents, James and Deborah Steppe,
with help from their family of
nine children,
The farm consists of 240 acres
where we milk 60 head of Hol
stein. My family is one of the
largest commercial hay growers
in Lycoming County. My father
was awarded the 1999 Outstand
ing Conservation Cooperator of
the year. We consider ourselves
very fortunate to have been given
the honor of having Farm-City
Day 2003 conducted on our farm.
More than 1,000 people visited
Pleasant Hills Farms.
There were various displays
and informational tables set up.
Among those was that of my Ly
coming County Dairy Royalty.
My court, which includes two al
ternate dairy princesses, six
maids, and two misses were pres
ent to assist me in selling brownie
sundaes and t-shirt’s. We also
had a table of free goodies, like
become infected. Swim
mer’s itch does not neces
sarily mean the water is
polluted. Birds and snails
are potential hosts, which
propagate the occurrence.
You can try to reduce pond
vegetation so that snails do
not have an ideal environ
ment to grow. For detailed
information about swim
mer’s itch go to the
Website: www.bunganut
lake.org/itch.htm.
ANSWER - Harriet Now
lin, 1287 Ridge Rd., Grant
ville, PA 17028, requested
names and addresses of
Amish families who serve
meals in their homes. Mari
an Martin sent in this
name: Jacob and Naomi
King, 707 W. Elizabethtown
Rd., Manheim, PA 17545.
ANSWER - Gene Maute,
Elkins Park, and the Boilers
wrote that they received
answers to their questions
through this paper. Many
people such as Maute write
that they find this column
very interesting and look
forward to reading it each
week. So, keep those an
swers coming. In case any
one else is interested in
clear, flexible plastic, Amy
Marple, Mullica Hill, N.J.,
writes that it is sold by the
yard at WalMart.
ANSWER - Virginia
Snyder, Millersburg, want
ed to know where to find
Fullers Earth Powder and
also Cuticura soap. Thanks
to David Anspach for writ
ing that it is sold at
Websites www.stuff
julielikes.com and
www.drugstore.com.
ANSWER - For the read
er who wanted the name of
a father and son team who
do house pointing on old
farmhouses, Jenny Coffey
believes it is LAN Construc
tion, Sinking Spring.
cow and cheese erasers, recipe
brochures, and got milk pencils
and stickers.
We also made homemade but
ter from real heavy cream, using
an antique butter churn. Butter is
made by chruning the heavy
cream in the churn until thick,
and then draining off the excess
liquid called buttermilk. The fin
ished product is wonderful, tasty
butter. You can also add a pinch
of salt for taste. This demonstra
tion showed what things were
like long ago.
Regina Steppe