Banner Graphic, Volume 9, Number 273, Greencastle, Putnam County, 25 July 1979 — Page 20

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The Putnam County Banner Graphic, July 25,1979

The Homesteader: A farmer's friends can come in many disguises

By STEVEN HUNTER Special Correspondent Summer brings more than the annual insect plague to Putnam County farms; the warm climate is also responsible for the appearance of a variety of creatures who join in wholeheartedly to help man rid himself of that plague. The only problem with these wonderful creatures is that they are usually disguised, and often quite difficult to recognize. For instance, there is a creature in our area whose hunting proclivities cause him to stalk his prey in darkness. He is an animal that fights with unveiled ferocity, and he utilizes the most sophisticated hunting equipment known to man. Added to this, he is a creature of the skies, and, although he is not a bird, his grace and beauty in flight exceed that of the most magnificient eagle. He is equipped to survive hardship and catastrophe far beyond the endurance of man. and has done so successfully for millions of years. The only drawback to this creature is that it operates inside the body of Chiroptera sp.. or the common bat. And everyone knows that bats cause rabies, bite children, suck your blood, and swoop down to lodge in your hair. As a matter of fact. Indiana bats do none of these things. The incidence of rabies in bats is miniscule, one in thousands. Bats locate human beings with accuracy, and have no interest in our hair, or anything else about us.

Preventing, controlling borer damage in birch trees

Prevention and methods of control to guard against infestations of bronze birch borer have been released from the Putnam County Extension Office. - In recent years many birch frees have died and others damaged by this borer. The fops of trees begin to die one branch at a time due to the insect tunneling in the sapwood. The entire tree dies in a few years. - Prevention calls for spraying the trunk with wettable powder,

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or by using a paste of four tablespoons of Lindane 25W plus one tablespoon of skim milk. This is to be applied by a brush. The treated trunk is to be wrapped with burlap, aluminum foil or tree wrapping. Methods to be followed if infestation has already occurred include removing dead branches. This may involve topping the entire tree. Trunks and larger branches should be sprayed before the larvae hatch

The vampire bat, which drinks blood from a tiny cut rather than sucking it through hollow teeth, is not present in our area, and is not nearly the social outcast that he had been made out to be anyway. What the bat should be known for is his record of successfully locating huge volumes of insects with his sonar (not radar), and scooping them up in a specially designed tail pouch in midflight. So, although the most common occurrence that follows the discovery of a group of bats hanging around (sorry) in the eaves of the house is the procurement of a long pole and a bucket of gasoline, the proper procedure should be the following; 1) Erect a small night light outside to attract insects - this will aid the bat in his beneficial hunting. 2) wash the droppings from the side of your house or barn regularly and 3) Offer a silent prayer of thanks that the most efficient exterminator in natural history has graced your homestead with his presence. Another much maligned farm friend is truly the stuff of nightmares. Who has not dreame' 4 of the stealthy creeping of giant, hairy spiders through the darkness? And who can keep from jumping a double hurdle upon finding one in a handful of freshly picked beans? Answer: You. Once you realize the expertise employed by the spider in depleting the stock of insect pests in your barn and garden, you’ll smile at them every time you pass.

from eggs on the bark (early May). A spray, made of one quart 20 per cent Lindane EC per 100 gallons of water or two teaspoons of 20 per cent E Lindane per gallon, should be applied monthly through May, June and July. An alternate application calls for drenching soil underneath trees with an application of two tablespoons Cygon per gallon through May, June and July. This should be washed in, according to Darrel L. Thomas. Youth Extension Agent.

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Northern crops damaged

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Although dry weather has damaged crops in northern Indiana, Purdue University farm experts say the possibility of rains later in the growing season makes them "hesitant to be overly pessimistic.” “They had a hard time up there believing everybody else was getting rain,” said Earl Park, agricultural statistician for Purdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in discussing the dryness in the north as the rest of the state was recently drenched by spinoff storms from Hurricane Bob. “They’ve had several weeks of dry weather and it’s hurting their crops,” Park said. The extent of the crop damage can’t be

Com sales hurt hog producers WASHINGTON (AP) - The big sales of com to the Soviet Union and other nations are doing more than just boostirtg grain prices. They are helping give hog farmers a good reason to get out of the business. According to the latest Agriculture Department analysis, “After two years of good returns, hog producers now face leaner times.” The reason is twofold: Farmers expanded hog output sharply in response to rising market prices which, in turn, were fueled in part by the longawaited takeoff in cattle prices and because of a huge export drain on the U.S. corn supply. With the big grain exports and indications they will continue through the 1979-80 marketing year, corn prices are expected to average substantially higher than in the 1978-79 season. That means a double crunch is taking place in the hog industry from lower pork prices and higher feed costs. The bottom line may be that a year from now consumers will have eaten most of the currently larger pork output, causing prices to start rising again. But for now, the department said in its latest “Farmers Newsletter” about livestock, the hog slaughter for the rest of this year will be up about 20 percent from the last half of 1978. “As a result, hog prices may remain in the low s4o’s (per 100 pounds) during JulySeptember, then move to the upper s3o’s during OctoberDecember,” the report said. According to surveys made June l, producers indicated they planned to boost farrowings of new litters by 17 percent from a year earlier in the JuneAugust period. Those probably will occur, because the sows expected to farrow in June-August were bred before the survey was taken.

Anyone who recommends the indiscriminate handling of spiders is misinformed. Although there are only a couple of species of venomous spiders in Indiana, nearly all the insectivorous varieties have fangs, and, if pressed, may deliver a painful bite. But the spider shares a common burden with other wild creatures, such as the wolf, in that there persists the belief that such animals seek out humans to bite with the dedication of a Dracula. This is absurd. There are no recorded instances of spiders (or wolves either, for that matter) ever once attacking a human except in self-defense. Of course, if a spider happens to be on a midnight outing, perhaps looking for a new place to cast his net, and gets in bed with you, he will probably consider it a personal affront if you roll over on him, and he will probably bite you. But it’s still your fault. The spider was minding his own business. However, put the spider on his own court, the garden, and he will repay the occasional act of self-defense a thousandfold. There are hundreds of spiders in the average garden, and they make a very reputable showing with the numbers of potato bugs, bean beetles, etc., which they regularly consume. ,So, as a change of pace, start helping the bats and spiders and other unspeakable creepy-crawlies in their efforts to save your farm from the ravages of pesticide use. Uninformed prejudice, whether directed toward animals or people, has no place on the homestead.

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estimated yet, he said. He said about 20 percent of the state, stretching across the northern border, is affected. Practically no rain fell anywhere in Indiana last week, said Lawrence A. Schaal, state climatologist at Purdue. Meteorologists are watching hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico, but Schaal said it’s to early to predict whether the storms will follow Hurricane Bob’s course and send rains into Indiana. Topsoil and subsoil moisture is considered adequate everywhere but in the northern part of the state, according to the weekly crop report released Monday. While grain harvests are slow

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to progress this year, corn and soybeans both are rated in good condition, Park said. Corn is an average of 64 inches tall, an inch taller than last year. However, only 25 percent of the corn has silked, which is well below the 50 percent average for this time of year. Soybeans are rated in mostly good condition, averaging about 21 inches tall, three inches ahead of 1978. The report showed winter wheat combining at 90 percent complete. Last week, Purdue reported only 40 percent of the crop had been harvested, even though it was virtually all ripe. Oat combining is considerably behind schedule, with 20 percent harvested.

Extension calendar July 27 - All 4-H projects in the Community Building should be brought in before noon. -- 4-H public dress revue at the inside arena at 8 p.m. at the Fairgrounds. July 28 -- Enter open class clothing, crafts and culinary exhibits in Harris Hall for the Fair. -- Crowning of the 1979 Fair Queen 8 p.m. in the outside arena. July 29 - Putnam County Fair Parade, at 1:30 p.m downtown. -- Community Building and Harris Hall Building will open to the public to view exhibits at 5:00 p.m. - Vesper services at 8 p.m. at the Fairgrounds. July 29 - August 4 -- Putnam County Fair. Parking stickers are available at the County Extension Office, Coan’s pharmacy, or from fairboard members. July 30 - Darryl Young and Nashville Sounds, free show at the fair. August I - Bobby Johnson and Blue Grass Group, free show at the fair. August 3 - Melodaire Variety Show, free show at the fair Market reports INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Hogs 1,300: Barrows and gilts slow, steady to 50 cents lower, most decline on weights over 240 lbs; 1-2 200-240 lbs 40.00-41.00, many 40.50, uneven lot 39.00-40.00, 240-250 lbs 39.(MM0.00, uneven lot 38.50; 1-3 250-265 lbs 37.00-39.00 ; 2-3 265-295 lbs 35.00-37.00; one lot 3s 370 lbs 32.00. Sows active, steady, instances 25-50 cents higher on weights over 500 lbs; 1-3 300-400 lbs 28.00-29.00, 400-500 lbs 29.00-30.00, 500-600 lbs 30.00-31.00. Cattle 500: Trading slow, steers and heifers fully 1.00-2.00 lower than Monday’s early trade; few cows steady to weak, bulls scarce; steers choice 2-4 950-1,250 lbs 62.00-63.00, 2 lots 63.25-63.50; mixed good and choice 59.00-61.50; heifers choice 2-4 750-1,100 lbs 60.00-61.50; mixed good and choice 2-4 59.00-60.50; good 2-3 58.00-59.50; cows few head utility 2-3 and few commercial 3-5 36.00-39.00; few canner and cutter 1-2 30.00-35.00; bulls couple yield grade 1 1,3001,600 lbs 56.00-58.00. Sheep 30: two lots choice near 100-lb spring slaughter lambs steady at 56.00. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) day at 70 yards and plants: Demand moderate, barrows and gilts weak to mostly 25 cents lower, instances 50 cents lower; 1-2 200-240 lbs bulk 39.00-39.50, some 39.75, few 40.00, 240-250 lbs 38.50-39.25; 1-3 250-260 lbs 37.50-38.50. Sows steady; 1-3 300-500 lbs 26.00-28.00, 500-600 lbs 27.0028.50, few at 29.00. EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) Hogs 350: Barrows and gilts mostly 25 cents lower; 1-2 200-245 lbs 39.25-40.00; package 1-3 265 lbs 38.00; one lot 2-3 285 lbs 36.00. Sows steady; 1-3 350-480 lbs 26.00, 480-650 lbs 28.00.

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