Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 60, Number 49, Decatur, Adams County, 27 February 1962 — Page 6

PAGE SIX

Adams County Farmers’ Corner

Smart Farmers Protect Buildings From Lightning

Thousands of American farmers, will share a bitter bit of nature at her churlish worst in 1962 as: lightning causes a predicted S6O million to S7O million in farm property destruction, says the Lightning Protection Institute, 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago 4, Illinois. But, the Institute points out, you can escape being counted among the victims of nature’s most furious and destructive phenomenon, if: • You have a lighting protection system for your buildings. and . You update that system as indicated by a 6* point check which should be a regular part of your offseason maintenance chores. V $l3O Million Area Lightning has traditionally singled out the farmer for a large share of the total $l3O million or more losses it causes annually in, this country. “Hot" lightning strikes are responsible for 37 per’ cent of all rural fires. “Cold” lightning acounts for an unestimable amount of smaller, often unreported, losses. -— The toll is mounting, because there are as many lighning strikes as there always were — and there is today more dollar value in every home, barn or shed that is lost. What To Check Lightning is a gigantic electric spark, immensely more powerful than your electric utility service.

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: It is caused by violent air tur- ; bulence during a storm that separ- ; ates positive and negative electric charges. When the attraction of these opposite charges become strong enough, they leap across : the gap of non-conducting air between — and you have a lightning . strike. Usually, positive charges build up in the earth, and rush into the i tallest object in the area — where they will be as close as possible |to the negative charges in the clouds above. - That tallest object may be your . home, your barn, your shed, your I silo, TV mast, a prize tree, or~ i other valuable itemHow It Works A correctly installed lightning protection system of air terminal points, conducter cables across the roof and down the sides to ground , rods, comprises virtually, complete I virtually complete protection aJ gainst damage. The system provides a safe path to convey a lightning stroke into the ground, dr dissipate it harmlessly in the air.—_ ■ —, i While most of the heavy losses by lightning in rural areas occur where there is protction, there is another contributing factor — the' large number of old and defective I lightning rod installations in existI ence. Many such systems have been changed, loosened, altered, i arid allowed to deteriorate over the years. Some offer little if any

protection. If defective, a system gives a false sense of security, and may fail to fulfill the function for which a fire insurance rate credit may have been given. Very Little Protection Based on available figures, the Lightning Protection Institute esti-! mates that over the nation’s; farms only 20 7o are protected with lightning rod installations; in the Midwest states 50% of farms are thus protected, and over-all, 50 7 of existing installations are defective due to age or other reasons, —-—— —-———— It is evident then, that on farms which have no protection systems, or where the system was improperly installed or rendered ineffective building additions or alterations, losses to lightning ignited fires are considerably greater than the national average of 37 per cent. What To Do The six points of the check for effectiveness of a lightning protection are each based on one area of neglect or deterioration. Here are those points: ... — 1. Check for Proper Installation The Lightning Protection Institute cooperates with Underwriters’ Labortories in ferreting out violations of proper installation methods by unethical salesmen or “gyp operators”. But some slip through undetected. Therefore, if your lightning protection system does not have a U/L Master Label, or if you do not know or remember who installed it. check with the nearest reputable installer. Or write to the Lightning Protection Institute if you need further information. 2. Look for Signs of Age. The average lightning protection system has a useful life of 50 years with minimum maintenance and more with proper care. Look for signs of deterioration that may indicate a need for repair or replacement. 3. Check for'tompleteness. Many additions to existing building are in danger because there has been no accompanying extension of the lightning protection system- Each lightning rod has a limited area of protection, and in a proper installation, spacing of" rods is worked out carefully to protect all parts of the structure.

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THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR. INDIANA

Purdue Ag Alumni To Hear Lehker

Glen E. Lehker, Purdue Extension Entomologist, will speak at the Adams County Chapter of Purdue Ag Alumni Meeting of Friday evening, March 2 at the Bob Heller home in Decatur. Lehker, a 1933 graduate of Purdue is widely known among farmers, orchardists, and gardners of Indiana for his educational work in the field of insect control He has worked in the agricultural extension field since his graduation, Lehker is unique in his “chalk ■talk" approach to insect control. His_ humor, his artistic abilities, and his broad experience in the entomological profession has made him one of the popular authorities on matters concerning the Insect. Isch, Gerke Attend Meeting Elmer J. Isch. of route 4, Bluffton. and Winfred Gerke. of route 3, Decatur, have recently returned from a two-day certified seed conference at Purdue university. I Highlighting the conference were i discussions by Purdue University ; and USDA scientists on present and future disease resistant vaxiI eties and hybrids. Soy Beans Dr. A. H. Probst, Purdue Uni- | versrity soybean breeder, outlined breeding and multiplication plans for phjlophthora root rot resistant When an addition has been made that is not protected, however, tt is obvious that lightning-caused fire can start in that section — and ironically, the, entire structure could be destroyed by this neglect. 4. Test for Looseness. Terminal#, ground rods, cables or connectors are often loosened, disconnected qr ! removed during building repair -r like shingling or residing. Cheep rods, cables and all connections for looseness, and retighten to or|gional condition. 5. Tie in the TV Antenna. UsuaL ly extending high above the lightning rods on even a protected housg, TV masts are favorite exposaji targets for lightning. Very fey antennas are equipped with suf-ficient-sized conductors to ground lightning bolts and moreover should be tied in with a complete lightning protection system. Without the owner’s knowledge, such an antenna can bypass the existing lightning protection system and convey lightning to vulnerable parts of the houseIt costs very little to protect or to tie a TV antenna into an existing lightning protection system. 6. Include Mental Appurtenance#. AH installations like build-in eleaning or loading machinery or parts, cables, pipes, rods, and other metal extensions or additions to buildings should be tied in with the structure s protective system. Free Booklet The materials for proper modernizing or replacement will be those approved by Underwriters’ Laboratories. The installation should be done in accordance with the U/L code, and after completion you should receive from the manufacturer a U/L Master Label. The Lightning Protection InstlI tute, a manufacturer group. z .can help you locate a supplier of the U/L approved protection systems. For further information and free booklet —“Lightning Facts and Figures,” write to Lightning Pro j tection Institute, 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago 4, 111.

Glen E. Lehker

soybeans. He also discussed yield comparisons of the hew Kent soybean in southern Indiana He pointed out it has been averaging approximately 11%' higher in yield than the widely used Clark although it is eight days later in maturity than Clark. New Corn Hybrids Dr. L. F. Bauman, Purdue corn breeder, announced the release of four new corn hybrids — Ind. 678, Ind. 814, Ind. 837, Ind. 863. All four of the new varieties, availabblc in 1963. will be carrying considerable leaf blight and stalk rot resistance. K. E Beeson. Purdue University agronomist, discussed the advantages of the highly leaf blight resistant hybrids—lnd. 851, Ind. 874. Ind. 872. and Ind. 828. He also stressed the value of and the contributions being made by new still stalked inbreds in hybrids. Specific inbreds mentioned were ClO3, 814, 0h.43, and 0h.45. A tour of houses gave the group a chance to see Kessian fly studies of resistant wheat varieties, new dk sease resistant soybeans, alfalfa breeding and soils studies Dr. W. O. Scott, Extension Agronomist University of Illinois, compared the Seed Certification programs in the United States and Canada with those carried out in Europe. During the banquet he discussed his travels through Europe. Os This And That By: Lois M. Folk Home Demonstration Agent Citizenship Leaders Meet: I don't know how the snow last Friday affected you. but we decided not to have the citizenship meeting. Providing we don't get snowed in again, the meeting for all citizenMiirch 2 in the Farm Bureau Co-Op. ship leaders will be this Friday, building. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. sharp. 4-H Leaders: The Decatur Rotary club will be host to all of the 4-H leaders from Allen, Wells and Adams counties Thursday afternoon and evening, March 8. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. and sessions will be held on photography, conservation, health and safety, personality improvement, and organization and program will be “Make tradition a guide planning. The thought for the day post rather than a hitching post.” Home Demonstration Homemaker Exchange: Mrs, Kenneth Scott of Deleware county will represent Indiana’s 62,000 home demonstration club members as a visiting homemaker in Australia this fall, tion ladies will remember that

County Agent’s Corner

Adams County Purdue Ags: The Adams county Purdue ag chapter will meet Friday evening at the Bob Heller residence in Decatur. The speaker will be Glenn Lehker, extension entomologist, who has just returned from Pakistan. Glen spent two years in that country setting up an extension service system. The meeting will start with a chili and oyster supper. 4-H Kick-off: A 4-H kick-off meeting will be held at 7:30 p. m. Monday, March 5, at the Adams Central school cafeteria. 4-H achievement winners will be recognized and 4-H leaders will receive their certificates and pins. Prof. Jerry Macklin, state 4-H club leader, will speak on “Youth in the Future.” Refreshments of milk will be furnished by the Home Dairy of Berne. Beef Tour: The annual beef tour will be held Wednesday, March 7, starting at 9:30 a. m. at the Dan Lantz farm. The location is one mile east of of the Wells county line on road 124, then % mile north. The second stop is at the LaVerne Gerber farm, one mile north of 124 on the Wells county line. The third stop will be at the Jim Gordon farm near Liberty Center in Wells county. The lunch and afternoon session will be held at the Dutch Mill in Bluffton. Specialists Ken McDonald and John Foley will be on the tour stops and will lead the discussion in the afternoon. Everyone interested is invited to attend. - - — : -- : = Rotary 4-H Leaders Conference: The Decatur Rotary club will host the 4-H leaders training conference for Allen-Wells and Adams counties March 8. This annual training conference is cosponsored by the state 4-H club office and Rotary International. In charge of local arrangements are Bill Schnepf and George Thomas, and Rotary president Tom Allwein. Topdress Wheat: Farmers who haven't been able to topdress their wheat because of unfavorable weather still have — j Several county home demonstraMrs. Scott spoke at the officers training school in December, 1960, when she was state president. Mrs. Scott was chosen as the first Hoosier homemaker under an exchange program sponsored b y the Indiana home demonstration association. The purpose of this exchange is to promote friendship and understanding between Hoosier home demonstration women and women who participate in the same type program in Australia. Mrs. Scott’s expenses will be paid from the association’s international fund, raised by penny contributions from the Indiana membership of 62,000. fThis fund is enlarged pennies for friendship fund). Mrs. Scott will leave sometime in September and remain in Australia for six to eight weeks, living with both rural and urban families. She will also participate in the triennial conference of the associated county women of the World, October 2-12 at MelboMkie. Following her return. Mrs.’Jcott will interpret her experiences to Indiana Grades for Frozen Fried Scallops: A quality-guide is available now for frozen fried scallops. The U. S. Department of interior’s bureau of commercial fisheries began officially grading frozen scallops January 15. Grade standards have existed for some time for frozen fish sticks, fish blocks, sdlmon and halibut steaks; haddock and ocean perch fillets; raw bread fish portions and raw breaded shrimp. If you have something to sell or trade — use ihe Democrat Want ads — they get RIG results.

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time to apply fertilizer this spring, points out Marvin W. Phillips, Purdue University extension agronmoist. Supplemental nitrogen may be applied as late as April 20 in northern and central sections of the state. On silt loams and heavier textured soils and dark colored loams 40 pounds actual nitrogen is recommended where wheat follows corn and 20 to 30 pounds where the preceding crop was soybeans or small grain. Either solid nitrogen fertilizer or nonpressure solutions iurea and ammonium nitrate) may be used. If adequate amounts of phosphorus and potassium were not applied in the row at seeding time, a complete fertilizer, such as 10-10-10 may be used for topdressing. This helps establish legumes seeded in the wheat; however, this treatment is recommended only on very low fertility soils. Purdue Winter Course: Ninety-six students in Purdue University’s school of agriculture 1962 winter course received certificates signifying successful completion of the eight-week course. Dr. D. R. Mallett, vice-presi-dent and executive dean of Purdue, presented certificates at the closing exercise in Fowler hall of Purdue’s memorial center. Included in the group was Jim LaFever, R. R. 2. Berne. Jim was in the animal science option. Lawn Seed Mixtures: Correct seed mixtures hold the key to starting a lawn, reminds Don Scheer, Purdue University extension horticulturist. Quality of seed and its propotion in the mixture make the difference between a poor lawn and a good one. Blue grass is permanent and adapted to the midwest. Schesr recommends checking the seed tag to make sure the mixture contains at least 50 per cent blue gress. Never buy a mixture con-

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1962

taining less than 25 peY cent blue grass, he cautions. Newer selections of blue grass, such as Merlon, C-l, Delta and Newport, are preferred. For shady areas, blue grass mixtures containing some red fescue are recommended. Ryegrass is a temporary grass. Often it isn't needed when you sow in the early spring. However, if the mixture contains ryegrass, it shouldn’t exceed 40 per cent. Avoid mixtures containing colonial bentgrass and white clover since they form uneven patches. And make certain the mixture yod buy does not contain timothy, orchardgrass, meadow fescue or tall fercue, which may be listed as alta or Kentucky 31. L.

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