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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-05-12, Page 33",t ne loot in the hby77 Scott Young, writing in the Toronto Globe and Mail, main - ns that no season separates the city dweller from the untry dweller as sharply as spring. have maintained for years that it is the winter season ere the differiznces occur but 1 am quite ready to con- e that great differences abound in the springtime, too. 1 say winter separates the men from4he boys because 1 n drive into the city on a winter's day and the residents the big towns don't even know there is a winter going on t there. Sure, they get snow and drifts and blocked roads d have a short walk to. shovel. They maybe have trouble tling out of their laneways because the plow has left a ft across it. But they don't know the winter is on. Few city people have to walk along a lengthy lane to col- t their mail. They do not have to wait many hours until ws come through to clear the roads. They do not have to w their way out to a barn full of bawling animals twice day to do the chores: Most of therm think they're hard hit hey have to wait 15 minutes for a bus or a street car. ountry people heave a great sigh of relief when the snow its to melt. Spring is a heady season of the year. n the city, the growth is easy to see, the green simple spot. The buds come out "the crocuses, the daffodils and e tulips show their pretty heads. Then, the perennial plants rive. s Young writes, yot' know in the city that all of this is ming and it is a pleasure but not really a surprise. n the country, it is quite different, The buds are bulging over the place, every tree, every branch, every bush, ery splleygad. The grass gets greener and higher every y and the farmers get itchy feet just waiting for the laud get dry enough for plowing and the weather to get warm ough for seeding. Many farmers gleefully prepare tractors d machinery for that wonderful thrill of getting the good Lamers are appreciated by Bob Trotter, Eldate Rd . Elmira Ont N38 2C7 earth ready for the planting season Around this part of the country, many Old Order Menno- nite farmers still use horses. I never cease to get a thrill seeing them with a three -horse, a four -horse or a five -horse tandem hitch in their fields at this time of year. The birds, of course, herald the warm weather. The star- lings arae, blackbirds have been around for more than a month, chirping and burping in the yard. The robins have been around since long before the snow melted and the cardi- nals back in the bush behind our place have been whistling gaily for many weeks. I haven't seen the oriole that nests along our line fence yet, but I'm sure he'll be around soon. The goldfinches and the kingbirds are strutting and scream- ing near the barn along with the sparrows and the wrens. We have a pair of mourning doves in the pine grove and their cooing in the early morning is marvellous to wake up to. But it is the water that makes the springtime in, the coun- try. As the snow melts, the ditches build up and team with the happy gurgle of the run-off, The little streams and the creeks come to life with chuckling sounds as though happy to' be greeting the season. The chuckle grows to a giggle and then laughter as the streams surge into life, coursing through the countryside to the rivers and the lakes many miles away. No thrill is greater than to walk a country road listening to the gurgle of the water as the land is being drained and the birds come to life and the grass changes from brown to the life-giving green of new growth. It is a time of wonder. I( is a time of awe. It is a time of new hopes and new dreams. It is a time of straining to get going, to get cracking, to do new things. to grow new crops and try new ideas. It is a time for prayer, for thanksgiving, a time to wonder anew at the great gifts from a God of love and life. ersize Farm vehicle permits w not required.by. law jokes are passed. farmers and how ey are. .. always ng and so on. Well, d recently at a local afety Association we as Law Enfor- fficers sympathize farmer concerning ize laws we had, eir equipment was ed that not even a ermit would allow it wn on a highway the Provincial re has made s for these over - m vehicles to be drawn on our high- ithout a special This does not, of can it will be safer, tends the authority ertain regulations outlined below. all, highway means used by the public avel or paved and King's highways,. ads, concession and Night means one - after sunset to one- efore sunrise. farm vehicle over t six inches (8'6") 1 be driven or drawn rolled access high - as the 400 series eg. 400, 401, 402 etc. een Elizabeth Way, er-Waterloo ay etc. • farm vehicle over six inches (8'6") a highway at night etc. when lights are by law shall have a tuber light on each front and each side r of the overwidth (tractor, combine, ,seed planter, etc.) all be placed not six inches from the the permanent of the vehicle and visible for 500 feet front and rear 1y of the vehicle, nit require these tuber lights if you y crossing a high - you have an escort feet in front and vehicle 200 feet e overwidth vehicle way,flashers or a mber light mounted of of these escort Producing a light 6''00 feet, our farm vehicle combine, planter, r, etc.) exceeds t six inches (12'6") but is less than 16') while being drawn on a highway a' when lights are by law, it shall be with a rotating t mounted on the Part of the vehicle flashes of amber e.at a distance of affront and to the RSe ' front ashing and back Side mentioned in two, 'This rotating light and the flashing lights are not required if you are directly 'crossing a highway or you have the escort vehicles as mentioned in paragraph two 200 feet front and rear with the four way flashers on or a rotating light on the roof. 4. In the daytime any farm vehicle (tractor, combine, planter, cultivator, etc. which is driven or drawn on a high- way that is over twelve feet six inches (12'46") wide shall be equipped .with` either' the flashing amber lights' on either side front and rear as mentioned in paragraph two or the rotating flashing light on the uppermost part of the vehicle mentioned in paragraph three. These lights or light are not required if you are directly crossing the highway. 5. Any farm .vehicle (tractor, combine, cultivator, planter; etc.) that exceeds sixteen feet (16') in width while being driven or drawn on a highway at night or at times when lights . are required shall be preceded by an escort vehicle 200 feet in front and followed by an escort vehicle 200 feet behind ,your overwidth vehicle with four way -flashers on OR- a rotating amber light on the roof visible for 500 feet. These vehicles are not required ,if the vehicle is being driven or ,drawn directly across the highway. As you see, if you don't feel that you want to string wires - and lights back from your tractor to the overwidth vehicle, eg. cultivator, planter, etc. you can use the escort vehicles front and rear at night. It must also be understood that apart from these new lighting systems and . the escort vehicle, you must still have your usual two headlights, taillight and slow moving vehicle sign, At first it all sounds con- fusing but once operational it will be quite simple and routine. Your safety can also be enhanced if done properly as was intended. Any questions you have please feel free to contact Prov. Const. R.W.'WILSONc- o Ontario Police, Box 6, Goderich, Ontario. N7A "3Y5 or phone 524-8314. - Weather a factor in fungicicle Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) researchers will continue work this summer using weather forecasts to help reduce fungicide use on vegetable crops. Dr. T. J. Gillespie, an agro- meteorologist at OAC, says some growers in the Holland Marsh near Bradford have been using weather forecasts for field tests. These growers spray fungicides only, when weather conditions are favorable to the spread of disease. Other growers spray crops about once a week and some after every rainfall, ac- cording to Dr. Gillespie. During the past two summers, test plots at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Muck Research Station and- par- ticipating growers' fields were sprayed only on warm days when plant . leaves remained wet long enough to spread infection. Resear- chers used about one-half the spray applications used by most commercial growers on carrots and onions. In both years' results there was no difference in yield between regular and timed spray programs. Last summer four growers controlled carrot leaf blight in their fields with two to four sprays timed according to weather information.. Four other growers participating in the experiment followed their regular fungicide programs and used six to seven sprays during . the growing season. Dr. Gillespie reported there was no dif- ference in yield. Despite a season .par- ticularly conducive to onion blight, similar tests on field research plots of onions showed high yields while minimizing fungicide use. Because of tate findings of this research, Dr. Gillespie hopes recommendations can be made to help growers reduce the expense of fungicide use while main- taining adequate control of disease. land use issue is meaningless statistic "The June 9th provincial election is unnecessary, It's also ill-timed. It conflicts with farmers' busiest season and ensures that they can't participate," Peter Hannam, President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said today. "I am extremely disap- pointed in the opening tactics on the land use issue, The discussion has rapidly degenerated into a bandying of meaningless statistics instead of a discussion of positive solutions", Mr. Hannam said. "We urge all parties not to confuse the voter with irrelevant statistics,/ about what 'land we have lost or gained in the past., "It was the OFA 4 years ago who documented that 26 acre% of foodland were disappearing per hour in Ontario. Since that time, that statistic has been abused and misused on all sides. We want no more of it. Current statistics being quoted don't reflect what is really hap-' pening to farmers and food production. "Ontario farmers want platforms not emotion. They want to know what each of the parties plan to do over the next four years to preserve prime foodland. They want to know whether the present Planning Act will be enforced as it is or whether it will be replaced with new legislation and, if so, what the new legislation would ' contain. And what will be the role of local government and Planning Boards? , "Ontario farmers also want to know what agricultural programs will be im- plemented to make sure that food production on this land will ,be viable. No simple . solution is available to solve this problem. A broad attack on many fronts will be necessary." Mr. Hannam specified: "Ontario farmers want to know the answers to these questions: "How will farm incomes be protected? "Will more research money be available to develop new ways of conserving energy and new energy sources? "Will farmers be protected from unreasonable demands of non-farm neighbours?" "Instead of hiding the problem, let's accept the challenge and get to work", Mr. Hannam concluded. • Must form national group to change tariff GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, MAY ,12, 1977.-,PAGE;.;I.jA If farmers want the tariff system to change they must form a one national farm organization; members of the Huron Federation of Agriculture were told Thursday night. "Unless you have, that unity, you won't be able to lobby effectively, There doesn't seem to be enough community interest among different farm groups now," Prof. Murray McGregor of Guelph University told about 35 farmers in Belgrave Public School, Prof. McGregor said it was a very complex matter to change any tariffs under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), GATT, which regulates most of Canada's foreign trade, is being renegotiated this year and will not be renegotiated for at least ten years after this agreement is reached.. • "There is no question some groups are going to lose and some are going to gain under any trade agreement," he said. "The benefits from trade are never equally distributed." Professor McGregor said negotiating a better deal for Canadian farmers would mean Canada would have to make concessions in other trade areas. If the con- cessions 'were too high far- mers might end up worse off, he said. The Russian wheat. deal a few years ago meant that Canada had to buy a com- modity from the Soviet Union. "They took an amount of plywood and were soon met with complaints by wood producers," Prof. McGregor said. "For every major ex- port deal there is always another side to that trade." "Why have farmers always got the short shaft?" asked one farmer. Prof. McGregor said when Canada first formed, the government wanted to get an industrial base going and therefore protected industry. Sir John A. MacDonald's National Policy. This meant farmers paid a higher price for manufacturing goods. "Once something like this gets started in a system it is hard to get it changed," he said. The Tariff Board which does the negotiating for Canada is under pressure from all sectors of the Canadian economy, the Guelph professor said. "Maybe we haven't done enough lobbying from the agriculture side," he said. Agriculture is a par- ticularly difficult commodity to negotiate with, Prof. McGregor said, because "most countries try to protect their agriculture industry. They don't want any change in the tariff." The professor maintained Canadian farmers were "not stuck with what we've got". "We just have to work from where we are," he said. North Huron 4-H meet The North Huron 4-H Trailblazers Horse Club held their first regular meeting on May 4 at the home of Gordon & Dianne Johns with 14 members present, The meeting was opened with the 4-H Pledge. Mr. Len MacGregor was present and passed out 4-H booklets and other pamphlets to the members. Plans were made to have a meeting on May 18 pric: to the judging competition in Seaforth. Mr. ,,Johns 'led a discussion on some of the pamphlets outlining the sections to be studied at future meetings. -Members also demon- strated the proper way to pick up a horse's foot and how to lunge a horse. The meeting was adjourned and lunch was served. 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