NEWS FROM THE FARM War has broken out on the farm.Snipers were statdined behind trees.The shootout took place at high noon beyond OK corral close to the woods next to 700 half grown cabbage plants.The casualties were heavy 24 cabbage plants,3 ground- hogs.Those are facts of farming;kinda grisly at times. Yesterday eve. conditions seemed right for spraying foilar fish fertilizer so I got to use the brand new fancy-dancy nifty-fifty sprayer.And it's everything they said it was.I sprayed an acre of crops in 15 min. Do you think thats too high tech for a live-a-simple- life professing amish guy?? Bess and Bell were a bit concerned that's for sure,when I started the engine and the 20£t.boom began hissing and spraying fluid. Their eyes rolled back 'till the white showed:they prepared to bolt.However I anticipated their plans and pulled back on the lines and quickly talked them out of it. We have large plantings of cabbage,peas,spinach, lettuce radishes,mustard,broccoli rab,cilantro, beets, turnips, carrots broccoli. Oh yes,there are other little battles and skirmishes being fought.Such as the battle of the weeds.In the past we've had some rather weedy produce.I'm a bit touchy on the subject of weedy fields.I know Mother Earth does not like to be uncovered and quickly tries to cover itself with weeds of course.So when visitors to the farm raise their eyebrows when seeing my great crop of weeds I give them the following sermon."I am not farming to impress anyone.I am farming to make a living-to pay my bilis— pay for the farm.If the weeds are doing absolutly no damage to the crop why not leave them there untill the crop is harvested then work them into the soil.Of course there are exceptions to everthing.In some :cases it's very crucial to control the weeds.Tiadmit we've had our struggles there but were getting better. About the middie of last summer we purchased a gismo called a wheelhoe.It's a little like a hand cultivater in thet you push it by hand only it works much better.We bought it a bit late last year for most things.But this year it's realy shining.You need to use it just before or right after emergence it pushes easily and you can get within 1 in.of the crop.The best thing is it takes no oil it runs on a large plate of mashed potatoes, dressing, chicken, spring peas-catch my drift? Here's our weed control program,muich with old hay or straw, run the wheelhoe vigorisly,mow the weeds between the rows,keep hand hoeing and weeding to a minimum. Up,be stirring, be alive! Get upon a farm and thrive- Hets a king upon a throne Who has acres of his own!