Q and A
Farm Vacations
Q.
I would like to spend some time on a working farm in the Midwest before and during the harvest. Can you help? -- James J. Butler, Arlington, Va.
A.  A number of working farms throughout the country take paying guests, many of them offering the opportunity to participate in or just observe the day-to-day business of the farm. Some provide such diversions as horse riding, fishing and swimming; others offer simply accommodations and the chance to be part of a rural family, if only for a day or two.
Three farms that might suit your purposes are in Ohio, Iowa and Indiana.
The Circle K Ranch, in Circleville, Ohio, has been taking paying guests since 1968. The 200-acre wooded farm has a creek stocked with fish and grows corn, soybeans, oats, wheat and hay. The hay harvest is in the summer, usually July, wheat and oats from June to August. Soybeans and corn are harvested in the fall, usually in October. Accommodations are in a six-room cottage that is equipped with linen and kitchen utensils. From June to September rates are $275 a week for up to four people. From the middle of April to the end of May and in October only weekends are available. Rates are $20 a person, with a $60 minimum. More information: Cliff and Marjorie Kerns, Circle K Ranch, 26525 Gay-Dreisbach Road, Circleville, Ohio 43113; telephone (614) 474-3711.
The Centennial Farm, in Webster City, Iowa, has been in the family since 1869. It is surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans (harvesting is in October and November) and is near golf and canoeing. The four guest rooms, with shared bath, are available all year for $35 a night for two people, $25 for a single. Full country breakfast is included, and lunch and dinner are available in either Highview, two miles to the east, or Duncan, two miles to the west. Webster City, which has a full range of restaurants, is seven miles to the east. More information: Tom Yungclas, Rural Route 2, Post Office Box 40, Wesbster City, Iowa 50595; (515) 832-3050.
The Bee Hive B&B is in the heart of Amish country in Indiana. Its 360 acres are planted with oats and wheat (harvested in July) and corn and soybeans (September to November). The owners, Herb and Treva Swarm, have a collection of antique farm machinery, some of which is used in July for threshing. Rates in a guesthouse that adjoins the farm (two double beds) are $63 a night, with a full breakfast. Three rooms in the house rent for $52.45 a night, also with breakfast. More information: Post Office Box 1191, Middlebury, Ind. 46540; (219) 825-5023.
A useful guide to farm vacations and overnight stays has been published for 40 years by Farm & Ranch Vacations, 36 East 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022; (212) 355-6334 or (800) 252-7899. The book, "Farm, Ranch & Country Vacations," by Pat Dickerman, is available from the publisher for $12, including postage. The Boston Pops
Q.
To celebrate my wife's birthday on July 28 we wish to attend the Boston Pops concert on that date. Can we make a reservation and get tickets in advance? -- Henry John Buggeln, Gloversville, N.Y.
A.  There is no concert on July 28 this year, but if you are willing to move up your celebration by a couple of weeks you will still be able to enjoy the Boston Pops' music.
Concerts this season will be held from May 8 through July 14 every night except Monday. They will be performed, as usual, in Symphony Hall, 301 Massachussetts Avenue, Boston, Mass. 02115.
The Tuesday to Saturday concerts will start at 8 P.M., the Sunday concerts at 7:30 P.M. Tickets will go on sale at the end of April, but prices have not yet been set. They can be ordered from Symphony Hall or from SymphonyCharge, (617) 266-1200.
Free concerts, starting at around sunset, will be held the first week of July at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. The July 4 program will be accompanied by a free fireworks display.
For all the Esplanade concerts it is advisable to arrive by 6 P.M. at the latest. Many spectators make a day of it, arriving with blankets and picnics. Some diehard fans have even been known to show up at dawn to stake out their turf. Encephalitis in Florida
Q.
For the past two years we have taken our family to St. Augustine, Fla., in the first two weeks of July. We would like to go back but are very concerned about last year's encephalitis outbreak. Is it safe to return, especially for our children, the youngest of whom is 3? -- W. Nealon, Rochester
A.  According to the Florida State Department of Health there were no cases of St. Louis encephalitis recorded in St. Augustine in last year's outbreak, which reached as far north as Gainesville, some 70 miles southwest of St. Augustine. A spokesman, David Adams, said this year's visitors should, however, use an insect repellent at dusk and at night to ward off attacks by mosquitoes, which transmit the disease. A physician should be asked to recommend a repellent suitable for young chilren, he added; many repellents for use by adults may contain substances that might prove toxic to children.
Dr. Diana L. Wells, assistant state epidemiologist, said the only time epidemics were known to have occurred in successive years was in 1961 and 1962. Based on that experience and other factors, she said, another epidemic is not expected in Florida in the near future, although no one can guarantee it will not happen. She said it was not fully understood why epidemics occurred one year and not another. "This is being studied," she said. In most years, Mr. Adams said, only one to five cases are recorded in Florida.
From July 28 to Dec. 12 last year a total of 223 people contracted St. Louis encephalitis in Florida, said Dr. Wells, and 10 people died. The average age of those who died was 73, she added. Those at particular risk are people under 6 and over 55. Caribbean Sugar Mills
Q.
Is there, anywhere in the Caribbean, a restored sugar mill in working order that is open to visitors? -- Aart Bayle, Beverly, Mass.
A.  The closest you will come to what you are looking for is in Barbados, where the National Trust has restored a sugar mill with all its machinery intact but not in operation. The Morgan Lewis Mill in St. Andrews Parish is open every day from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is $4, $2 for children. Many mills on other islands have been restored but most are used as accommodations, stores or private homes.