Page 4
KLAMATH TRIBUNE
November, 1956
ALFALFA BEST AS FORAGE CROP
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
PROGRAM STARTED
The Klamath Education Pro
gram includes in its over all plan
an agricultural extension section.
It was felt that this was neces
sary because a large number of
Klamath people live and work
on farms and ranches and because
agriculture is a field with many
problems of its own.
Mac Anderson, the Agricultural
man, comes to Oregon from West
River county of North Dakota
which is an area of range cattle
and dry farming. He spent some
years there in the cattle business
raising purebred beef bulls and
after World War II was employed
by the North Dakota Agricul
tural Experiment Animal Hus
bandry Farm. Hcforc moving to
Oregon he was an instructor with
the Veterans t on-Farm-training
program under the G. I. Hill.
He has been in this area about
3 months, and has been getting
acquainted with the fanners and
their problems. He feels that in
terest indicated by the Klamath
people in his contacts can be used
in the Agriculture program. He
hopes to hold small group meet
ings, organized along the lines
of interest indicated by the peo
ple with moving picture films as
well as special speakers.
In addition to individual con
tacts and meetings, Mac will con
tribute articles on Agriculture in
the Klamath Tribune. Informa
tion about important weeds and
the best methods of control, in
formation about the influence' of
soil types, alfalfa, or information
about the nutrition of wcancr
calves, arc some examples of the
types of information which will
be featured. He also hopes to pre
sent articles about farmers whose
experiences will be of interest to
others.
The first in his series on Ag
riculture appears today on this
Pgr.
EDUCATION PROGRAM
(Continued from Page 1)
study, as well as a number of
new students who have applied
for their first year of schooling
under the program.
Anyone intcrtcstcd in enrolling
in school under the program is
invited to come into the Chiloquin'
office or contact us by mail.
Necessary steps which students
must take include submitting an
application for enrollment tinder
the program, taking a general
aptitude test at an Oregon Em
ployment office which shows in
dividual aptitudes ami helps staff
members in counselling students
in the selection of a school and
course, and finally, enrolling at
the chosen school.
COMPETITION FOR
KLAMATH WATER SEEN
With the increase in farm land
acreage in Western United States
comes an ever increasing demand
on the not too abundant water
supply. Western United States
has a vast water supply, but there
is also a vast acreage to be cov
ered. Water resource technicians
already forsec a water shortage
for some areas. California is look
ing for new sources of water for
it's dry areas, and unless used,
part of Klamath Hasin's water
may find its way there.
Establishing Water Right Urged
Recent correspondence from
Hureau of Indian Affairs advises
that beneficial use of irrigation
water should be made prior to
termination in 1958. Following is
a quote from a letter by Paul F.
"Henderson, Area Land Operations
Officer and Irrigation Knginccr
for Hureau of Indian Affairs.
"As I have told the Indian peo
ple every time I have met with
them, and want to again repeat,
the only way they can, possibly
protect their water rights is to
make use of the water, and all
Indian people should be urgel to
put the water to beneficial use
on their land and thus be in a
position to' prove that use prior
to the date of termination of Fed
eral supervision."
Water Increases Land Values
Water developments on a unit
basis have proven to be the most
practical in the Spraguc River
Area. Hv unit is meant on an
individual farm basis. If adequate
water is near by, anyone of a
number of systems can be de
signed to get the water on the
land. Land with a water right
is much more valuable than drv
land.
No Charge For Irrigation Surveys
Those planning to develop ir
rigation water facilities may re
ceive engineering and planning
help from the Soil and Moisture
Conservation Hranch at Klamath
Agency. There are no charges
for this service. Anyone wanting
planning ami engineering assis
tance may write or leave word
at the Education Office in Chil
oquin or contact Klamath Agency.
Question: In 149J, how many
Indians were there in the area
that is now the United States?
Answer: Mooney (the chief
authority) estimates that the to
tal number was 8-16.000. over
twice the size of Portland, Ore
gon today.
Alfalfa has a deep tap-root sys
tem. Hecause of this characteris
tic it does not do well on soil that
has a hardpan near the surface.
Often subsoiling or chiseling is
only of temporary benefit, but it
will help the roots to penetrate
deep into the subsoil.
Good drainage, both surface
and sub-surface, are necessary for
a thrifty alfalfa stand. During
winter when the plants are dor
mant they may withstand several
days of flooding, but during the
growing season one day of flood
may harm them greatly..
TONTO PUTS LONE
RANGER ON SPOT
Tonto and the Lone Ranger
were in the wild West and the
Lone Ranger asked Tqnto which
direction they should go.
"We'll go to the North," Tonto
said, so they rode away to the
North. All of a sudden about a
thousand Sioux appeared and cut
them off.
"Now which way shall we go
Tonto?" asked the Lone Ranger,
they rode to the South, but thou
sands of Apaches appeared from
the South and cut them off.
"Which direction now, Tonto?"
"To the West," Tonto said, and
they headed West, but thousands
of Klamaths appeared and cut
them off there.
"Which way now, Tonto?"
"To the Kast,". Tonto replied,
and they were off to the East,
but now thousands of Crows cut
them off.
The Lone Ranger looked at
Tonto again and asked, "Which
direction should we go now?"
"What do vou mcan--"WE"--Paleface?"
Alfalfa seldom does well if the
water table is close to the surface.
For this reason the subsoil must
be porous so that water will
drain away.
Things to remember when buy
ing alfalfa seed:
Always buy certified seed in
order to be sure of getting pure
seed of the variety you want. The
certification label, in addition to
the name of the variety, will also
indicate the section of the country
where the seed was grown.
The ability to germinate is
usually indicated by plump,
bright-green seeds. Shriveled or
brown seeds often germinate
poorly.
Good loam soils with a porous
subsoil are best for alfalfa, but
it has a wide adaptability range
for soil.
Ladak: One of the best of the
alfalfas for south-central Oregon
is Ladak.
This variety is probably the
most widely grown in this area.
It is considered to be very winter
hardy, and it is moderately re
sistant to alfalfa wilt. Ladak is
recommended by Oregon State
College for Central and Eastern
Oregon in areas where irrigation
water may be short. It does better
than most other alfalfas on dry
land in areas with at least fifteen
inches of rainfall annually.
Ranger: This is a new variety.
It was developed by the Nebraska
agricultural experiment station
and the USDA in Nebraska. It is
winter-hardy and highly resistant
to alfalfa wilt. This variety is
recommended for irrigated areas
of Central Oregon. Tests at the
Tulclake Field Station indicate
Ranger to be nearly as good a
yieldcr as Ladak.
Nomad: A creeping alfalfa, it
is best used for pasture. It does
well on dry land in some locations.
This variety has been grown on
the Northern Great Plains so it
can be considered very winter
hardy. Nomad has possibilities in
mixtures with grasses. However,
it has not been tested widely in
Oregon.
O
NITROGEN FERTILIZER PAYS
The Squaw Hutte-IIarncv
Range & Livestock Station near
Hums has run trials on applying
nitrogen fertilizer on nature
grass-sedge flood meadows. Re
sults indicate that CO to 80 pounds
nitrogen broadcast annually gives
the greatest return per' dollar
invested. The CO pound rate has
given yield increases of 13 to
1 ton per acre.
Fall is probably the best time
to apply the fertilizer because
flooding often interferes with
spring application.