Page 4
KLAMATH TRIBUNE
December, 1956
f
Grass An Important
Crop; Comes In
All Sizes
Grass is tlu world' Invest
crop. Of all plants of the earth
grass is most widely distributed.
As a plant family grass varies
greatly in sie. Some grass is
almost minute, as "Huffato grass",
whieh may never exceed o" in
height. Hut look up at the great
bamboo, a grass of the tropics
which may he a font in diameter
and 1(H) feet tall. (Irass grows at
sea level and ahove timherliue in
the mountain ranges. ( Irass covers
the muddy marshes and swamps,
lfttt it is equally at home on the
deserts. Kvcry where grass is the
protector and builder of soil. All
of our cereal grain crops are ;r;hs
excepting the alfalfas and clovers.
Most of the forage grown for live
stock is grass. Of all the plants
of the earth grass is the most
necessary to the well-being ami
even the existence of man. in 1S7J
John J Ingalls. in his "Trihute to
Hluegrass" said, "Should its
harvest fail for a single season
famine would depopulate the
earth."
In the l'. S. ahout one-halt the
total acreage of the country pro
duces grass for livestock pastur
age. Over much of the earth
grasses are a cultivated crop such
as for example, rice and millet in
Asia, the wheat, oats, barley, rc.
com ami other cereal crops of the
temperate zones of America and
l'.urope Hut over most of the
Western Range States native
Reservation Burn Is ,
Rcsccdcd To Grass
In September, 1955 a fire burned
354 acres of Tribal forest on Hly
Ridge. The fire also burned over
an area of Fremont National
Forest several times the size of
the reservation burn. Forest fires
usually destroy or damage brush
and undergrowth along with the
trees. In most burns where com
petition has been reduced or de
stroyed brush makes a very rapid
comeback, and unless sonic pre
cautionary measure is taken,
brush will invade and choke out
or prevent the establishment of
tree seedlings and grass.
Grasses used to control
Manzanita.
As soon as the salvage log was
completed on the Hly Ridge burn
this year, the Laud Operations
Hranch at Klamath Agency took
steps to prevent a Manzanita and
Snow Hrush wilderness from de
veloping there. The best and most
economical method of preventing
the regrowth of brush is to seed
to grasses to provide competition.
Seeding of the burn has just been
completed. Seeding in the Fall
provides an earlier start for the
grass during the first warm days
of Spring when the soil moisture
is still high.
Highly palatable grasses
selected.
The following grass mixture
was chosen on the basis of adapt
ability, growth habits and forage
producing capacity : M a n char
Smooth Hrome, Standard Orchard
(Irass, Sheep Fescue and Timothy.
The burned area is in an 18 or 19
inch precipitation belt and should
show good results with the above
grass mixture.
If the cattle that will flock to
this area to feed on the grass
could talk, they would probably
agree that grass is much more ap
petizing than Manzanita and
Snow Hrush.
Hv keeping the heavy regrow th
of brush out, pine seedlings will
have a much better chance to
compete and re-establish a desir
able forest cover.
grasses are the most important
crop. Perhaps because rangeland
grass is "wild" it is often assumed
that grass can take care of itself.
It is true that grass is very hardy.
Grasses can survive great ex
treme of heat and cold. Drought
can scarcely kill it. Hut if the
range is grazed too heavily com
peting plants that livestock do not
eat may invade and crowd out the
weakened grasses.
Compulsory Testing Of
Bangs May Come
According to Ray Peterson,
County Extension Agent, the test
ing of beef cattle to eliminate
Hangs or Hrucellosis disease may
be forced on cattlemen before
very long. Some recent develop
ments may bring this about.
Legislation May Be Enacted
The rapid formation of com
pulsory test counties in Oregon
may bring about a Hangs testing
program in Klamath County as
well as in several other counties
in the State. About 70 per cent of
the Oregon Counties are now
under such programs. It ap
pears that stockmen from these
counties may urge legislation re
quiring that all counties come
under such a program when 75
per cent of the counties in the
state have done so.
The Department of Agriculture
now furnishes vaccine, pays the
cost of testing for Hangs and
Tuberculosis and pays up to $25.00
indemnity for reactors, grade
cattle and $50.00 for purcbreds.
0
F1NLEY BARNEY
(Continued from page 1)
the Klamath Tribune, including
designing the masthead on page
one, which is an example of pre
cision lettering.
The students also participate in
various contests. Bob recently
took third out of sixteen entries
in a contest to design a cover for
the O.T.I, year book.
Hob rents an apartment from
O.T.I, which is located on campus,
and lives there with his wife,
Xaomi, and his two children,
Diane Lee and Michael.
His future plans after com
pletion of the course next June
are somewhat indefinite. He
states that he will either go on to
school next year, probably in the
Portland area, or will look for a
job. Job placement in the field
has been good.
Hob states: "If a student works
hard, the reward will be a good
job in the field of commercial art."
He is most interested in going
into the advertising field and
doing pictorial illustrations. Fin
ley also has some definite ideas
to offer on the Klamath Educa
tion Program: "I don't know the
background too well, but the edu
cation program being offered now
is a fine thing for young Indian
people to make an advancement
in their life. I believe this is the
biggest opportunity that will ever
come to the Klamath Indian
young people as far as education
is concerned. I believe for myself
it has given me more initiative
to go ahead."
Gloria Ochoa Leaves
For Denver; Will Take
Nursing Course
Hoarding the train for Denver
November 24th was Gloria Ochoa,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel
Ochoa of Chiloquin. Gloria is plan
ning on enrolling in the Emily
Griffith Opportunity School in
Denver to take a course in prac
tical nursing.
"It's a good deal," states Gloria,
referring to the Hureau of Indian
Affairs Relocation Program
which is making it possible fo v
her to take this training. 'J
Gloria was born in Tucson,
Arizona, but came to the Chilo
quin area with her family when
she was five years of age, and
has been here ever since. She
graduated from Chiloquin High
School in 1955.
Gloria will start classes at
Denver on December 3rd. The
course is one year in length, with
the first seventeen weeks being
spent in classroom instruction,
after which the students begin
clinical experience, participating
in hospital ward activities. Train
ing is received in three hospitals
in the city: St. Luke's General
Rose Memorial, and Denver
General. .
The federal relocation program
making this training available to
Gloria will provide for assist
ance of several types. I Ier. trans
portation to the place of training
is provided. After, she enrolls in
the school, the program will pay
her tuition and training costs,
will afford her a certain amount
for subsistence, and will also
carry a health plan for her benefit.
Gloria is not certain as to wdiat
she will do upon completing the
course but thinks she will cither
go on in registered nursing train
ing or will obtain employment as
a practical nurse.
0
COMMISSIONER DISCUSSES
(Continued from pac 1) ( )
the withdrawing members, vigoV
ously protested any amendments
to the law and stated that tribal
members have not been consulted
about this matter. Crawford op
posed any amendments to the
present law including federal pur
chase and that which would have
the federal government pay for
the cost of termination.
The all day meeting with the
Commissioner brought out the
differences between the Commis
sioner, who feels it is impossible
to determine what amendments
arc necessary until the appraisal
and election to withdraw are com
pleted, and the management spec
ialists, who contend that this will
be too late.