La Grande evening observer., June 22, 1932, Confidence Edition, Page 11, Image 11

Wednesday, June 22, 1932
AGRICULTURE AND
, INDUSTRIES HERE
One .of Finest General
Farming Districts
In Northwest.
Clrando Ron do valley agriculture of
fers one of the finest districts for
general fanning In the northwest.
With rainfall much higher than
most of the lntermountuln country,
and about 10 per cent of the farm
land In the valley Irrigated, a di
versity of crops can be successfully
grown. First among these ' conies
cereals which In 1B30 were reported
as yielding 40.3 per cent of the In
come from sales of farm products.
As explanation It should be stated
that a recent state report gave 30
bushels per acre as the average yield
for winter wheat In the valley. Spring
wheal probably now averages about
23.6 bushels. ,
Alfalfa, the best feed produced by
present day furmers. is grown very
succerafully hero. A recent cost sur
vey conducted by the Oregon State
Agricultural college shows that this
crop can be grown for less than s i
per ton with all labor, seeds and oth
er costs paid. Alfalfa Is successfully
grown In the valley both with and
without Irrigation. Potatoes under
dry land conditions have produced
200 sacks and more per acre. Prom
100 to 160 sacks per acre is the av
erage yield in this section without
Irrigation, Excellent seed potatoes
ore grown here. Corn Is successfully
mown for silage and a few men grow
It for a grain crop, but the climate is
too cool for this to be a general prac
tice.
Experiments at the state expert
ment stations guide the farmers in
planting proper seeds and ellminnt
lug those not suited.
As a consequence of these modern
policies, diversified farming has at
tained high standards of perfection
throughout Union county.
Tor the most port, wheat lands arc
summer-fallowed. In regions closer
to the streams or foothills, crops
are grown every year, and Ih these
latter sections, wheat Is rapidly be
iiiK dlsnlaced by other crops that
bring annual Income, or serve
feed. All cereal crops are grown with
good results.
Dairying
This branch ranks foremost In our
agricultural pursuits and Is growing
Very rapidly, the year 1031 show
ing close to 20 per cent Increase in
products over 1930. The Industry
Is well organised and the milking
strain constantly Improving. No sec
tion offers better opportunities for
dairying than this particular sec
tion. In so far as moderate climate,
long periods of sunshine, adequate
rainfall, pure mountain water and
nourishing stock food are concerned.
The annual report or the union
Wallowa Dairy Herd Improvement as
Eociation shows that the feed cost
ber pound of buttcrfat to be 17.8
, cents. The feed cost per 100 pounds
tit milk was 02 'cents. "' The fecd ost
represents 50 to 00 per cent of the
total production cost.
With mixed grasses and clovers
providing summer pastureB'and with
alfalfa, other forage crops, silage, root
crops and grain providing the main
source of winter feed, conditions are
very favorable for dairying. As al
falfa and grain arc the major crops,
and as they can be produced cheaper
than In most sections, there is i
greater margin of profit to the dairy
man than In virtually any other sec
tion of the west. Jerseys lead In
number with Holstclns next, and oth
er breeds In smaller numbers. Prnc
tlcally all of the dairy herds are op
erated in connection with diversified
farming.
Manufacture of dairy products Is
carried on olong the most modern
lines. One lorge private concern has
been doing a prosperous business for
many years. In 1931. the production
of butter was undertaken On n much
larger scale, and along cooperative
lines. With the beginning of last
year, a large number of Union county
dairymen- formed a cooperative or
ganization and took over a private
plant at La Grande leaving one pri
vate Institution In the field. A sec-
end cooperative creamery is at pres
ent underway at Union. Ore. These
cooperatives are backed financially,
and have marketing facilities with
tho largest cooperatives on the coast.
Ever since dairying became a major
undertaking in Union county, cow-
Mi X
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WE-
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Are Specialists in All
Radiator Work
Rebuild and Repair
Tops and Curtains
Do Upholstering
Have a good selection of Seat Covers
at Lowest Prices.
LA GRANDE
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1304 JEFFERSON
r.'Mflt J O A li J$&Lf? O R HI A &jg9 I f SI8HWA1 C0W.WM0
- V " " .
The state of Oregon, in spite
River Highway is unsurpassed
square miles ot beautitul lori
Oregon will doubtless establ
testing associations have done their
work well. Virtually all the herds
of any consequence are affiliated
with the testing association; a skill
ed expert makes the rounds, showing
milk produotlon;ttnd weakness where
It may be found, counselling with
the dairymen os to feed and caio.
Through tills systematic scrutiny of
each milking cow and Its produc
tion, output has been pushl up and
upkeep kept down along the most
scientific lines. The county agent
lends his time and effort to the pro
motion of profitable herds.
Not alone are rations balanced sci
entifically, diseases fought and pre
vented, but the most modern ap
pliances for proper and profitable
milk production adopted.. Sanitation
is the watchword. Cream' routes pick
up .cream cans promptly, looking to
ward delivery of sweet cream, an es
sential in production of top grade
butter. To gain, and keep, hlghcst
Boore butter Is the earnest endeavor
of all concerned In Union-county
dairying.
In brief. Ideal climatic conditions,
proper feeding, proper milk, proper
delivery, scientific manufacture, mod
ernized morkotlng and financing, fi
nally put dairying to the foreground
in Union county and laid the founda
tions for making this section Inferior
to none In this agricultural venture.
Adjoining .Wallowa county as It
does, the Grande Ronde valley has
worked cooperatively with .. that sec
tion to spread the focts about dairy
ing possibilities in tnese counties.
Tha miiiiiiit.v cnmhi&lif.i conducted
Jointly, not only stimulated outside
interest ana Drougn c..i
. . ... 4. hut
dairymen to northeast Oregon
but
WE'LL
FIX
YOTTR
LEAKS
LA
of its great areas of sparsely populated territory, boasts one ot ine unest ana most scenic highway systems In the nation. The famous Columbia
in its skilful engineering and its many view points; and nignways tnrougnout tne state are being constantly improved, opening up thousands of
est and meadow utnus wnicn nom uresisiauie uauum iui nic wuuou, mm jem uicic UiU ninny uuiivuntiuiis iu ue nem on ine r acuic coast, and
ish a new record in the number of tourists passing through the state. They will go back home and tell their friends about Oregon's incomparable
also convinced our own dairymen
that the business would stand ex
pansion. The dulry cream checks have been
life savers to the business life of
Union county, during the world de
pression) Sheep
Production has Increased between
300 and 400 per cent in Union county
in the past ten years. This sltua-'
tlon has ccme about partly through
a decrease In the number of beef
cattle raised and partly In a desire
to secure for home people the use of
our large area of range grazing land,
much of which has been used by
stock men from other counties. j
shrink to about 80 per cent of the
previous year's figures, farmers hove
continued to Increase their numbers
of breeding stock. The growth ot
set aside more land to hay produc-
tlon nnU the growing of sweet clover,
Both of these crops uhov a small
profit even under the low prices re
ceived for livestock tills past year.
Farm sheep fit in well with the gen
eral farming system, practiced here.
The low prlco obtained for wlieat is
r v ... , .
C!!1CC, JtJZu iS
crease in farm, sheep and consequent
seeding down, of wheat land to al
falfa and sweet clover pastures.
lfetr Cattle
Beef is yet one of the mhjor prod
ucts of Onion county, being overshad
owed by several other counties in
numbers but not in quality. There
is an abundance of summer range
and pasture and plenty of feed for
me wm. nu.vo.
mlnniliii, nw Unrafnrrlii anrl RVlitft..
dominating are Herefords and nori-
horns. Cattle are commonly mar-
Keceu m roruana, hoiiu; uu .,K aum
. las oil irum uru, wuuu utuuio uiu
given ft winter period In the feed lots
on hay and a light gram ration,
lions
! The Grande Ronde valley Is Ideal
for feed. Alfalfa farms and stubble
fields provide cheap fattening. The
recent Increase In dairying has served
to stimulate hog production in the
county. Nearly every farmer who is
'selling cream is growing some hogs
to cat the surplus skimmed milk.
Since Oregon produces less hogs
than are n coded In the state, many
carloads ore shipped In each year
to packers from as far away as West
ern Nebraska. This situation means
that Oregon farmers are accustomed
to receive the Western Nebraska
1 prices for hogs plus the freight costs
i to Portland, Ore., the main market
j center.
l'oullry
' Statistics show that She poultry
industry Is not large. Supply np-
! pears about to balance demand. Es
tablished in la Grande Is the Union
County Poultry association, a coop
erative organization for the market-
I lng of eggs and poultry. Recent do-
velopments have tended to cause ah
liicrense in poultry products in the
county. Grain feeds are cheaper
which makes the expense of produc
tion less. Growers have begun to
I adopt better management methods.
Good housing, good feeding, and the
. right kind of stock seem destined to
; soon put the county on an export
basis for eggs.
I A force for the Improvement of
livestock raising and marketing that
lr. rapidly being felt is the Influence
of the 4-H livestock clubs, or late
years members Df the youthful farm
rs from this county have won sweep
stakes and grand championships in
1 the Pacific International Livestock
show at Portland.
I At the Union Stock how, one ot
GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE,
Oregon's Rapidly Expanding: Highway System I
scenic
Snodgrass & Zimmerman Mortuary
te&trii.iiT..'M,aSS9g8ifc--- .- "H" . .........
TiiP ffiiulftniJM & Zimmerman Morhmry Is IimIwI ut Hie turner
of Fourth atret't uurt IViinsylviinla uvimiiio.
'5
exhibits. Pew adultfl know
breed, food, and groom their livestock
as do these youngsters of tho 4-H
clubs. Banks and civic organisations
along wH:i the county court, offer
premiums to these lads and lassies;
scholarships are available for out-
ifitftntlinir work The direct results
't been inunedlate Improvement 1
in herds, and through careful study
of cost, a reduction of production
cost that means greater profits.
Clierrleit ,
Many acres ot land on the slopes bf
nis ,.nf nnw ripwoU'd to
., Tt, .innnn r considered
the best laud for fruit production
.,,. .n.n.Ho aHnrttori to the
growtnB of meet cherries, the- bestha the advantage of an established
. nnvlinr fruit crop in our secuon. ine
' r J . r . . . .
annual rainfall Is 19.B inches
wnlch make5 frult growing profitable
wltnout lrrlgUton,
Fruits grown In
the mountains have a late blossom
ing and a lnte maturing season and
usually escape frost damage. Light
rainfall combined with a laLe matur
ity result In a fruit of fine keeping
quality.
Lamberts top the market followed
closely by Bings. The general senti
ment seems to be that production of
cherries Is not likely to be over done
In the near ruture, and that It is a
relatively advantageous enterprise.
About 75 per cent of the cherry crop
was sold through a local coopera
tive association. This association paid
its members over 210 per ton for
their first grade Lambert cherries,
$170 per ion for first grade Blngs
and $130 per ton for Royal Anns,
f.o.b. Cove, Ore.
With about 400 acres of young trees
coming into good bearing and on an
nual planting of over 6000 trees, the i
Cove section is fast becoming a chcr-
ry center of importance. Because of ,
the high yields, low prices of land, i
and the fact that Irrigation Is not
deeded for maximum production, the
cost per ton is relatively low. Some !
orchards have produced over ten tons I
per acre, the average is approximate-!
ly three tons per acre.
s Apples j
The principal varieties grown are ;
Rome Beauty, Jonathan, Delicious, !
and Winter Banana. Other varieties
do well but meet stiff competition :
from outside districts. t
A large surplus of apples Is pro
duced In the Grande Ronde valley
and the nhvslcal possibilities for In- I
creasing production are excellent. I
The apples produced here have very
good keeping qualities. Many heavy
producing sections in the Northwest
are showing decreased yields from
year to year on account of the age
of their orchards. In the Grande
Ronde valley the yields of first and
second grade apples bave been in-1
& fettegV V ,
highways.
creasing, due to the younger or
chards. IK-riles mill K inn II Fruit
Strawberries, raspberries, loganber
rleu, blackberries and bluckcaps are
tho most Important of the small
fruits. The berries yield well and
aro of high quality, however, they
mature late In the season. There
scorn hi uc uu up jui mini w iuuiuumi
the production .- raspberries logon-
seems to be an opportunity to Increase
berries and blackberries. The pro
duction of blackcaps about equals
demand.
Prunes
While cherries and apples from tho
' greater bulk of cosh returns and ton
! ngo for shipment, prunes are grown
I exceedingly well. Coming on later
than most prune markets, the crop
.
I Pnvr11
Seventy-flvo carloads of prunes
f&. i
SI
HILL'S SERVICE
GKORGB C. HILL, Manager
ORE.
havo been shipped out In one year.
At present the markets have been
unsatisfactory for this crop, but the
fruit seems to thrive exceedingly well
In this climate and If prices call re
adjust themselves, prune' orchards
will pby very hamlsomo dividends.
Canning prunes, recently, have Bhown
moro activity than dried prunes. Be
cause of adverse market conditions,
few now prune trees are being
planted.
Kxpeiinuml HUiiion
Olio of the largest Institutions of
lta kind Is the agricultural experi
ment station at Union, comprising
020 acres of land which affords suf
ficient ncreago for carrying on such
lines of work that might best servo
tho needs of the agricultural com
munity that It represents. Tho ex
perimental Investigations of the East
ern Oregon station covor neurly every
branch of agricultural pursuits of the
Bcctlon. Situated as It Is In the
midst of an agricultural and stock
raising center, naturally a groat deal
of experimental work has been done
along these lines.
Tho Investigational work In farm
crops comprises the Introduction and
development of new aiid Improved
varieties of grains, grasses, and tor
age crops, cultural methods, and ro
tation tests. Extensive plantings are
made both In nurseries and field
plots, keeping corotul records ot
Vlclds and general characteristics In
order tu dctornvliio tlielr valuo for
that particular section. Grimm al
falfa and tho Improved strain of
Forty-fold wheat are products of the
eastern Oregon experiment station.
Extensive feeding tests with beef oat
tie. sheen and swine, using home
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grown feeds that have been produced
on the station farm. A dairy unit,
poultry unit, five-acre experimental
orohurd and truck garden plots are
other features ot the station,
Industrial 1
La Grande Is particularly fortunate
In the number and scope ot Indus
trial Institutions that operate with
in Its borders and nearby, outstand
ing among theso is the sawmill and
logging Industry. The payroll of the
combined muting enterprises of the
Oronde Ronde valley runs Into hun
dreds of thousands ot dollars each '
year.
A second enterprise that means
ready cash to merchants regardless
or soli products Is the Union Pacific.
Practically every town Ih the valley
benefits In dollars and cents; at La
Grande Is located the largest ma
chine shops and round house In the
stoto save at Portland.
A third largo enterprise and the
oldest Industry of thU section is that
of milling grain. Much of the wheat
produced In the Oronde Ronde valley
Is milled Into flour by two large flour
mills near La Grande..
Other Industries of La Grande and
surrounding territory are: a Sarge
meat packing plant, a concrete pipe
factory, a dehydrating plant, and a
harness and luggage shop, and many
other small lndustrlos.
There ore a large number of Indus
trial sites available that will meet
the prcsont needs, and requirements'
for future oxpanslon of all types of
Industries. There seems to be an es
pecially good opportunity for a can
nery to take care ot the expanding
cherry and small fruit Industry: there
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De Solo
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Automatic
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X-Girder Frame
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Steel Bodies
Hydraulic Brakes
Steering Shock
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FOR PARTICULARS CALL AT
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De Soto Plymouth Dealers
1115 WASHINGTON AVENUE
Page 1 hrM
are great poulbllltlM for Woo!
scouring plant; a pressed brick faa
tory; a sash ana door factory, and a
mint condensery. "
Foundry work on a big scaie- U
another Industry that fills the com
mon run pf demand and also meets
the call of big sawmills for heavy Iron
work, , ;
Meat packing Is a considerable In
dustry, ipno La Grande firm runs
about 16,000 head of sheep, beef,
hogs, and veal through Its modern
plant annually, buying Its supply lo-'
colly." J
Potato chips, soda water, vinegar,
pickle- packtug and a host of other
small lndustrlos consume home grown,
products and provide labor for many
local workmen, , .
J Homo-Products Show, an array , of
home manufactured products aston
ishes even the local citizens who be
lieve that they are familiar with all
the Industrial enterprises of the.
Grande Ronde valley, but it requires
a careful display of local 'goods like -u
products, show to fully convince
the publlo of the remarkably wide
variety of articles manufactured 'in
Onion county. The annual Orange
fair, held indoors In La Grande, Ass
the same effect as the home rodUcta
show It convincingly proves Union
county to be adapted to a wide variety
of soil crops.
With all these smaller manufactur
Ihg plants nctlve and thriving, t
Qrande'a future aa a manufacturing,
center aiohg with Its farm products,
lumbering and railroad activities, has
a brilliant color.
EDITOR'S KOTto the BboVe art'tcU
furnished by the chamber of com
merce, . ,' . ' '
I'lllll.K! (lODRSK OdLPERS
JUI1K KKNTUCKVi VOI.ONGLS
LOUIS V1LLB, Ky. VPI - Two golf
ers who have had much to do with
i growth of the publlo links game
have been appointed Kentucky Col
onels In honor of their work tor suc
cess of the annual publlo links tour
nament to be, held In LoulBVllle,
July 19-83.
They are (Sanson Depew, of Buf
falo, N, Y., chairman ot the publlo
links section committee of . the
United States Qolf assoolatloDi and
O. T. Hassi of Portland, Ort.i num
ber of the committee for the north
west. Hostf. who also Is a director ot the
Western Qolf association, came to
Louisville lost winter and helped
organize facilities for the tourna
ment, Power Seldom fcaertUed
The king ot fcnslnhd hai the bow
er to Veto arty la passed by th
British parliament, but no British
sovereign hai exetclsed the power
alnce lWfc i
What Make It Hard
feted when the office aeeki the
tnnn it lias trouble Adding htm be
cause 61 so many buf-eyed candi
dates jumping In the way and shout
ing, "I'm It." Ohio Btate Journal.
Bull., Bears and "Mt.UH
'"Many a grout fortune haS been -ninde
by buying'' from pessimists.'
Also by selling to optlmlt.--klH
land (Ky.) Dally Independent
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Centrifugal
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Rigid X Double
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Easy Shift
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