Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About The Boardman mirror. (Boardman, Or.) 1921-1925 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1922)
a VOLUME 2 BOARDMAN, OREGON, FRIDAY, DEC. 1, 1922 NUMBER 43 PLANT QUARANTINE MUST BE ENFORCED SAKKTV OF FAR WESTERN CROPS DEFENDS ON STRICT BARRING OF FOREIGN PESTS. Have you noticed how few wormy apples and pears appear on the mar ket today compared With their abundance fifteen and twenty years ago? In those days nobody cared to eat an apple or a pear without first peeling and quartering it, per forming a surgical operation on those numerous specimens showing unmis takable evidence of animal life,, present or past. Not infrequently a third or a half of the fruit in at barrel was infected. Though "live ly" cheese might have its friends, inhabited apples or pears had none at all and the consumption of these fruits suffered. Why has the number of wormy apples diminished? And what pro duces the parasitic infection of the noble fruit, anyway? Let's answer the last question first. The infection is produced by the codling moth, the female moth de positing the eggs on the outside of the young fruit or within the blos som. Fifty years ago (here wasn't a codling moth anywhere west of the Rockies. Though the moth was plen tiful from Michigan and Missouri to the Atlantic, the Far West was clean, free of the pest. Matthew Cooke first noticed the codling moth in California during the summer of 1874. Cooke was no scientific entomologist. He was mere ly a manufacturer of fruit boxes who had a sharp ey and a brain keen enough to make the right de ductions from his observations. Hi' traced the wormy condition of the apples in several orchards to the new insect, the codling moth, and he made himself a nuisance by urging quarantine measures, including the thorough cleaning or destruction of picking boxes. Expensive Ignorance Did they listen to him? Of coins i not; until the codling moth was Hy ing in droves through every orchard until a sound apple or pear tree be came exceedingly rare. Then, when it was too late, they created the office of state horticultural commis sioner, gave Matthew Cooke the job and enabled him to start the world'? first quarantine against the intro duction of plant pests. liut the control of the codling moth cost money, lots of it. The cod ling moth inflicts a loss of at least seven dollars a year on every acre of commercial apple and pear orchard. To put it another way, the codling moth loads a perpetual mortgage of $100 an acre on every orchard and the owner has to pay seven per cent interest without a chance to pay off the principal. The Charge of the ling Brigade Yet he need never have incurred the debt. If the proper quarantine measures had been taken early enough, the codling moth, an immi grant from foreign shores, need never have gained a toothold in America, and most emphatically it could have been kept out of the Far Western orchards. But bo far as monetary damage is concerned the codling moth is a pi ker when compared with that king pin among naturalized alien plant enemies, the cotton boll weevil. Twenty years ago this insect was un known in the United States Coming from Mexico, a country which it had reached from its original Old World home, the boll weevil crossed the Rio Grande and marched north until it had spread over nearly the entire cotton area of the South. Talk about Sherman's march to the sea! Com pared with the ravages of the boll weevil, that historic raid was as de structive as a convention of super annuated Sunday-school superintend ents. I-ast year, in 1921, the greedy larvae of the boll weevi! destroyed, according to the Department of Ag riculture, cotton equal to 6.250,00fi bales weighing 500 pounds each. At ten cents a pound this quantity rep resented a value of $312,500,000! Between 1900 and 1921 the bo'l weevil damage reached the equiva lent of thirty million bales worth a billion and a half at ten cents a pound, the loss averaging 35 pounds per acre per annum or twenty per cent of the actual production. Can you blame Arizona and Cali fornia for establishing strict quaran tine against Southern cotton? Their cotton plantations are clean and they want to keep them clean if it is humanly possible. Twenty years hence Arizona and California will have a million acres in cotton, not the common Southern variety, hut the long-staple Egyp tian type worth thirty cents a pound up. If the boll weevil loss be only 35 pounds to the acre- the pink worm iias twice the destructive appetite of its humbler brother infestation by the pest will then cost the South west twelve million dollars a year. Infestation can be prevented by an efficient quarantine backed by pop ular i "pport and co-operation. Which is better, o spend twelve thousand a year now or lose twelve million per annum in the near future? Alfalfa Next Let's take a look at a small beetle that puzzled some ranchers in Utah fifteen or sixteen years ago. They not iced that the first cutting of their alfalfa was very light, that the yield was only half or three-quarters of a ton per acre instead of twice that quantity. That was bad enough, but there was no second crop at all. The iields just wouldn't grow. When the ranchers investigated, they found every stalk of alfalfa covered with greedy little worms eating the new Btems and leaves as fast as they grew. And then the worms disappeared. The alfalfa grew again. Two weeks la;er me iields were swarming with flocks tit small beetle! equipped With a long snout, with which they tapped the alfalfa stems to imbibe the juice. If the ranchers had taken a vry close look, they would have discov ered that the female beetle, having punctured the stem with her point d si. out, turned round and deposited a cluster of eggs in the hole; that ti:ose egg clusters, almost invisible to the naked eye, would cost tin m two to three tons of hay per acre the next season. "It's a weevil," said the entomol ogists. "It belongs to the order of the Coleoptera, more particularly to the subdivision of the Curculienidac, also known as Phytonomus posticus, the Austrian or European alfalfa weevil. Very common in all Mediter ranean countries and very destruct ive. Xow how did Phytonomus post icus come across the ocean, travel overland two thousand miles wiihottt Stopping off anywhere and settle down here on the west side of the Wasatch?" An Alfalfa Quarantine That mystery has never been solved. Nobody found out how the alfalfa weevil got from Europe to Utah, but the I'tah alfalfa growers, besides losing a large portion of the crop annually, soon discovered that no one wanted the balance. All the surrounding states established quar antines against Utah alfalfa. Radical, drastic measures taken early enough might have succeeded in totally eradicating the pest while it was confined to a few acres near Salt Lake City, just as Florida has practically succeeded in eradicating citrus canker by burning every orange and grape fruit tree found to be infected. But nobody realized the seriousness of the new pest and it was allowed to spread until it covered practically every alfalfa dis trict in Utah. From Utah It crossed over lno southern Idaho, southwest ern Wyoming and a portion of west ern Colorado, the quarantine not withstanding. Two years ago it took a long leap west and appeared in Ne vada The Jitney We- il There are hundreds of miles of desert, long stretches of salt flats totally devoid of vegetation between the infested Utah field and the Ne vada district in which the weevil now made its appearance. The rail road was constantly watched by sus picious Inspectors. How did the wee vil make the leap? After a short investigation the culprit was found. It was that new breed of hobo, the Tin Lizzie tour- WALLULA CUT-OFF Designated at Last Meeting of Highway Commission as Primary Road iv .,., i j v; ;' t f r ' I !' XxtV I j iyi -f ''"Z f vi' " ,mm m '"""j1" Ym,mm'mvjrw mm , - -3r;f $A j r -H i I I H i rv.:i nr : LJ i . i 1 1 1 i i Ti j L L ist. In I'tah he robbed the nearest alfalfa stark of hay upon which to4 make his bed. As he rolled up his blankets in the morning, a few wee vils or larvae were rolled up in them. Making camp the next night in N(-j vada, the indignant weevils aband oned their prison, took wing and lit in the nearest alfalfa patch. California has a half million acres in alfalfa, liven though Utah ha" learned to hold down weevil damag i through better cultivation, through pasturing early in the Mafton and through spraying with arsenical poi sons, nevertheless there is still con siderable loss. This loss plus the cost of control measures is probably the equivalent of a ton a::d a half per acre. At the low price of six dollars a ton, California's potential loss through the alfalfa weevil would be close to five million dollars a year. It surely is worth while to keep inspectors on all the main, roads leading from Nevada in o California to examine the ever-increasing num ber of automobiles maki'ng long distance tours Even if it were nec I sary to keep live hundred guards employed on the roads from snow to now, the expanse would be a drop compared with the ocean loss thai would be incurred should this Euro pean pest succeed In crossing the Si erra Nevada. Keep the Weal Clean The fruit industry of th" Far West has reached its present hug I size, largely because the West wai clean. Compared with Europe, the West had very few species of inju rious insects and fungi as a result the growers were able to produce large crops of clean, marketable fruit. They still enjoy this advantage, but every year the increase in world I name necessitates greater vigilance, more rigid inspection of the growing number of commercial arteries. The prosperity of the farmers af fects all of us. If the alfalfa weevi' reduces Farmer Brown's hay STOS twenty tons, the town retailers, tb city wholesalers and manufacturer; lose a hundred dollars' worth of Brown's business. Eventually the weevil will force the price of alfalt;-j up, whereupon you and I will have toi pay more for our milk and I nt er 1 You, Friend Reader, may think thai it's not your funeral If ihe Mediter ranean fruit fly, the clrus canke . tie- Oriental melon fly, the boll weevi! or the plum curcullo are turned loose In the orchards and fields of th- Fa: West, but nevertheless you will help pay the cost. Therefore, let us all co-operate with the quarantine officials and keep the west clean. December SUNSET GOVERNMENT TO FILE WAR FRAUD SUITS Recovery of $75,000,000 Al leged Improperly Spent at Camps Is Planned. Washington, D. C. Lagal action to recover more than $20,000,000 alleged to have been obtained fraudulently from the government in the construc tion ol lour army cantonments during the war was instituted by Attorney General Daugherty as the first formal step iii a far reaching prosecution of these who held contracts for the building of war camps. The number Of suits to be filed has not been definitely decided, but it was Indicated that a dozen or more sep arate actions were in prospect. The initial cases are expected to involve construction of Camp Upton, Vaphank, N. Y.; Camp Jackson, Co lumbia, s. C; Camp Sherman, Chilli COthe, Ohio, and Camp Funston, Fort Riley, Kans. Unofficial estimates place the total sum thai will be sought in all ol' the recovery suits contemplated at more than 175,000,000. In one camp, costing $1 3,0(H),(Mi0, auditors were s ;i i 1 1 to have found indications of an excess expend iture of $5,000,000, In the first group of four suits In which action is to be instituted, the government seeks tO recover a total Of I21,SOO,000; the Camp Upton suit involving $0,000,000, the Camp Jack son suit $tl, 500,000, the Camp Sher man suit $r,lion.iaio and the Camp Funston stilt $4.000. 000. FEDERAL HIGHWAY ENGINEER PUTS WALLULA CUT-OFF OVER DECREASE noted in TAX COLLECTIONS Last week the big news was the Umatilla Rapids meeting in Pendle ton. Now comes the announcement that the Wallula cut-off has been d signaled a primary highway and colics in this year's appropriations. Paradoxical as it is, Pendleton is behind the rapids project full-hearted and magnanimously, bul s fen (we cannot believe any of the big and broadminded ones I lead by He oarrow-vlsloned, selfioh B, o. t Kd die's Orgy) make an awful hulla- toloo, holding Pendleton as greater I ban Ihe whole northwest - even the! I'nited States. Why? In 'lr su preme selfishness and avnru u :iess, for the nickle, they w' h to force all the traveling public C come through Pendleton SV n ai the sac flee of lime and BT' The Kasl Oregonlac loudly sliou brigand at the federal engineer and in the same breath implores- for a road into the mountains and barren wastes to lb" south. The Wallula rut-off requires scarcely an; grading, and as we learned in school, is a straight line the shortest distance between two imints. The diagram above will show yon the saving In distance. Il is along the river grade a route al ray selected by railroads for their routes. It is demanded by the peo ple of eastern Washington, northern Idaho. Montana, and every city but petty Pendleton. There is some of the most pro ductive land along the cut-off of any on the Cmaiilla project and! Pendleton would derive mors boat! from this area, if she did but know it, than from all the barren wastes to Ihe south. Where and how the esteemed edi tor of the evening paper, could get In BUCh a frame of mind as to lose SMO lately his sense of right and fair ness is beyf d us We all boost tor the Round! p and the whole wo Id knows ahou' it Pendleton is looked upon as one of the MggfjK little cities in th world. Don't tell us that the Idlgewater being spilled by 'he K. O represents the real IVndb'ton spirit. Such tactics as are be'tig pur 0 H by the K. O will not hasten the ((instruction of the (Irani county road nor retard the building of the cut-off. It will only serve to breed a gnat big scab on Pendleton. Hermlston has come out for the cut-off, but qualifies her endorse ment by wunti- the road diverted at Cold Spring thence through the Columbia district, which also shows the cloven hoof upon her part. The cut-off has been surveyed within a mile or so of the road from Ilcrmis lon lo Columbia and could be easily connected for any travel (hat might wish to go that w. , Out there is no reason for this additional dis tance. The cut off has been designated by the I'nited Stales g( .iinenl for Ihe greatest good lo the greatest number, so let the heat! .. rage. Thanksgiving Program by School Wednesday afternoon each grade in the school contribute,! a lurnber to a successful program. The audience joined Ihe school in SlBging "A me: b a", after which the school gave the salute to the iiag. Then the school and audience sane, "llringing in the Sheaves." The first and second grades gave a Thanksgiving exercise, each one showing which pari of ihe menu bis letter of the alphabet siood for. Poor old Z had a hard time getting on the table, but be remembered how be felt the next day, ivA..y) and so forth, and stood for all Ihe oilier things belonging to the dinner. I lie no nn gi uue imjvs i -1 cited "( i the lliver and Through the Woods", 1 the girls dressed in little Pi sang a littl Fifth and six dialogue), where around Buster an caps and aprons, Pur B song x a grade boys gave a e In t centered ha .ds and his Thank' giving dinner, wl''- ihe result that the doctor had lo be calb-1 next day, and who administered .is pills very efllcienllv, and Husler go i Id of 'hem just SS ably. The seventh and eighth grades gave a dialogue, "A Thanksgiving Predleatuent." Louise Klagos repre senting a young hou -vlfe was left alone to prepare He rst Thanks giving dlnn"r for her husband. She called In Mary Smith help hi r Who lei ihe dog get the drecsed chicken and carry it o" down the 'i ii,. Sru ery l( a call'd and an order given him for a 10-lb. road ai.d some cranberries. The eranb'Triej. were spilled twice, and were never cooked, (he grocer boy took the apples Mrs Newlywid was (Continued to last page) W ashington, I). O Federal lax col leotiOUS during the fiscal year ended June 80, Utl, fell off almost $1,400, ooo.ooo, or SO per cent hb compared with the previous year. Income and profits taxes collected showed a de crease of $1,141,000,000, or :r per cent. Total lax collections for the year aggregated $:i,i!i7,4.r,i,ns:!, compared with $4,!i!ir,.;!r7,061 for till, while in come and profit tuxes for LtSJ amount ed to $:,.0S(l.!H8,4(i4, against $:;,228, 1117,67;! Hie previous year. Miscellaneous collections arising from taxation other than that on In comes and profits amounted to $1,110, tJMll for 1922, a decrease of $256, 6X0.770, or lit per cent. Summary of the income and profits tax receipts during the yeaf by states showed New York far In the lead in amount with Pennsylvania second and Illinois third. Collections by states laelode: Alaska $173,787.12, California $I2, Iftl.lllJI, Hawaii $14,6:'.2-,:iO.J7, Ida ho $1,. '172,658 22. Montana $2,:i02,2:!l 74, Oregon $I4,:i.:4.:i'.i7 18, Washington IIMSMSOJ, Wyoming lJj?,tlT.0J, IRRIGATION AI0 IS OPPOSED Desire For Economy May Prevent Any Lcgislat.on at This Session. Washington, I). C. Opposition to further fi ller. il activities in reclaiming arid lands at this time has manifested Itself mining the members of congress who represent the middle west sec tions 'I his became apparent when Presi dent Harding conferred with a num ber of the most active members of the committee on irrigation and pub lic lands In the house. In view of the desire for economy in all departments on the part of the administration and of the middle west opposition, those best informed In reclamation matters believed there w ,.il ,', be no reclur- ii'lon legislation at this se -Jon Ctates Divide on ... . ,-C. 9. Divorce. Washington, . Railroad i-otu-missions representing two western slates, California and Nevada, have asked the Interstate commerce com mission to continue the merger of the Southern Pacific and Central Pacific railroads, which the Huoreme court has ordered dissolved, while commls Hi itis of two other states. Wyoming ami Idgho, have urged approval of the separation Representative Mondell, hOUM republican b ader, made the principal argument lor Wyoming In supporting the separation decree.