Polk County Living
12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 24, 2016
Grow fruit trees with confidence
People tend to have a
love-hate relationship with
their fruit trees. The fruit
they love; the work they
hate.
The spraying regimen
turns off home gardeners,
said Steve Renquist, horti-
culturist with Oregon State
University’s Extension Serv-
ice. But times have changed.
Research has resulted in
easier methods of dealing
with pests and diseases,
from resistant trees to low-
toxicity products. For years,
Renquist and the rest of
OSU’s Extension horticultur-
ists have been advocating
for integrated pest manage-
ment or IPM, an approach
using the most effective,
least-toxic methods first.
When Renquist teaches
classes in what he calls low-
input gardening, he starts by
recommending that home
gardeners choose the most
disease- and pest-resistant
varieties. The Extension
master gardeners can rec-
ommend relevant trees, as
can nurseries with expertise
in fruit trees.
“If you start from that
point, you’ve got a much
better chance of having a
low-input orchard,” he said.
“You don’t have to be con-
stantly spraying for some-
thing.”
Apples and pears are the
Smith
K YM
P OKORNY
Levi Daniel Smith was born to Dan and Julianna Smith,
of Dallas, at 3 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Salem Hospital Family
Birth Center.
He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 20 inches
long.
Levi is the couple’s first child.
Grandparents are Randy and Jeani Bath, of Bonanza,
and Dan Smith, of Dallas.
Your
Garden
two most common fruit
trees grown in Oregon be-
cause they can be grown
throughout most of the
state. But everyone seems to
want to grow cherries, even
though they’re not the easi-
est choice.
“Everybody has the desire
to grow cherries,” Renquist
said, “but after you try to
grow them and keep the
birds away, you realize
you’re putting a lot of effort
into feeding the birds. And
they get a number of dis-
eases, too, which com-
pounds it. One of the real
tortures of homes gardeners
is wanting to grow cherries.”
So he advises sticking to
apples, pears and, if you’re
in the right areas, stone
fruits such as peaches,
plums and prunes. If you’re
partial to figs and persim-
mons, by all means plant
them; those fruits are almost
entirely carefree.
After choosing an appro-
priate variety, the next step
is to be vigilant about moni-
toring for pest insects with
pheromone traps, which
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
PHOTO BY LYNN KETCHUM
Pheromone traps are an efective strategy for control-
ling insects on fruit trees, including coddling moths on
apples and pears.
can be purchased from farm
stores or online. The tent-
shaped traps have bases
smeared with a sticky sub-
stance. On the trap bottom,
place a lure with
pheromones that waft a
scent to attract certain in-
sects. Starting in late spring,
hang the traps in the trees
and check each week. If
there are more than the tar-
get level of insects caught in
the trap in one week, spray-
ing with the least toxic spray
is recommended. If not,
knock off the ones trapped
and start counting again in
the new week.
On top of that, the recom-
mendations for sprays are
for low-impact sprays, many
of them organic, though
Renquist points out that
even some organic products
have risks. A good reference
for disease and pest control
is Extension’s Managing Dis-
eases and Insects in Home
Orchards, which has a list of
cultural practices and least
toxic products for various
pests and diseases. For in-
formation on specific prod-
ucts on the list contact your
local master gardeners.
MI TOWN
What a treat to read of
Western Oregon University
reaching No. 1 ranking in
NCAA Division II basketball.
Congratulations to all the
players, coaches and every-
one who has worked so hard
to achieve this exceptional
goal. Our Wolves were No. 1
in the Great Northern Ath-
letic Conference last year for
the first time, and team
members have built upon
that success.
—
The Monmouth Senior
Center celebrates February
birthdays this Friday with
ice cream and cake and
fun games beginning at 1
p.m. This is a great oppor-
tunity for folks to get to-
gether for conversation
and socializing, and to dis-
cover all the things the
center has to offer for sen-
iors. If you’re new to the
area, or haven’t been to the
center in quite a while, this
BIRTHS
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
is a good time to visit and
make new friends.
—
Burgerville’s recent family
literacy event was a great
adventure for kids and
adults and everyone who
participated in the fun.
Thanks to collaboration be-
tween Burgerville, the Mon-
mouth Public Library and
Goodwill, kids and their
families were able to receive
free books, coloring pages,
discounts on meals and free
ice cream cones. Thanks to
Burgerville team manager,
Colleen Spencer and Chil-
dren’s Librarian, Carrie
Kasperick for the first of
what promises to be a
monthly event. Burgerville
general manager Robert
Henry continues to be sup-
portive of community
fundraising events.
—
Along with my other ac-
tivities, I’m a wedding offi-
ciant and often help brides
and grooms with flowers,
wedding cakes and even
rings. It’s been such a pleas-
ure to be able to recom-
mend Petals and Vines,
Ovenbird Baker y and
Sandy’s Jewelry – where I’ve
been privileged to know
Maggie, Katie and Sandy.
I’ve officiated at weddings in
Main Street Park, and it’s fun
to say that MI Town has
everything for brides and
grooms without breaking
the budget.
—
Monmouth residents
Carol Infranca and Lee
Schlenker are celebrating
their silky terrier, Flash’s, win
in the breed competition at
the recent Westminster Ken-
nel Club’s annual dog show
at Madison Square Garden
in New York. Flash’s sister,
Allie (who is owned by two
other people), went one bet-
ter with the Best in Breed
trophy at the same event.
Flash is now off to other dog
shows in California, but will
soon return to MI Town
where he will enjoy being a
family pet.
—
Whether or not you ob-
serve the Lenten Season, it’s
a good time to clear away
those things that you don’t
need. Every day of the 40
days (counting back to Ash
Wednesday), put an item in
a container or big plastic
bag. By Easter, you can do-
nate those items to an or-
ganization that helps others
— and have more space in
your home.
Continued from page 11A
—
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (CONTINUED)
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the irst Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Lenten series — 5:30 to 8 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Free. Worship service at
5:30; soup supper at 6; video lecture series on Old Testament
followed by discussion from 7 to 8.
OBITUARIES
Continued from Page 11A
Earla Mae Cooley
Feb. 24, 1933 – Feb. 14, 2016
Earla Mae Cooley, 82, of
Dallas died Feb. 14 in Dal-
las.
S h e
was born
in Scott
C o u n t y,
Mo. , t o
Cecil and
Lela Vir-
g i n i a
Christian
Watkins.
She lived in and around
the Dallas area for many
years. She had been mar-
ried to Loren Cooley for the
past 38 years. They married
in Reno, Nev.
Mae worked at the Coo-
ley Furniture Store until she
retired in 2011. She was a
longtime Avon representa-
tive carrying a double route
for all of the years she
worked with the cosmetic
company. She earned many
Pre s i d e n t i a l Aw a rd s
through the years.
Mae enjoyed going out
to Spirit Mountain and
playing bingo or wherever
she could find a game. She
was an optimistic woman
that could laugh through
most situations in life.
Survivors include her
husband, Loren; sons,
Larr y Watkins, Lannie
Wa t k i n s , a n d L o n n i e
Watkins; stepsons, Steve
Cooley and David Cooley;
13 grandchildren; seven
great-grandchildren; and
one great-great-grandchild.
Private family gathering
will be held.
Bollman Funeral Home
handled arrangements.
To send an online trib-
ute: www.dallastribute.
com.
Furniture Upholstery
All types: for homes, offices, equip-
ment. Also, repairs, RV cushions,
slipcovers, High Quality since 1966
Stephen
Winters Sewing
503-838-4999 or 503-375-9266
Emmy
Joseph
440 E. St • Independence, OR 97351
www.winterssewing.com
Serving Polk County 16yrs
PEDEE NEWS
Allen and Tammy Shifley’s
daughter Amy is a junior at
George Fox University in
Newberg and was on the
dean’s list last term. She is
studying in Spain, working
on her graphic design de-
gree. She speaks Spanish and
is getting better all the time.
—
Paul and Diane Telfer just
returned from three weeks
in Costa Rica, where they
stayed at a friend’s rental.
They spent most of their
time hiking (10 miles a day!)
and birdwatching. Diane al-
ways wanted to see a toucan
in the wild, and she did.
They also loved seeing the
capuchin monkeys in the
trees — very cute but very
aggressive. Temperatures
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
were nice, but it was very
humid, so they were happy
to get home.
—
Jacob North did it again.
He won Polk County Women
for Agriculture’s Constitu-
tional essay contest by writ-
ing on five things he learned
when reading the Constitu-
tion. His prize was $300. The
women sponsor the contest
for Polk County high school
students every year to en-
courage them to read and
understand our Constitu-
tion.
—
The Pedee Women’s Club
just learned that Connie
Ames’ daughter Renee
Ames-Dukes, got engaged to
Douglas Pierce on Thanks-
giving. They will be getting
married in the park in Dallas
in June. On Monday, mem-
bers will have a sewing day
to make the next raffle quilt
to support the soldier fund,
and all are invited. If you
can’t sew, they’ll set you up
at the ironing board to press
seams as others sew. Or you
can keep the sewers compa-
ny as they work.
—
I came home from an “Ag
First” meeting last week, ex-
cited about the Mid-Valley
Winter Ag Fest that will be
held this weekend at the
Polk County Fairgrounds. It
is being held in conjunction
with the home show and
will have a wide variety of
fun events for kids and
adults, all to give attendees
a sense of what agriculture
is like in Polk County. I
think it will be fun and in-
teresting to go to, especially
for the kids. I’m all for
everyone understanding
where their food come from
and how county farmers are
a part of that. Ag First is a
coalition of Polk County
agriculture groups working
to promote and educate
about ag.
2016 Relay For Life Of Polk County — June 4-5
is back at Riverview Park in Independence
....and with it comes the opportunity to be a part of the largest worldwide
fight against cancer! It’s no coincidence that since the first Relay For Life
over 30 years ago, the survivor rate has risen from 45% to nearly 70%. In
Oregon alone, millions of dollars are being invested in prevention and espe-
cially treatments that are more personalized and thus more effective.
Sitting on the sidelines in Polk County is no longer an option. We can hope ~ or we can help through our support of Relay For Life as a
sponsor, a team member, or simply as a guest of the event. The following sponsors are already on board for 2016. Now it’s your turn!
The deadline for submitting a sponsorship is April 15.
Please join me in thanking these sponsors for joining the Relay For Life fight vs cancer:
West Valley Hospital
West Valley Physicians & Surgeons Clinic/Dr. John Hadley
City of Independence
The Majestic/Ray Stratton
Polk County Itemizer-Observer
MINET
Eola Hills Wine Cellars
Statewide Rent-A-Fence
Dutch Bros.
Dallas Retirement Village
Dr. Michelle Hasbrook. DDS
Polk County Association of Realtors
Brandt Sanitary Service
West Valley Surgical Specialty Clinic/Dr. Alison Smith
Monmouth Medical Center/Dr. Charles Essex
Bookey Strong
Dallas Aquatic Center
Les Schwab Tire Centers of Dallas, Independence, and
West Salem
NW Natural
Partnerships In Community Living, Inc
Royal Flush/Tony Teal
Central Lions Club
Western Days
Limeberry Frozen Yogurt
Salem Sand Club
Relay For Life of Polk
County will take place at
Riverview Park in
Independence June 4~5.
If you or someone you
know is interested in
sponsorship, contact
Lyla Bruce at
503-508-9277, or online at
aquarius1251@yahoo.com,
or visit our website at
www.relayforlife.org/polk
countyor
R E C Y C L E T H I S N E W S PA P E R !
We’re on a hunt
for local Easter
Egg Hunt
events!
Send us an email with information
about the event to: ionews@polkio.com
by noon on Friday, March 18th.
147 SE Court St., Dallas
503-623-2373 • www.polkio.com
Visit our
website,
www.polkio.com
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