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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Oregon Agricultural College is the Friend of the Farmer A Page of Bulletins and News Notes Concerning the Staff at Corvallis. AST rNSTBUCTION SEEKS BETTER COMMON THINGS. a If F THE ART teacher's ideal is no J higher than to teach children to draw and paint, he would do a kindness by stepping aside," is the comment of Edna M. Darida, art in itructor, who will conduct the teach ers' public school art classes in the Oregon Agricultural College summer session. "Wo are not trying to make ddraughtsincn or artists of our boys and girls; we are educating them for bigger lives and higher ideals, making a better America for tomorrow than it is today. Children must be taught how to meet the needs of the people in the fienst way. "Tho Chinese and Japanese have come a little nearer than any other people to realizing the beauty in ordi nary things. A comparison of our jugs end tea jars with theirs will show how crude and unpleasing ours are. Good proportion and pleasing lines ure two qualities that lend themselves to al most any material, however coarse, but they are not found iu household uten sils of domestic manufacture. "Let us visit a shop and ask to be shown a beautiful pitcher, adequate for ordinary use and at moderate price. After showing us the unsatisfactory white stone ware the shopkeeper takes us to a counter where roses and nar cissus ill gaudy splashes uiinglo with eows' heads and fantastic scrolls. He ays these things meet the public de mand. So our people quietly go ubroad j for treasures no more beautiful than might be made at home with proper support. The child in tho public school should be taught the real needs of the people." AGRONOMY GRAUDATE TO TEACH. THE KLAMATH FALLS high school has secured the services of C. E. Chandler, O. A. C. graduate in agriculture, for teacher of agriculture. Mr. Chandler specialized in agronomy with specific training in dry farming, irrigation farming, cereal and forage crops, crop production, soil fertility and farm management, and has prepared himself particularly for the work in Klamath County. He was a student of high scholarship in his college work. During the summer he will act as field assistant to the eounty farm advisor of Klamath County. BEEF CATTLE NOT WORTH FEED ON SMALL FARM. THAT BEEF cattle on the small farm will make but a small profit, if any at all, is the belief of Pro fessor E. B. Fitts, extension livestock man at O. A. C. It is advisable to turn off the beef early, since beef is pro duced more cheaply during the first two years of the animal's life than at any time afterwards. "There is no profit in feeding beef cattle for the additional flesh that they put on. The hay that a beef eats in a day is worth more than the beef it makes. The only advantage in feeding is to give a high finish that will com mand top prices. "The beef animal is not so profit able as the dairy cow or as pigB and sheep. When beef is produced, the pro ducers should breed along beef lines. The Durham and Hereford generally stand at the head of the beef breeds, but the Galloway and Angus are also good beef animals." LET FARMING METHODS. GROWING corn and field peas, to be hogged off, and growing alfalfa in rows for seed will be practiced at the Moro Dry Farming Station this year. The former is a new practice following the plan adopted by Profes sor Scudder, agronomist of tho Oregon Agricultural College. All these crops lave been grown successfully at the Moro station, and the highest yielding varieties of seed developed has been distributed to co-operative farmers throughout the state. Tho work is un der the diretcion-of D. E. Stephens, superintendent of the station, who con sults with Professor Scudder regarding Station work, He is enthusiastic over lug work and a great believer in the jogaibilities of Oregon agriculture. FARMERS ASK AND GET HELP FROM THE COLLEGE. eARMERS are fast coming to act on the fact that the Agricultural Col lege is a source of help in their everyday "problems of the farm. The flood of inquiries that reach the heads of the departments make it difficult to handle them with the usual facilites, The department of Agronomy receives from thirty to forty letters daily, each requiring a special answer. Other in quiries are of a more general nature, aud the answers are printed in th bulletins to reach hundreds of farmers through the local newspapers to which they are sent. Extension work in Agronomy is also very heavy at this season. On Satur days nearly the entire department is iibroad on field service in different parts of the state. Here is a tvpicul busy day: ... Professor Scudder, head of the do partment, went to Cow Creek Vallev, Southern Oregon, to examine a large ranch for which a complete manage ment plan is to be laid out. Frofes sor Ilyslop addressed a farmers' meet ing at Junction City on com growing and silage making. Professor Powers went t oHubbard to address a meet ng on district drainage and tile lay tig. Professor Larson was at Molalla to speak to the farmers on corn grow ing and diversified farming, and D. McCool addressed two meetings in the viciuity of Medford on corn growing and soil fertility. AGRICULTURAL AGENTS. COUNTY AGRICULTURAL agents have been provided for by ap propriations iu ten counties of the state and Btcps for maintaining this service have been taken by other pro gressive counties. Thus practically one third of the Oregon counties have com mitted themselves to the county demon stration policy, which is a remarkable showing for the Bhort time since the policy was inaugurated. "The Counties of Harney, Wallowa, Union, Grant, Klamath, Coos, Tilla mook, Lane and Marion, have made appropriations for maintaining county agricultural experts," said Professor H. T. French, state leader of county farm and field demonstration work. "The sum provided by each county will be duplicated by tho state. The United States epartment of Agriculture will also co-operate with the counties and the extensi-jn division of the Agricul tural College in carrying on the demon stration work." A number of these counties have been supplied with field agents, and and the others will be supplied as rap idly as Professor French can examine the credentials of aplicants and make the appointments. The farmers of Wal lowa County wero saved from serious damage by smut through tho work of their field agent, Floyd Rader. They were also enabled to effect a large sav ing by using modern pig houses, con structed after the model designed by Air. Rader. Dairymen in Coos County are organizing the dairy iudustry under the supervision of County Agent Smith, cow testing associations being generally formed. .These incidents il lustrate some of the benefits of the demonstration policy. This policy is rapidly growing in favor and use. Thero are more than 200 county agents now employed in different states, some states supporting 20 agents. The kind of work done by these agents tends to increase the net income of the farm and exalt the ideals of country life. t ... FACTORIES CONGRESS TO ESTABLISH MANUFACTORIES CONGRESS of Manufactures was , held at Oregon City for the pur pose of considering the question of locating many now factories in various parts of the state. Prominent manu facturers and numerous delegates from commercial clubs attended and discuss ed the problems of production, market ing, factories and transportation in Oregon. The first aim of the con gress is to asce'iain tho actual con ditions, after which it will utilize tho knowledge thus gained iu establishing factories in the localities for success ful manufacturing. ."It is fitting that this movement to promote the interests of Oregon man ufacture should have its origin at this College," said Dean J. A. Bexell, of the Sehool of Commerce under whose auspices the convention was held. "Every important industry in the state is represented here and we are not pro moting tho interests of Corvallis, of Beuton eounty, or of the Willamette Valley, in particular, but the interests of the whole stato. "Neither is this a booster meeting. Our purpose is to secure real facts re garding the various industries of the state and the feasibility of locating factories near the cent rs of produc tion of raw materials. "The success of this movement to establish new factories depends upon our ability to show that they may be made profitable. We caunot arbitrar ily locate industries in any particular locality they must be caused to grow into it. It may tako a long time to accomplish much and this is a small be giuniug. But if this beginning results in greater efficiency in handling our surplus products and in creating new pay rolls, it is well worth the effort." The investigations of the congress revealed the fact that whilo Oregon was the first of tho North Pacific states to be put on the map, it is the last in developing its resources. This condition is due, say the findings of the resolution committee, to the early exploitation of the state by agents for machinery and of watered stock. In consequence, many lactories have been idle for years and much machinery has gone to dee.a. Production has suffered for lack of proper utilization. The first step in tho promotion of factories for Oregon ib a thorough re search in each part of the state, to de termine which raw materials are pro duced, at what cost, and what market and factory conditions are already pro vided. And finally, the minor prob lems that enter into these larger ones must be determined and solved. . POULTRY KEEPERS' DON'TS AS SEEN AT 0. A. C. SHOW. SVON'T use mongrel stock" is one gj) of the first signs encountered on entering the Utility Poultry Show held by the Poultry Department of the Oregon. Agricultural College Professor James Dryden thus expressed his estimate of the value of mongrel fowls, He has resorted to a limited and scientific use of cross breediug in his work oi developing a new variety, but only mongrels are different consid erations. "Don't use immature stock," is the next sign displayed at the show. Both size and variety are affected unfavor ably by mating over young chickens. Vitality is an important factor in heavy egg-laying. "Don't start too big," comes next. No amount of knowledge and enthu siasm can make up for lack of exper ience, and mistakes are sure to be made in the beginning. If the begin ning is on a large scale, some of these mistakes will prove very serious. There fore, they should be made with only a few fowls. When, the business has grown the mistakes can be avoided. "Dont's" will not conduct a profit able poultry business but the intelli gent observation of these three will steer the beginner clear of some of the most disasterous, though alluring, mistakes. . t IDENTIFY THE INSECT, THEN APPLY SPRAY. SPRAYS should not be applied to plants to rid them of insects until it is definitely known that the in sects are harmful. Tho mere fact that they are present in considerable num bers is not sufficient warrant for spray ing. They may bo harmful, but again they may be either neutral or beno ficial. If they are injurious, they should be combatted, but if they are beneficial, they should be encouraged, since, it is definitely known that the restriction of the natural enemies of harmful in sects has dono much to increase the numbers of harmful pests. "Begin the work of control by care fully studying tho insect," says Fro- fessor H. F. Wilson, entomologist of the Oregon Agricultural College. "If you can identify the insect, and it is harm ful, then apply the standard spray ac cording to directions. If you cannot identify it, then note the effect it has on the plant. If the plant shows signs of insect feeding, the visitors that cause them are eating insects and can be con trolled by arsenical sprays. If the plant shows curled leaves, wilted surface, creasing, uneven and discolored tissues but no nibbled areas, the 'visitors are suching insects aud can bo controlled by contact insecticides. But if the plant shows no signs of damage the visitors are probably either neutral, or predacious insects in search of harm ful insects that they feed upon. The plant often shelters the hunter as well us the game." PROFITABLE BEEF CATTLE. SUCCESSFUL livestock growers as well as dealers in livestock and meats, must know the market de mands and then grow animals that will meet them. This is the cardinal princi ple of the industry as announced by Mr. Forestel, expert buyer for the Union Meat Company, in his livestock demon stration before the Oregon Agricultural College Short Course Students. Farmers that raise livestock for beef and pork, often aim at the production of animals as big and as fat as they can be made. When those farmers take the stock to the markets they are disappointed and often angry because it brings less per pound than the smaller animals. Beef animals are sold with the highest mar-' gin of profit at from one to two years of age. A grower recently sold a year ling steer in the city market for $'J5 at tho same time that another grower sold a two-year old fur $117. There is no profit at all in carrying beef animals after they are two or threo years old. It was further pointed out that types should bo developed that carry high percentages in the choice parts of tho carcass. Everybody wants porterhouse steak and prime ribs, and those cuts must bear the loss of the chuck, which is about 42 per cent of the dressed beef. And then people wonder why beef is so high. But growers wil profit by know ing the facts, if they choose their beef types accordingly. CROP PEST REPORT USED AS TEXT BOOK. THAT insect and disease pests at tack their crops and how to con trol them, are learned by the school children of Kenntwick, Wash., from the Oregon Agricultural College Biennial Crop Pest Report, which is used as a text book. Requests for copies of the Report were made by stu dents and teachers of the Kennewick school, who state that it contains the most complete, reliable and practical in formation of any publication that they have found. The report was written by the de partments of riant Pathology and En tomology, from information collected by observation and experiments extending over several years. It contains a de scription of approximately all plant diseases of economic importance in the Northwest, together with the most re liable and economical methods of con trol. It also contains a record of tho most important insect pests of this re gion and the most approved measures of control. The pests are identified by descriptions and illustration, and their habits and the nature of the injury they do are clearly indicated. With this re port as a guide any intelligent grower of field, fruit or garden crops can iden tify the worst pests and apply effective. control measures. As the season for spraying approaches the report becomes of very great iin portance to growers throughout thfl Northwest. Its intelligent use will re suit in a great saving of time, labor, material and produce, Copies may be had freo by sending requests for thorn to the secretary of the Experiment Stay tion, 0. A. C, Corvallis, Oregon, . Turning the knob ever so little rings a hidden bell in a new lock for residence, doors, Southern Itnly will have a $13,000,000 hydroelectric plant generating 150,00(1 horsepower.