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.