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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Oregon Agricultural College is the Friend of the Fanner Page of News Notes and Interesting Articles Specially Written by College Experts For This Newspaper. View of Oregon Agnculturi;! Collepe. Corvallis, Oregon, the Sola Aim of Which Is to Aid Agriculturists. LIMING CERTAIN SOILS IN CREASES THE BACTERIA. THAT liming acid soils will greatly jicrease the number of soil bacteria that they 'contain has been defi nitely shown in a series of experiments Teported in Experiment Station bulle tin No. 118, just issued by the Agri cultural College. The experiments were conducted by T. D. Beckwith, bacteriol ogist, and show tho effect of lime on six widely different types of Oregon soils. In general it was found that in acid soils with a high eontent of hrmns and other organic matter the number of bacteria was greatly increased by lim ing at the rate of two tons of lime per aere-foot In soils carrying an excess of lime and deficiency of organic matter the number of bacteria was decreased by liming. Soils that were neutral were not affected by liming. It was sIbo found that the amount of plant food prepared by the action of the bacteria increased with the increase in the number of the bacteria. This, of course, is the important point, since the amount of available nitrogenous plant food in the soils is the main fac tor in the soil fertility problem. Liming the acid soUb has been shown by the Department of Chemistry to sweeten them and release unavailable plant food. It has been shown by the Agronomy Department that liming the compacted soils flocculates the finer portions, makes the soil granular and porous, and renders cultivation easier. And now comes the Department of Bacteriology showing that liming those aeid soils increases the number of bac teria, thus releasing the nitrogen eon- tent of tho soils and making the supply immediately available for plant food. In the meantime, the Extension workers have secured a bountiful sup ply of lime, which will be delivered at any station in the Willamette Valley at $3 per ton. a better pedigree than any other known flock of pullets. Their sires were half brothers to the world champion hen that laid 303 eggs in ono year. Their moth ers are half sisters to the earlier cham pion that laid 291 eggs in a year. Another ancestor of these pullets made a record of 257, another of 218 and another of 204 eggs per year. Their grandmothers and great-grandmothers each laid more than 200 eggs per year. Their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers were from hens that were more than 200-egg layers. If blood tells, these you. (; hens ought to fill the egg basket "They should average 400 eggs each in the next two years, ' said Professor Dryden, whose breeding methods pro duced tho world's best layers. "They were hatched a little early for securing high egg records, about the middle of Varch, but with good care on a two year basis they will no doubt average 400 eggs each." The flock will be kept in a separate yard and their individual ricords will be secured by trap-nesting. They will be managed by C. M. Wilcox, an O. A. C. graduate of this year's class, who is manager of the poultry work at the asylum. POISONED BRAN MASH STOPS GRASSHOPPERS. fOISONED bran mash is the most f satisfactory remedy under Central county on the other. It goes far to as sure close co-operation in carrying on the work. 1 The newly appointed pathologist is a graduate of the Utah University and took his doctor's degree in plant path ology at the University of Wisconsin last June, lie is a native of Idaho and has had extended experience in orchard work under western conditions. R ffWAT.T. LAWNS FOB FARMS AND FEW ANNUAL PLANTS. SMALL lawns with but few annuals is the recommondation for farms made by Professor W. S. Brown, extension horticulturist at the Oregon Agricultural Collego, in addressing the Monmouth grango recently. His subject was farm buildings and grounds, and the recommendation is a part of the general plan of simplicity and tasto ad vocated. . "One reason for few annuals is the fact that farmers often havo no time to bother with them in the spring, when they must havo attention if they are made attractive," said ho. "But they do not fit in so well with tho general plan as do tho perennials and shrub bery, which soon eoine to have a defi nite and characteristic effect in giving each farm Lome its distinctive features. "Clipped lawns should be small since small lawns require less time for their care and are almost sure to be better eared for than the large ones. Also, they release more land for other pur poses, and if it is thought best to have a larger tract of meadow land it should be located outside of the yard fences where it may be mowed by horse power as often as necessary." Oregon conditions, . for grasshop pers, according to Professor H. t. Wil son, who has just returned from a sue ceBBful campaign against grasshoppers in Klamath county. Its materials are cheap, easily put togother, easily ap plied and the poison is quite effective. The only exceptions to the success of the treatment is with the hoppers that are in the moulting stage and refuse to eat much of anything. As most successfully used in the re cent raid, the mash was prepared as follows: Bran, 50 wunds; pans green or white arsenic, 2 pounds; salt, 1 pound: syrup, 1 quart; lemon extract, 1 . . i. . ii ounee; water to mane a uioruugmy soaked mixture. The mixture is best applied by broad casting, walking in tho center of a 20 or 30-foot strip and sowing both to the right and to the left. This should be done early in the morning, since the bran retains the moisture longer tben and the young hoppers on beginning to feed eat tho poisoned bp.it greedily. After the bran loses its moisture and after the young insects have eaten well of the plant food, the bran has less at traction for the insects. It takes sev eral hours for the pois6n to complete its work, but within a :ay or two after it has been eaten the grasshoppers arc dead. Only a flako or so is required to kill the young hopper when hungry TEACHERS CONDUCT SURVEY. URAL teachers can best shape their work after making a pre liminary survey of the school and school conditions," said T. P. Harring ton, state organizer of girls' and boys' ndustrial clubs in Oregon, addressing the summer school students at the Ag ricultural College. Buildings, repairs and equipments are inventoried in these survevs, and further needs noted. But moro important than all these, the product of the school the number and character of its pupils and kind of work accomplished by them should be noted and listed for future reference. With a distinctive knowledge of what the school has done and what it has failed to uo, and of what it can and should be made to do, the competent teacher is able to shape his work to the needs of the district. The teacher should tben adopt a definite and continuous policy whoBC aim should be the best school possible and the best education possible for its girls and boys. Indi cations of the success with which this is done are the asking of questions and advice by tho pupils, their hearty co operation in school work and other re lated work, and the interest of parents and sehool boards. horticultural expert in the Hood River district during the summer U inspect the orchards and observe methods of handling fruit. The purpose of the visit is announced by the University ot Wis consin Press Bulletin as follows: "To learn what or'tjard methods are followed by western orchardists which might be adapted by Wisconsin fruit men, R. F. Howard, agricultural experi ment station, University of Wisconsin, will this summer visit many of the fruit farms in the Hood River Valley (Ore gon). Many of the young men attend ing the collego of agriculture are inter ested in orcharding and desire informa tion on the western plan of handling and marketing of fruit." TEN O. O. A. C. PULLETS SENT TO STATE HOSPITAL. A FLOCK of 100 pullets of tho most famous laying strain in the world has been sent iy the Agricultural Collego Poultry Department to the State Insane Asylum, to be usea partly NEW PLANT PATHOLOGIST FOR MEDFORD DISTR-JT, H SPECIALIST in plant pathology, f Dr. M. T. Henderson, University of Wisconsin, has been appointed by the Oregon Agricultural College as nathologist and assistant county a' viser of Jaekson county, with hcadquar tors at Medford. Under the provisions of the county farm adviser law Jackson county maintains a county adviser co operatively with the Extension division of the college. This office is filled by Professor F. C. Reimer, superintendent of the Southern Oregon Experiment Station at Talent The new arrangement was secured through co-operation between the t,x periment Station, tho branch Station fn rtnmnnst.rat.ion -UrDOSeS. 1 heS6 PUl let have been bred from many gen- and tho Extension division on the one rations of extra good layers and have hand and the county court of Jaeksou PANAMA POULTRY SHOW BY O. A. C. DEPARTMENT. HE educational poultry exhibit of tho United States Government at the Panama-Pacifie Exposition will be furnished by the Poultry De partment of the Oregon Agricultural College. "The striking results obtained at your station indicates yor ability to put on an excellent exhibit," writes Dr, A. C. True, who is directing the Gov ernment s agricultural display at the Exposition. Tho invitation to provido and arrange the material for this ex hibit has been accepted by Professor Dryden, but definjto plans for the dis play lave not yet been decided upon. In outlining tho general character of the exhibit Director True suggested that it should include research, teaching and extension features of poultry husbandry. This plan will bo followed by the local poultry department in selecting and ar ranging tho display, although the limit ed space available makes necessary n close concentration of exhibit mate rial. DRAINAGE OF CAMPUS. RAINAGE results have proved to be JtJF very satisfactory on the Oregon Agricultural Collego campus. Wot only were tne aramon areas entirely free from surfacec water during the wet season, but they aro less affected by tho revere dronght of the present sum mer. By lowering the water tablo in the wet seasor drainage permitted bet ter aeration and 'ess compaction, so that capilarity is much more perfectly performed during the summer. A wide use of tiling draining systems is thus i- dicatcd for farm lawns and stock grounds. HOWARD WILL INSPECT NORTH WESTERN ORCHARDS. REGON methods of orchard prac tice havo attracted the attention of mid-west fruit growers, and the University of Wisconsin will have a FEEDING FOR EGGS. THE FOURTH edition of Professor James Dryden 's bulletin, Feeding for Eggs, has just been issued by the Extension division and may be had upon request. Each of tho thrco for mer editions was exhausted, showing the sustained demand for reliablo data on tho subject of feeding poultry to se cure a good egg supply. Tho material of this bulletin was secured by Iho au thor in experiments covering many- years and has been revised to date. From the table on composition of fooda the ponltryman can readily determine which food stuffs ean be bought most profitably in the different sections of tl a state. Feeding is regarded by lre fesaor Dryden aa one of tho four prin cipal factors in filling the egg basket. TOM LAWSON, FARMER. SCIENTIFIC farming methods appeal i to Hon. Tom Lawson, the noted M economist arid journalist. Ml. Lawson, who made the Wall street mag nates bunt tall timber, is visiting at the farm of his son-in-law, Henry Me oall, of Crook county, Oregon. On thia farm a specialty is made of high class pure-bred cattle and swine. Holste.ins and Jerseys and many breeds of swine, are carried as part of the farm stock. The owner is co-operating with the Ag ricultural College in many lines, and finds that tho scientific methods pay best Bacterial cultures for the legumes has been found to be especially profitable. HUNTING LIME SUPPLY. LIME, so much needed in many sec tions of the Willamette Valley to sweeten sour soils, is the object of special search by two county ngrieul-t-.rists, Floyd W. Rader, of Lane county, and Luther J. (hapin, of Ma rion. A suitablo source of lime is be lieved to be found in quarries near Med ford of good quality and largo extent. Grinding is necessary t make it fit to apply to the field, and the two spec.al ists hope 10 lear the exact details of operation and cost of product, and to ax range for tho installation of necessary machinery Its great "alue to the farm has been worked out by 1 rofessor H. D. Scndder, agronomist at the Agricultural College. 0' GRASSHOPPER SPRAYS. Arsenical sprays are beneficial in the control of grasshoppers on trees, fruit bushes and shrubby plants, according to A. L. Lovett, assistant entomologist at the Oregon Agricultural College. A spray made of one and one-half to five pounds of leaS arsenate in fifty gallon of water may be used, depending upon the nature of the foliage to be sprayed. The solution should be as strong as caa be used without injury to the plant, since it acts rather slowly at times, The hopper dozer and the poison brnn mash are standard treatments when suited to conditions. The ideal time for fight ing this pest is early spring and in the full.