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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1915)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION United States Department of Agriculture Special Page Bulletins and Special Articles Issued by the Government, of Interest to the Northwest; Suggestions Covering a Wide Range of Activities; Results of Federal Investigations, Etc. 8 Remedies for Keeping White Ant From Timber THE ravages of the white ant which, because of its insidious work in timber and wood structures, is one of the most destructive insects of North America, can be limited by comparatively simple measures, ac cording to the entomologists of the United States Department of Agricul ture. This pest, known scientifically as the termite, attacks bridge tim bers, wells, silos, telegraph poles, bean poles, mine props, fence posts and railroad ties, and the sudden crumbling of wharves, caving in of mines, and the settling in of floors are sometimes directly due to its hid den borings. Some of the recommendations of the Department's entomologist for dealing with this pest are as follows Forest products in contact with the ground should be impregnated with coal-tar creosote, which is a perma nent preventive against attacks by our native termites. Coal-tar creo sote has many properties which would recommend its use in this respect for it is also a fungicide, and, being insoluble in water, will not leach out in wet locations. These require ments furnish objections to many chemicals that otherwise are very effective insecticides. The various methods of superficial ly treating timber, as by charring, by brushing, or by dipping with various chemical preservatives, among which are creosotes, carbolineums, etc., have proven to be temporarily effective, in preventing attack, if the work is thoroughly done. If not thoroughly done, termites enter through the un treated or imperfectly treated por tions, especially through weathering checks and knots. Where the bases of poles, mine props, etc., are left untreated, termites enter the timber from below, and, avoiding the treated portions, come up through the inter ior. Charred timber is effective against termite attack for a period less than a year, although it is not seriously damaged at the end of one year. It will readily be seen that neither brushing nor spraying the exterior after placement, as is sometimes prac ticed, is effective in keeping out ter mites, since the portion that sets in the ground could not be treated, and it is usually at this point that ter mite attack occurs. Before treating timber with chem ical preservatives, especially where the brush method is employed, it is essential that the timber be thor oughly seasoned, otherwise penetra tion by the preservative will be re tarded. Many patented wood preservatives, advertised as effective against wood borers, often merely contain simple preservatives, as for instance, linseed oil, to which a slight odor of oil of citronella has been imparted, or con tain simple poisons. For timber to be set in the ground, brush coatings with linseed oil are not effective against termites. Impregnation with chlorinated napthalene may prove effective against termites, as a preservative for woodwork, in interior finish where it is important that the pre servative should not "sweat" out, or stain the wood. Treated wood blocks buried in the ground with termite-infested logs were not attacked after a test of nearly six months. Impreg nation with paraffin wax was not effective in the bureau of Entomol ogy's experiments. If the wood is not in contact with the ground, im pregnation treatments with bichloride of mercury and zinc chloride are et fective. The mercury and zinc in this form are both soluble in water. Farming in Hawaii. The Army Is a most important factor in the development of diversi fied farming in Hawaii. This branch - of our Government uses large quan tities of corn, eggs, potatoes, poultry and other products, and the authori ties are desirous of having the terri tory develop an independent source of food supply, as the possibilities of development along these lines are very great in these islands. Sudan grass, sorghum, legumes and other forage plants have already been planted by the Department's experi ment Station in co-operation with the military post in order to furn!sh green feed for the horses. Red and white Bermuda onion seed are doing well in Hawaii. Eight acres of onions yielded 32,210 pounds last year, not counting small onions of pickling size. " Co-Operative Marketing for Hawaiian Pineapple Jt MARKETING division to assist pineapple growers has been or ganized by the TJ. S. Department of Agriculture's experiment station in the Hawaiian Islands. Prices which canners have been offering for pine apples are less than the cost of pro duction. The Hawaiian pineapple grower today has to expend from $12 to $15 per ton to produce his fruit, whereas the price offered by the can ners range from $5 to $11 per ton for first-grade pineapples and one-half these prices for second-grade prod ucts. As a result the small grower Is now seeking a market for his fresh fruit In the United States. However, the business of shipping can hardly be carried on satisfactorily without organization and it Is to help out in this connection that the new division has been organized, according to the latest report of the Hawaii experi ment station. It is also suggested in the report that better arrangements could be made if there were a branch of the marketing division in San Francisco, which should act as a central office for fresh pineapple shipments. This office could undoubtedly prevent the succession of bare and flooded markets which has characterized the previous condition of pineapple ship ments. The same office could also do val uable service in handling other Hawaiian products, such as sweet po tatoes, onions, bananas, beans, coffee, cocoanuts and kukui nuts. The last mentioned product is particularly val uable on account of its large oil con tent. Prune Peaches ffHEN is the proper time to Lf prune peach trees?" This is a question fre quently asked of the United States Department of Agriculture's special ists. In general, the answer is: "Dur ing the dormant period, preferably late winter or eariy oynuB, juv ue- fnro irrnwth starts. This is true ex cept in regions where bleeding from wounds is HKely to occur, wnen u should probably be done in early Winter." The subject of pruning peach trees is more fully explained in a new Farmers' Bulletin (No. 632) on "Growing Peaches," which deals also with renewal of tops, thinning, in torplanted crops and other special practices. Somotimes the owner of a peach orchard will find it necessary to prune his trees throughout the Win ter whenever the weather is suitable for men to work in the orchard, par ticularly if the operations are very extensive. But if the fruit buds are endangered during the Winter by adverse temperatures, it may be ad visable to delay pruning as much as economic conditions permit until set tled Spring weather arrives. This is especially advisable if heavy heading, in of the previous season's growth is involved, since the proportion of live buds may determine the extent to which the cutting back should be carried. . Summer Pruning. A limited amount of Summer prun ing can usually be done to advantage. The trees should be observed con stantly throughout the season of ac tive growth. Whenever a branch-Is seen which is so placed that it obvi ously will need to be removed at the annual pruning for the shaping up of the tree, it is well to take it off at once. In this way the annual prun ing can be reduced to a minimum and the removal of large limbs will rarely be necessary. Then, too, it frequently happens that a single branch in the top of a tree will grow considerably faster than any of the others, thus making the tree unsymmetrical if its growth is not checked. A slight heading In as soon as such a tendency is appar ent will usually keep the top well balanced. There is a wide difference of opin ion wen rill ncr thfi nractiee of DrUnlllE trees, but the most successful fruit growers usually prune their trees. The principal objects may be summed up briefly as follows: 1. To modify the vigor of the tree. 2. To keep the tree shapely and within bounds. a Tn mako thfi tro more stockv. 4. To open the tree top to admit air and sunshine. Movement Satisfactory in Cold-Storage Apples ALTHOUGH dealers generally re port that the holiday demand for apples did not. prove to be as ex pected, the result of Investigations conducted by the office of markets of the United States Department of Ag riculture would indicate that the movement of cold-storage apples dur ing the month of December was satis factory under the conditions.- Three hundred and six firms reported for January 1, of which number 231 re ported for December 1. If the av erage condition for this number of storages situated in all parts of the country is a criterion, approximately 13 per cent of the total cold-storage holdings December 1 were marketed prior to January 1. The decrease In barrel holdings was much greater than for boxes. The percentage of movement in December for box apples was small, but it Is to be remembered that large quantities of this pack are held in common storage In the box apple pro ducing areas, and that box apples placed in cold storage under condi tions existing this year were held largely for the later Winter markets. The cold-storage holdings of ap ples are admittedly large, and a reg ular, vigorous movement throughout the remainder of the season may be necessary to prevent disaster in the Spring. Growers and dealers ;are urged neither to dump their holdings nor to stand tor arbitrarily nign prices. Panicky selling usually means erlef. but all concerned should Beek to move cold-storage apples gradu ally and with such rapidity as the market allows, so that tne deal may be wound up in relatively good shape. in Early Spring 6. To reduce the struggle for ex istence in the tree top. 6. To remove dead or interfering branches. 7. To aid In stimulating the devel opment of fruit buds. 8. To thin the fruit. 9. To make thorough spraying pos sible. 10. To facilitate the harvesting of the fruit. Pruning and the Future. Obviously the pruning which a tree receives during the first two or three years after it is planted has much to do with Its future. Mistakes in form ing the head or the results of neglect during the early years In the life of a tree are practically Irreparable. On the other hand, if the tree Is well formed and properly pruned during its first years, the foundation for a good tree is established; subseqeunt errors in pruning, If they occur, may admit of correction without perma nent harm to the tree. The new bulletin explains why in certain regions where warm periods of considerable length occur during the Winter, It Is well to prolong the growth of trees until late every sea son. I he rest period during which trees generally remain dormant is one which is fairly decided by Na ture. Until that period is past, when once the trees have become dormant they do not respond readily to tem peratures which later would cause them to resume a more or less active condition. If the growth of the tree Is con tinued actively until the near ap proach of cold weather each season by means of late tillage, nitrogenous fertilizers, or in other ways, the per iod of rest for the tree will not be completed until a later time in the Winter. Then if a spell of warm weather occurs in January, for in stance, the tree which would ordinar ily respond to It, will remain Inactive until many of the dangers of frost have passed. A great many practical pointers on renewing the tops of peach trees, changing the top by budding and grafting, thinning the fruit, control ling insect pests, and on growing some annual crop in between the trees, are Included In the new bulle tin. This, along with another Farm ers' Bulletin (No. 631) covers the general subject of peach growing and treats of fundamental orchard opera tions. A third Farmers' Bulletin (No. 633) will deal with the varie ties and classification of peaches, any of these publications may be obtained by interested farmers who apply to the editor and chief, Division of Pub lications, United States Department ol Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Birds Useful; Destroy Insects and Weed Seeds HOW birds which destroy harmful Insects and weed seeds may be useful to the farmer is described in a new Farmers' Bulletin (No. 630) of the United States Department o Agriculture, entitled "Some Common Birds Useful to the Farmer." Whether a bird is beneficial or in jurious depends almost entirely on what it eats, says the introduction to the new bulletin. In the case of spe cies which are very abundant, or which feed to some extent on the crops of the farmer, the question of their average diet becomes one of supreme, importance, and only by stomach examination can it be satis factorily solved. Field observations are at best but . fragmentary and inconclusive and lead to no final results. Birds are often accused of eating this or that product of cultivation, when an ex amination of the stomachs shows the accusation to be unfounded. Ac cordingly, the biological survey has conducted for some years past a sys tematic investigation of the food ot those species which are most com mon about the farm and garden. Within certain limits birds eat the kind of food that Is most accessible. especially when their natural food Is scarce or wanting. Thus they some times Injure the crops of the farmer who has unintentionally destroyed their natural food In his Improvement of swamp or pasture. Most of the damage done by birds and complained of my farmers and fruit growers arises from this very cause. The berry-bearing shrubs and seed-bear ing weeds have been cleared away, and the birds have no recourse but to Ettack the cultivated grain or fruit which have replaced their nat ural food supply. The great majority of land birds subsist upon insects during the period of nesting and moulting, and also feed their young upon them during the first few weeks. Many species live almost entirely upon insects, taking vegetable food only when other subsistence fails. It is thus evident that in the course of a year birds destroy an incalcuable number of Insects, and It is difficult to over estimate the value of their services in restraining the great tide of insect life. In Winter, In the northern part of the country, Insects become scarce or entirely disappear. Many species of birds, however, remain during the cold season and are able to maintain life by eating vegetablo food, as the seeds of weeds. Here again is an other useful function of birds in de stroying these weed seeds and there by lessening the growth of the next year. Tho new publication discusses the food habits of more than 50 birds be longing to 12 families. Many are eastern forms which are represented in the West by slightly different species or subspecies, but unless the food habits differ they are not sep arately described. Among the pop ular birds included are the robin, bluebird, wren, brown thrasher, cat bird, bobolink, oriole, crow, cuckoo, and the American sparrow. Okru Klght Foot High. An American variety of okra which has nllulned a height of from 7 to 8 feet has been grown on heavy clay soli n our little possession of Guam, fa.' out on the Pacific. This variety Is called White Velvet, and the Department's experiment station In Guam expects much of this va riety. , A great number of American vege tables have been found to grow eas ily in Guam, including cucumbers, lettuce, radishes and beans. Egg plant produces heavy yields of ex cellent quality. One variety intro duced with Buccess has been the New York Improved Spineless. The pep per Is also produced with the great est ease and is much relished by the natives. For five years special at tention has been given to growing the tomato in Guam, but until this year all efforts have failed. During the past season, however, a number of tomatoes were produced, which, although very small, were mild and Bavory and should prove prolific. In sect enemies have so far been very easily controlled in the case of prac tically all these vegetables. "When we reach our last dollar we earnestly wish that all the others had been as big as It looks.