PAGE FOUR
HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1937 '
Heppner
Gazette Times
THE HEPPNER GAZETTE,
Established March 30. 1883;
THE HEPPNER TIMES,
Established November 18, 1897;
CONSOLIDATED FEBRUARY 16, 1912
Published every Thursday morning by
CBAWrOBD FUBUSHOTO COMPANY
and entered at the Post Office at Hepp
ner, Oregon, as second-class matter.
JASPER V. CRAWFORD, Editor
SPENCER CRAWFORD, Manager
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75
,t5
Official Paper for Morrow County
1937
JULY
1937
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M " " u It 1M
Let's Go Weeding
TTS JUST a simple truism that
JL weeds and crops don't go to
gether. You recognize the fact when
you hoe the weeds out of the car
rots and cabbage, or when you pull
the weeder over the summerfallow,
And in years past the hoe and the
weeaer were about all that was
needed to combat the weed enemies
in this county.
The appearance of morning glory
a few years ago complicated the
weed problem, and we learned for
the first time the necessity of using
something more than the common
weed exterminators. We learned
something of the use of chemicals, a
tedious and expensive method. But
the early application of the cure
proved effective and the morning
glory problem was generally put
under control at not too great rost,
Now there has appeared on the
scene two more weeds of the noxious
perennial type, white top and Rus
sian knap weed. They, too, require
more than the commonly known
methods of extermination, and the
cost of battling them is much greater
than that of battling the old weeds,
These newcomers offer a dire
threat, as told in another column by
Joseph Belanger, county agent. In
dividual effort here and there will
not suffice to check their inroads.
It is a problem commanding a unity
of effort, for if left unchecked con
sequences of the weed invasion will
be such as to curtail the income of
everyone, hence expenditure from
the group pocketbook is justified to
prevent the threatened general cur
tailment of income.
That loaning agencies refuse to
make any loans on land infested
with white top and Russian knap
weed is sufficient evidence of the
threat which these newcomers offer
should their spread be left un
checked. The general attack on the prob
lem has been outlined. It is to have
the county court declare the entire
county into a weed control district,
whereby budgetary allowance can
be made to assist individual effort.
This attack seems wise. Especially is
it wise now when the enemy is com
paratively weak, and the cost of ex
termination is not out of reason. If
the attack is deferred a few years,
the enemy's strength certainly will
have grown to invulnerable propor
tions, as history of other regions has
proved much to the sorrow of those
who have fallen victim.
The Heppner Lions club this week
recognized the seriousness of the
problem. It is one on which every
civic and farm organization within
the county should act, not only in
lending support to the court in tak
ing the necessary action, but in or
ganizing intelligent cooperative ef
fort to carry the battle on to the
earliest possible victory.
NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL IMPORTANCE
EMPHASIZED BY FARM LEADERS
By JOSEPH BELANGER,
County Agricultural Agent.
The situation in Morrow county
as rgeards perennial noxious weeds
is similar to that of a man with a
quarter-section of land with a few
small scattered patches of weeds.
On such a farm a man could afford
to get rid of his weeds. In fact, he
could not afford not to. But if the
weeds were allowed to spread for a
few years, the cost of control or
eradication would exceed the value
of the land.
Last week the Gazette Times car
ried a reprint of an editorial from
the Vale Enterprise in which county
agent R. G. Larsen was quoted as
having said that $15,000 spent ten
years ago would have cleaned up the
noxious weed situation in Malheur
county, and the weeds could then
have been kept under control at a
small annual expense. Now, accord
ing to Mr. Larsen, the cost of weed
eradication in that county would
be the prohibitive sum of $250,000
The noxious weed situation in Mor
row county is not as acute now as it
was in Malheur county ten years
ago. The situation there is not
unique. Similar examples can be
found in other counties in Oregon
and in most of the states in the
Union. We are exceedingly fortunate
that we still have time to start con
trol and eradication proceedings
while the cost is still reasonable.
There should be no mistake about
it. Our noxious -weed situation is not
beyond control but is, nevertheless,
a grave problem requiring immediate
and decisive action.
At the annual meeting of the ag
ricultural council of the Pacific
Northwest Advisory board, held at
Tacoma in June, the entire program
was devoted to a discussion of
weeds. George R. Hyslop, head of
the division of plant industsies, who
acted as chariman of the meeting, in
the absence of Dean Schoenfeld.
7
opened with these words:
"Gentlemen: We believe that one
of the most serious problems in con
nection with agriculture of the
northwest is the weed problem."
Natural Pyrotechnics
CtEVERAL evenings this week
O Heppner residents enjoyed view
ing nature's pyrotechnics in the form
of lightning. There was green, blue,
red and white lightning in sheets
and jagged streaks, which at inter
vals of minutest duration would
make the darkness light as day.
While beautiful, the sight was awe
some, for none knew just where the
lightning might strike. And it did
strike uncomfortably close on one
occasion. A streak flashed to the
ground on the hill just southwest of
town near the Arthur Gammel
farm. The earth seemed to stop its
progress when it struck, and the
sireaK or Diue lire widened and
sputtered for a split second before
disappearing. One closer observer
reported that it ran along the barbed
wire fence for a considerable dis
tance, which undoubtedly caused
the widening appearance.
In spite of the foreboding that it
may have struck disaster to some
abode, or to human or animal life,
the sight was thrilling, more so than
the finest pyrotechnics devised by
man.
luesday evenings storm was
unique for this section, and is said
to have resembled storms of the
middle west. For about an hour be
fore the lightning started, the air
was so still that scarcely a leaf flut
tered. The twilight was given a yel
lowish cast by the reflection of the
setting sun on the overcast sky, pro
viding a light in which objects looked
unreal. It was an ominous spell,
foreboding an uprising of the ele
ments. The spell was first broken
by a high wind. Then the lightning
and thunder claps came accompan
ied shortly by a heavy rain.
The rain gave relief from the op
pressive heat which in the afternoon
had reached the 100-degree mark.
Such storms are not really new in
eastern Oregon. In fact, they seemed
the usual thing when we were a kid.
They seem to have been less fre
quent of recent years, however.
Though at times they do have some
disastrous effects, being accompan
Morton Tompkins, chairman of the
agricultural committee of the Ore
gon state grange, said in his talk
at this meeting that weeds annually
cost the investors on the Pacific
northwest in excess of $2,000,000.
Walter S. Ball, who is in charge of
the weed control program for the
state of California, reported at the
Tacoma meeting that in addition to
an extensive research program look
ing toward better weed control me
thods, California spent last year
$187,000 for weed killing chemicals.
Harry L. Spense, seed commissioner
of the state of Idaho, has had charge
of a very extensive weed control
program in that state. Last year
Idaho carried on a WPA weed con
trol project which carried a $1,500,
000 appropriation. This project was
carried on cooperatively with the
counties which, for the most part,
added a one-mill levy to the tax roll
for that purpose. The sad part of
these whole expenditures is not the
amount of money spent, for this
money has paid dividends in in
i i . t
creasea agricultural income and
properiy values, ine sad pan is
that sufficient foresight would have
made it unnecessary to have spent
anything like these amounts to have
achieved and maintained compara
tive freedom from noxious weeds if
the weed problem had received suf
ncient consideration several years
ago.
Agriculture is no longer the sin
pie enterprise that it used to be,
Seeds and farm products form ;
large part of interstate and inter
national commerce. We can look
forward with assurance to the need
for continued vigilance in the matter
of noxious weed control.
Morrow county is at the cross
roads. We can take the right hand
road which leads to immediate and
comparatively inexpenafive action,
aiming at the control and eradica
tion of what is at present only a
serious menace; o we can take the
left-hand road, shutting our eyes to
the painful experience of others
and go forward confidently to a
certain ultimate devaluation of much
of our most valuable farm land.
ied by hail which destroys grain, or
by the lightning setting fires and
there have been instances in local
annals where it struck man or beast
yet it is one of the things that add
a certain zest to life in the wide open
spaces, and brings again the realiza
tion that we do have much variety
here in Morrow county without
many of the dire extremes existant
elsewhere which cause real discom
fort.
CAMP HEPPNER NEWS
33 New Enrollees
Arrive at CCC Camp
Thirty-three new enrollees, all of
whom entrained at Fort Devens,
arrived at Camp Heppner last Thurs
day. They were transfers from five
eastern companies, CCC.
Discharged from Camp Heppner
in the last week were Thornburg,
Girardi, Robinson, Hiller, McNeish,
Mullen and Theriault.
The spike camp near Ditch creek
has a 70-foot swimming pool erect
ed and it has proved to be well worth
the effort donated by the men build
ing it.
Capt. L. V. Schmidt, travelling
dentist for the Vancouver Barracks
CCC district, left for Camp Moro
Friday.
Edward J. Smith, former member
of Camp Heppner, has been dis
charged in order to accept employ
ment as civilian chauffeur for the
government, stationed at Vancouver
Barracks. Smith was one of the orig
inal group that arrived in Heppner
on the date of the camp establish
ment. Bernard Dowd, convoy driver, has
returned from his trip to Vancouver
Barracks. Dowd left Heppner last
Friday. On his return trip he said
that he encountered several sand
storms, which made the journey
more or less of a hardship.
William McMurray and Henry
Machu who went to Portland last
week to enlist in the United States
marine corps have been accepted
and have been transferred to the
training school at San Diego, Calif.
Two reels of movies from the U.
S. Bureau of Mines were shown at
camp over the week-end. The films
depicted the entire methods used in
the manufacture of nickel.
Capt. William V. Barney, district
chaplain, visited camp Friday and
Saturday, presenting a lecture in the
mess hall Friday evening.
Earl Robinson has been discharged
and will be employed locally for the
harvest season.
Classes in geology, geography, fin
gerprinting, aviation, journalism,
arithmetic, American history and
landscaping have been incorporated
in the camp summer educational
program. Marvin E. Dixon is the
camp educational adviser.
SILENT ON THE COURT
"All is silent on the Western
front," it was once reported; so it is
likewise on a well known croquet
court in this city. Somehow or an
other, most of the famous and his
torical (or hysterical) players, some
times known as the Marble-Heads,
MRS. HOFSTETTER
OF RECENT MOTOR
The following letter was receiv
ed this morning from Mrs. Dessa
Hofstetter of Salem, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Devin of Sand
Hollow, former Heppner girl now
with the state library staff: '
We were glad to find our copies
of the Gazette waiting for us when
we returned from our long motor
trip across the United States and
back.
June 7, the day of the terrible
eastern Oregon dust storm, Otillia
and I left Salem to drive to New
York where I attended the Amer
ican Library association convention
as a representative of the Oregon
state library. We stopped at many
historical points of interest on the
journey. Hghlights of our trip were
Great Salt Lake, Denver and its
Lookout mountain and other moun
tain drives and parks, the Garden
of the Gods and Pikes peak, the
Ozark mountain region in Missouri,
Lincoln's birthplace memorial and
also Jefferson Davis monument both
near Hodgenville, Ky., Mammoth
caves, Shenandoah valley in Vir
ginia and Washington, D. C, where
we stayed for several days, visiting
friends and sight seeing.
On our drive through Colorado
we managed to strike one of those
mid-west dust storms which seem
worse than any ever experienced
in eastern Oregon. While in Mis
souri, we visited my great aunt and
uncle and also Judge E. C. Devin, a
cousin. Judge Devin was eight years
old when the Civil war started
and could relate many interesting
facts that he had witnessed. These
facts were made more real for us
as we drove through the many bat
tlefield sites all of which are well
labelled by the many state histor
Gas and Kerosene Operated
REFRIGERATOR
Clean - Odorless - Noiseless - Inexpensive
Over 50 in Use in County
Gas Stoves - Water Heaters
and Lights
FLAMO OPERATED
Call for Estimates
ED DICK
Phone 622
Mustaches, etc., apparently are hav
ing a severe attack of cold feet.
Speaking of cold feet, it may read
ily be said, however, that they are
no respectors of climate as were the
ancient origin. The Eskimos are. pop
ularly supposed to have been the
inventors, but as they never took
out a patent on their invention, the
infringements or said ex-croquet
players have fully claimed the title.
It is sad to say that it is believed
there is no cure for this cold feet
situation except for a possibility of
using talking balloon juice with the
addition of cayene pepper in their
shoes.
STANLEY MINOR.
CARD OF THANKS
For the kindly acts of helpfulness
and expressions of sympathy ten
dered us in our bereavement, we
give our heartfelt thanks.
Mrs. Florence E. Gay
and family.
Jason Biddle was transacting bus
iness in the city for a few hours
Monday morning.
WRITES FROM SALEM
TRIP TO NEW YORK
ical societies. The other historical
sites are also carefully marked and
one has a feeling that he is reading
his American history all over again.
On our return journey, we drove
through the scenes of Custer's last
stand, in Montana.
From Washington, D. C, we drove
to New York City over the excellent
dual highways that are taking the
place of the four or six lane super
highways and are certainly less dan
gerous. We stayed for the week of
the convention, seeing as much of
New York as was possible in such
a short time. Returning home, we
visited at Niagara Falls, toured thru
a small portion of Canada and spent
some time with friends at Jackson,
Mich. Driving westward from Jack
son, we enjoyed touring through the
Bad Lands proposed national park,
and through the Black Hills region
in South Dakota, where we watched
the workmen carving the immense
faces on Mt. Rushmore. From the
Black Hills, we drove into Yellow
stone park and had the good fortune
to enter by the new Red Lodge
Cooke entrance, which is said to be
the most beautiful drive into the
park. We quite agreed with this
report as we climbed over winding
roads, thru snow passages where
one could catch glimpses of deep
blue lakes formed by the melting
snow. This road and surrounding
scenery with its tiny strange flow
ers and plants reminded me of de
scriptions I had read of the Swiss
Alps. The highest point in this
highway is almost 12,000 feet.
After stopping for a week in Yel
lowstone park, we drove to Hepp
ner by way of Pendleton and visited
at the Devin ranch before returning
home to" Salem.