L1IKARY
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SPUDS EY THE TRUCKLOAD are being harvested on the Boardman
ranches of Russell and Bob Miller. This photo shows the two-row
digger in operation. The men on the back of the digger are
cleaning out rocks and dead vines and the potatoes travel up the
conveyor to the truck which moves alongside. It takes eight men
to operate the digger and the tractor which pulls it. In two eight
hour shifts the men and machines will dig about 2.500 sacks of
potatoes. (
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GRADING AND SACKING of the potatoes is done along a railroad
siding less than a mile from the fields. A conveyor brings the
spuds up from the truck (out of picture to the right) to the washer
in the background. Girls on the left sort and grade and the men
in the foreground sack and weigh the spuds. From the scales
in the foreground the sacks travel about 10 feet into a railroad
car. v
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POTATO GRADING is shown closeup. The number one washed po
tatoes move on a conveyor into the foreground where they are
sacked. Number two spuds are shunted off into another conveyor
between first two girls on the right and the culls are kicked off
Into another conveyor to drop into a waiting truck to be hauled off.
About 80 percent of all potatoes handled here are graded number
ones. -
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READY FOR MARKET Russell Miller, who in addition to operat
ing his farm finds time to serve as Morrow county commissioner,
is shown holding a 100 pound sack of his own "Desert Gold" pota
toes. He and all other Boardman spud growers are wearing big
smiles because of the $6.50 per 100 pounds price they are getting
this year. -(GT Photos)
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HANDFUL OF GOOD EATING
t,i, Porfford. HeoDner bank
manager, who accompanied GT
photographer to see the potato
harvest, holds five big. Juicy
Rnnd3 which were left in the
field by the digger. If spuds
lin uncovered in the field for
even a few minutes they will
sunburn end spoil so digging
and hauling process must be
fast .
Highest in
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Swim Tests Slated;
Pool Attendance Up
Fifteen students in the first
class of beginning swimmers will
pass their swimming tests next
week, Larry Dowen, instructor
and lifeguard, reports. Total en
rollment of three beginning clas
ses has dropped to 70. Twenty
are enrolled in intermediate
swimming classes and 15 in the
junior life saving classes, mak
ing a grand total of 105 students.
Attendance at the pool both
afternoons and evenings is
larger than at any tims, Dowen
said. Canvas has been installed
around the pool for wind pro
tection. RHEA CREEK GRANGE
SETS CLEAN-UP DAY
The Rhea Creek Grange will
hold a clean up Sunday, July 22,
at 2 p. m. followed by a potluck
supper. All members are urged
to attend.
if 4
History
Growers Hitting
"Jackpot" Because
Of Spud Shortage
Potato digging got under way
in the Boardman area the middle
of last week and by the weekend
growers wers going around with
the higgesf smiles they 'have
sported in years.
The reason?
wfre bringing
The lowly spuds
the highest prices
ever experienced by most grow
ers. Last Friday number one
Boardman long white potatoes
were bringing the growers SG.50
per 100 pounds F. O. B. Boardman.
Last year's price averaged about
$1.80 per hundred.
Growers Russell and Bob Miller,
brothers who farm separate
ranches but dig and market their
potatoes jointly are digging
and shipping at the rate of about
2,500 sacks per day and they
expect that it will take 25 days
to harvest their 130 acres of
"gold nuggets". Indications are
that the market will' hold close
to the present prices for at least
a month giving the growers what
market" for their product.
News stories appearing during
the past week have told of the
extreme shortage of spuds
throughout most of the nation
with the New York price called
the highest in 40 or 50 years.
From the Eoardmon growers
point of view, such a condition
is ideal.
The cause of the present high
price is said to be an unusual
in-between season shortage. Cali
fornia early potatoes and Yakima
valley early reds have already
been used up and it is expected
to be about 30 days yet before
other producing areas start to
dig.
The Miller Brothers have the
largest acreage in the Boardman
area though there are several
other farmers who have 15 to
20 acre fields.
Pictures accompanying this
story show the digging, grading
and shipping process at the Mil
ler Brothers ranches.
o
A. Andrews Found
"turitjvJ near Condon
Archie Andrews, about 26rson
of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Andrews of
Heppner, was found last week
end hanged in a barn on the
Beck farm out of Condon on the
John Day river, according to
word received by C. J. D. Bau
man, county sheriff, Sunday.
Death had apparently occurred
about a week earlier. Whether
the cause of death was criminal or
suicide has not been reported
here.
In addition to his parents, An
drews is survived by sisters and
brothers.
o
Grangers Urged To
Show Hay and Grain
Ranchers were urged to exhibit
wheat at the Morrow county fair
by Kenneth Smouse, agricultural
committee chairman of the Lex
ington Grange at a meeting
Saturdav night. The business
session followed a barbecue at
the O. W. Cutsforth ranch.
A sweenstakes prize of $25 for
wheat will be awarded by the
fair board, Smouse, who is also
wheat superintendent at the fair.
announced. Wheat entries will
be cleaned at the fairgrounds if
exhibitors get them in early, he
said.
Members were also asked to
exhibit bales and sheaves of
hay at the fair and Mrs. John
Graves announced the Wheat
League baking contest and na
tional needlework contest at this
year's fair. Plans were made for
a Lexington Grange fair booth.
A resolution requesting a
ground water survey for the Col
umbia slope district, which in
cludes Morrow county, instigated
by the Lexington Grange was
passed at the last Pomona meet
ing, Alvin Wagenblast, master,
reported.
John Graves and Vernon Mun-
kers were named co-chairmen of
the Lexington Grange dance
honoring Princess Pat Steagall on
July 28. August and September
meetings will be cancelled, jt was
announced.
State deputy Joe Guttridge,
Hermiston, was present and as
sisted with floor work.
-o-
VICE PRINCIPAL RESIGNS
Vivian White, vice principal of
Heppner High school, has re
signed to take a teaching posi
tion at Long Beach, Calif.
o '
Mrs. Lennie Loudon is visiting
at the home of her brother and
sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Scott
Brown, Portland.
Copies 10 Cents Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, July 19, 1956
Heppner-Spray
Road Improvement
Prospects Brighten
Prospects are good that with
in about six months the state
I highway commission may give
st from thls arpa thaf the
.,,',., hicrh.a v,
placed on the commission's sche
dule for improvement, county
judge Garnet Barratt told the
chamber of commerce Monday.
Barratt told the group what
efforts had been made by the
county court to get at least the
11 miles of now unpaved state
secondary highway from Chapin
creek to the Morrow-Wheebr
county line paved. He said that
continued efforts had resulted in
the state highway commission
taking a new traffic count on the
road which showed an increase
of more than double over the
..I l.. nn..:j
record:s- e highest numBer of
showed 140 cars where the pre
vious record ws only 60 vehicles
a day.
Barratt said that he met with
the state highway commission
last weekend and was able to
tell the engineers that the forest
service, which ha3 partial juris
diction over the road because it
is a forest road, has approved the
allocation of some of its funds
for the road's improvement.
The highway commission esti
mates that it will cost in the
neighborhood of $700,000 to re
align and improve the 11 mile
section of the road but Barratt
pointed out that funds for such
work would come from the For
est Service, and other federal
moneys as well as from state
highway funds.
He also told the chamber that
the Heppner-Spray road has re
ceived only $65,000 in federal
funds during the past 30 years,
whereas several adjoining coun
ties have received upwards of
$1,000,000 in the same period.
The judge said that the court
will continue to Dress for action
by the commission'' and urged the
chamber of commerce to step up
its efforts along the same line.
Rites Held For
0. G. Haguewood
Funeral services for Oliver
George Haguewood, 68, lifelong
resident of Morrow county, were
held Sunday at 2 p. m. at the
Elks Temple with the Rev. Earl
L. Soward officiating. Mr. Hague
wofld died July 11 at Providence
hospital in Seattle following a
lingering illness.
Born November 19, 1887, at lone,
Mr. Haguewood was the son of
William and Mary Haguewood.
He was a rancher in the Heppner
Flats area. He was a veteran of
World War I, a member of the
American Legion and the Elks.
Survivors include the widow,
Vivian, Heppner; two sons, Ron
ald, Heppner, Jerry, San Diego;
one daughter, Mrs. Mary Lou
Lane, Hood River; five sisters,
Mrs. Alice Privock, Eureka, Calif.;
Mrs. Elsie White, San Rosa, Calif.;
Mrs. Bernice Morrison, Nampa,
Idaho; Mrs. Cleo Devine, Mason,
Nevada; Mrs. Bird Sadler, Zillah,
Wash.; one brother, Hubert
Haguewood, Port Angeles, Wash.
and three grandchildren.
o
Chamber Sponsored
Parking Plan Proves
Out; Fund is Ahead
Heppner and Morrow county
people as a whole are more
th:n 100 percent honest, the
chamber of commerce has
found out during the past four
months.
On March 24 city police start
ed using chamber-sponsored
"give-back-a-nickel" parking
plan, whereby officers check
ing parking meters would put
a nickel in the meter In viola
tion and leave a bright orange
envelope on the windshield
which asked the driver to re
turn the envelope with a nickel
rather than give citations.
As of last Wednesday the
special parking fund is $17.60
to the good.
As much as SO cents has been
returned in envelopes by grate
ful drivers and dimes and
quarters are not uncommon.
Over the same period the
city's return from the meters
has been steadily climbing.
Mrs. Earl Gilliam left Sunday
by train for Portland on a busi
ness trip.
Rodeo Dance to Honor
Princess Sue Coleman
PRINCESS SUE
First Morrow county fair and
rodeo princess to be honored In a
series of court royalty dances will
be Princess Sue Coleman. lone.
The first princess dance, spon
sored by the lone Willows Grange
will he held Saturday, July 21,
at the fair pavilion with music
by Jack Kelly's orchestra, Pendle
ton. Dates for the fair and rodeo
are August 29 through Septem
ber 2.
Princess Sue, daughter of Mrs.
Ida Coleman, lone, is a striking
brunet, five foot seven inches tall
and weighing 125 pounds. A sen
ior at lone high school next fall,
Princess Sue was selected to at
tend Girls State by the American
Legion auxiliary this year, is a
member of the lone band, volley
ball and tumbling team, Girl's
athletic association and Girl's
League and was cheer leader two
Remodeling Work
On School Rooms
Shows Progress
Remodeling of the cafeteria and
lunch room in the basement of
Heppner high school and the new
home economics department
room on the first floor is pro
gressing at a good rate, Joe
Stewart, school superintendent,
reported this week.
Cabinets are being completed
in the home economics room.
Plans also include a new as
phalt tile floor, new lights and
a lowered ceiling of acoustical
tile.
Flooring is being prepared in
the basement for pouring a new
cement floor and plumbing and
electrical work is being roughed
in, Stewart said. Cafeteria and
lunchroom space has been ex
tended to include the area for
merly used by the home econo
mics department. Simonton and
Steele, Portlnd contractors, are
doing the work on a bid of $16,
206.16. Maintenance work done my the
school custodians, Paul Warren,
Nelson Connor, and Scott Fur
long, includes patching the roof
oh the old school building, patch
ing and painting the gym roof
and repairing eave troughs, paint
ing the boiler room and shop on
the inside and the base of the
shop building and the school out
side. In addition they are build
ing cabinets and painting the
band room, sanding desks and
revarnishing floors.
Ground leveling in the back of
the new grade school was started
this week by Richard Meadr,
local contractor, with fill dirt from
across Ilinton creek. Addition
of top soil and seeding should
be completed in about two
weeks. Piping of Ilinton creek
through the area is expected to
be done next year, stewart said.
o
RITES HELD FOR JAMES SHARP
Word has been received here
of the death of James Clinton
Sharp, 74, former Heppner resi
dent, at John Day, July 16. Ser
vices were held Thursday after
noon, July 19, at the Driskill
Mortuary Chapel at John Day
with the Elks Lodge 1824 of John
Day officiating. Interment was in
the Canyon City cemetery,
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COLEMAN
years. In addition she 'has been
secretary-treasurer of her class
three years, a member of the stu
dent council, assistant editor ,of
the class paper last year and
will be editor this coming year.
Living on a ranch, Princess Sue
helps with cattle, harvest and
haying and cooking for ranch
crews. At the age of 10 she made
her firs cattle drive from lone
lo the mountains, covering 45
miles in about five days.
Besides riding, Princess Sue's
hobbies include tennis, swim
ming, volleyball and dancing.
She will rido her palomino,
'JColdy" during tho rodeo. --
Other members of Princess
Sue's family include four sisters,
Mrs. Jack Mealy, Mrs. Joan Wil
liams, Heppner; Mrs. R. A. Craw
ford, Anna Belle and Wally
Coleman at home.
Other princesses in the court of
Queen Patsy Wright to be pre
sented at Princess dances on suc
ceeding weekends are Janet
Myers, Lena community; Maxine
Sicard, Boardman and Pat Stea
gall, Lexington. The Queen's
dunce will be held August 18.
o
Care Urged in
Use of Water
With the coming of hot wea
ther, water problems again
plagued the city and water sup
erintendent Vic Groshens today
said that the dailv use for the
past few days has been over
300,000 gallons which is the
maximum that can be pushed
through city mains.
Because of the danger of short
age Groshens this morning is
sued the following warning arid
asked residents to use care to
not waste any water. He said,
"Water is very precious, please
don't waste it. We hope to have
enough, and will, if you will only
cooperate. If not, it will be
rationed," he warned.
Mercury Climbs to
95 Here Wednesday
The temperature climbed to an
official 95 degrees Wednesday
making it the hottest day of the
summer. But even at that, Hepp
ner was one of he coolest places
in the northwest as Old Sol be
gun to bear down.
Other temperatures Wednesday
were 104 in Pasco, 100 in Pendle
ton, 96 in Portland and 100 plus
in the Willamette valley. Red
Bluff Calif, was the hot spot of
the nation with 112. Tuesday's
temperature here was 91 de
grees. The weatherman says to ex
pect more of the same.
HUNTERS, ANGLERS TO
TALK HUNTING RULES
The Morrow County Hunters
and Anglers club will hold an
important meeting Monday
evening, July 23 at the court
house for the purpose of discus
sing the tentative 1956 hunting
regulations. All interested per
sons are urged to attend.
73rd Year, Number 19
Wheat Ranchers
Vole Friday on
Market Quotas
Wheat ranchers of Morrow
county will vote this Friday on
the wheat marketing quota ref
erendum at community polling
places from S a. m. to 9 p. m.
Secretary of Agriculture Ezra
Taft Benson has announced a
national average wheat price sup
port for the 1957 crop of $2.00
per bushel if wheat marketing
quotas are approved in the July
20 vote.
If wheat marketing quotas for
the 1957 crop are not approved,
wheat support will be 50 percent
of parity, which currently figures
out at $1.21 per bushel. The final
support rate for tha 1936 crop
also has been announced at $2.00,
which is about 82'i percent of
current parity, according fo in
formation received by Norman
Nelson, chairman of the Morrow
Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation committee.
If quotas are approved by at
least two-thirds of the farmers
voting, the wheat unit rate under
the Soil Bank's acreage reserve
in 1057 will be GO percent of the
$2.00 national average, or $1.20
a bushel as an approximate na
tional average, with the usual
differentials for local areas. If
disapproved the wheat unit rate
under the Soil Bank acreage re-'
serve would be 60 percent of the
price support level of $1.21 then
in effect.
The Morrow county wheat al
lotment will be 114,876 acres in
1057 compared to 117,010 this
year. Tho decrease is clue to a
total lower wheat base for 1957.
The state allotment was 819,522
acres in 1956 and has been an
nounced at 819,060 in 1957. The
national wheat acreage allotment
for 1957 will continue at 55,000,
000. Polling places are the Lexing
ton Grange for Alpine and Lex
ington communities; lone Legion
hall for Morgan, lone and part of
Eightmile and the Heppner Le
jion hall for North and South
Heppner and the remainder of
Eightmile.
Yields High For
Bumper Harvest
Peak of the wheat harvest in
Morrow county Is expected to
bo reached Saturday or Monday
with the daily output hitting the
100,000 bushel mark, Al Lamb,
manager of the Morrow County
Grain Growers, said Wednesday,
Harvest this week is running
about 75,000 bushels per day.
Wheal is expected to average
about 30 bushels per acre, up
five bushels from an earlier esti
mate of a 25 bushels per acre.
An extremely heavy barley crop
is expected to average 35 bus
hels per acre. Last year's wheat
crop averaged about 20 bushels
per acre and the barley crop 22
bushels per acre. Wheat produc
tion over a period of years aver
ages about 22 bushels per acre.
The Co op expects to handle
about 3,000,000 bushels of grain
Ibis season, which Includes about
700,000 'bushels of barley, the
largest crop grown in the county
to date. About 2,000,000 bushels
of storage space is now avail
able in MCGG elevators. Ship
ment of wheat by Union Pacific
cars is not expected to keep up
with grain corning in, making It
necessary to store some of the
wheat on the ground temporarily,
Lamb said. With the exception
of the Ruggs elevator, all com
pany elevators at Lexington,
North Lexington, Heppner, lone
and McNab are now in operation.
Harvest in the Ruggs area is ex
pected to begin in about a week
depending on the weather.
Warm wather following the
early July rains has speeded
harvest operations. Yields of both
wheat and barley has been run
ning from 25 to 35 bushels per
acre with the heaviest yields ex-
jected to come from the south
of the county in the Ruggs area.
While harvest is not complete
enough in other areas to accur
ately gauge yields, heaviest acre
production to date has been in
the Blackhorse and Lexington
fields, Lamb said.
Daily train service on week
days was started July 10 by the
Union Pacific railroad and will
continue through harvest, Elmer
Schmidt, agent, said. Arrange
mnts have been made in Port
land for sufficient terminal stor
age space to take care of grain
shipped from the county.