BI
Farm Bureau Activities of
The Big Umatilla Project
By Fred Bennion,
County Agriculture Agent
During the past year the Umatilla
County Farm Bureau established an
excellent record throughout the
county, Although in its first year
the work on the whole was very
gratifying, much remains, however,
to be done in the way of securing
more active cooperation of the farm­
ers in general and the development of
more leaders among the organization.
The west end of the county benefit-
ted materially through the Farm
Bureau during the past year. Sev­
eral important projects were complet­
ed and the cooperation given to oth­
er organizations was effective. With
the county Farm Bureau’s affiliation
with the State and NationalFedera-
tion the organization takes on a new
dignity and becomes more deserving
of the support of every farmer who
believes in cooperating with a big
educational movement and support-
Ing the most active and effective or­
ganization in America looking after
the interests of the farmer.
Officers and Members
The Farm Bureau committee for
Hermiston are J. F. McNaught, chair­
man; A. W. Agnew, secretary-treas­
urer; E. L. Jackson, E. P. Dodd, and
G. A. Creasy. The members are Ray
W. Sprague, A. Buhmann, C. E. Bak­
er, A. D. Crosland. J. E. Hamer, John
Leek, C. M. Jackson, J. W. Mossner,
S. S. Palmer, Theo Parks, C. C. Ma
son.F. L. Kelley, Maurice D. Scroggs,
J. D. Waghorn, Geo. Strohm, R. C.
Rasmussen, and John W. Campbell.
J. F. McNaught, Vice President of
the County Farm Bureau and county
project leader for rabbit and rodent
extermination, deserves a great’ deal
of credit for his splendid cooperative
spirit in pioneering the organization
und taking such a keen Interest In
the rabbit campaign.
The Columbia committee consists
of Frank Waugaman, chairman, Hen-
ry Sommerers, F. P. Phipps and Hen­
ry Ott, who have performed their du­
ties as committeemen very creditably
for the first year of the organization.
The Columbia members are Chas.
Keller, H. E. Klock, King D. Bundy,
E. E. Graham, M. A. Lenhart, J. H.
Tabor, P. E. Hall, Ray Fisher, H. J.
Stillings, and J. H. Reid.
The Umatilla Farm Bureau
members are as follows: W. A. Ford,
A. E. McFarland, F. L. Jewett, T. C.
Menard, R. P. Pike, Mrs Frank James
and Mrs O. Stangeby.
Dairy Herd Record Keeping Club at
Umatilla consisting of Leslie Thom­
son, Herbert Thompson, Milo McFar­
land, Eugene McFarland and Dan
Dobler made an excelent record, win­
ning second, third and fifth on their
books at the State Fair; and winning
first prize in the judging contest at
the Dairy and Hog Show and 8th
place among 16 teams from Washing­
ton-Oregon competing at the Pacific
International. The judging team
from Umatilla was composed of Her­
bert Thompson, Dan Dobler and Milo
McFarland. Leslie Thompson went
to the State Fair because he bad
made the best individual record on a
club project in the contest.
The Hermiston Calf Club judging
team, consisting of James Hall Doro­
thy Briggs and Earl Bensel repre­
sented Umatilla county at the State
Fair, winning second place among a
large number of contestants. Doro­
thy Briggs, who won second individ­
ual honors in the contest received al­
most as much state wide publicity as
the entire project during the season.
The Columbia and Hermiston Pig
Club also made very good records,
and captured most of the awards at
the Dairy and Hog Show.
The boye and girls club exhibits at
the Dairy and Hog Show were a dis­
tinctive feature this year and promis­
es to become one of the major attrac­
tions of the show. Henry Sommerer
boys and girls club leader at Colum­
bia deserves considerable credit for
his active support of club work.
The success of the work depends on
the possibility of securing more local
club leaders. ,
Cow Testing Association
Frank Waugaman, Henry Som­
merer, Henry Ott, F. P. Phipps and F.
A. Baker have weighed their milk
nearly every day during the past year
and have kept a record of the same
on milk sheets furnished by the Co.
Agent’s office, The Creamery has
made tests once a month for these
dairymen. The information on the
milk sheets has been summarized and
recorded in dairy herd record books
at the county Farm Bureau office.
These will be returned to the dairy­
men the first of January. While
this kind of cow testing cannot be of­
ficial at the same time it gives suf­
ficient measure to the dairymen of
the relative productivity of their
cows.
Cooperation Worth While
The Farm Bureau cooperated with
the horsemen in the west end of the
county in pulling off a very success­
ful Horsemen’s Day. Through the
organization Professor E. L. Potter
of O. A. C. was secured without any
expense. The affair was of great
educational value and stimulated
considerable Interest in better horses.
Such an event should be continued.
The movement on the part of the
Farm Bureau to popularize the Ex­
periment Station Field Day has prov­
en very successful during the past
two years. The valuable work of the
station is receiving much more pub-
liclty and attention through the
Farm Bureau than ever before, This
past year Superintendent Dean had
the organized and most successful
station Field Day that has ever been
pulled off in Oregon.
The Farm Bureau cooperated
with tho Dairy and Hog Show As­
sociation, the Dairymen's League,
the Bull Association and with the Al­
falfa Growers’ Association.
Labor is to the union laborer and the
National Chamber of Commerce is to
big industries. The organization de­
serves the support of every farmer.
THINGS THE BOYS LONG FOR
Youngsters Prefer Toys or Contriv­
ances to Test Their Muscular Skill
or Endurance.
HAT shall be said of that blun­
dering kindness of home folk
W
that considers giving the boy only
presents of such things as be actu­
ally needs? It is an outrage upon
the spirit of Christmas to present him
with new shoes, ties, handkerchiefs—
something that he knows he will get
anyway—when his sleeping and wak­
ing dreams for weeks before have been
filled with visions of tops, balls, guns
and magic lanterns, says Maud Sou­
ders in the Woman's Home Compan­
ion. The most beautiful knitted muf­
fler woman's fingers ever constructed
cannot compare with a Jack-knife with
four blades and a cork screw attach­
ment, when exhibited over the back
fence to a neighbor boy on Christmas
morning. Very soon after the days
of kilts a boy reaches the age when
he yearns with his whole soul after
any toy or contrivance that will test
his muscular skill or endurance. At
this age an appropriate present would
be a rawhide or rope lariat, such as
Is used by the Buffalo Bill riders. A
pair of hand or arm stilts will be re­
ceived with equal favor, and in the
same category comes a new fishing
rod, snow shoes, tennis racket, golf
clubs, a good ball, lamp or cyclometer
for his wheel, or even a live pet, a
new dog, a pair of rabbits or guinea
pigs—something that he can pet and
train for his own.
Funny Christmas Habit.
There is not a drug store, cigar shop
or barroom In the larger cities which
has not been made the storage room
for Christmas presents bought before
the rush sets in. The strange part of
It Is that every man who utilizes the
friendship of his favorite place round
the corner thinks he is the only one
who thought of the plan. Realizing
that the stores will be crowded, many
far-sighted heads of families bought
their presents a week in advance, and
then, fearing the nature of the myste­
rious package would be discovered at
the office or at home, they hit upon the
device of making a cache tn some re-
sort near home.
ANNUALLY
RECLAMATION SERVICE Reclamation Development
ACTIVITIES PAST YEAR
of Great Umatilla Project
A summation of the work of the
Reclamation Service to the beginning
of the present fiscal year July 1,
1920, shows It has dug 12,663 miles
of canals and ditches, and excavated
95 tunnels with an aggregate length
of more than 27 miles. Dams of mas­
onry, earth, crib, and rockfill have
been erected with a total volume of
13,827,295 cubic yards, The exca-
vations of rock and earth amount to
179,000,000 cubic yards. The gov-
ernment has used 3,015,000 barrels
of cement. The available reservoir
capacity is 9,441,910 acre-feet, The
service has built 7,293 bridges with
a ‘otal length of over 32 miles, Its
culverts number 9,400 and are over
61 miles long. There are now r in
operation more than 512 miles of
pipe line and 129 miles of flumes.
The service has built 986 miles of
roads, much of it in what was before
inaccessable mountain regions, 83
miles of railroad, 3,145 miles of tele­
phone lines 650 miles of power trans­
mission lines, and 1,450 buildings,
such as offices, residences, power
plants, pumping stations, barns store
houses, etc. The power developed
amounts to approximately 60,000
horsepower.
The net construetion cost of the
reclamation projects to the end of the
fiscal year was a little less than *125.
000,000.
The projects now under way of
completed embrace approximately 3,
300,000 acres of irrigable land, and
will ultimately provide about 60,000
farms of from 10 to 160 acres each.
During the year 1919 water was
avaiable from government ditches for
about 1,636,0(0 acres on 39,000
farms of which about 1,200,000 acres
were irrigated; in addition water was
supplied under contract for about 1,
000,000 acres outside the government
projects. The value of the crops
grown in 1919 on lands served either
in whole or in part from the works of
the service amounted to *150,000,000
about 89,000,000 of which represent
the value of crops grown on the 1,
113,469 acres of cropped land on the
projects proper, from which definite
crop statistics are secured, or about
*80.00 per acre, and the balance an
estimated amount from approximate-
’y 1,000,000 acres of land served
with water under the Warren Act
from the works of the service.
The crop year ot 1920 just closed
in quantity production far exceeded
that of 1919 reported above. Owing
however, to the slump in prices of all
farm products and livestock the total
values are likely to show a decline
over those of 1919. In general the
crops on all projects were excellent,
the Season having been a favorable
one.
Rabbit and Rodent Extermination
Toys for little Willie,
In a well organized campaign in
Something for the cook;
Make, with forty other things
which most of the farmers signed up
The empty pocketbook.
for definite amounts of strychine, 91
farmers in the west end of the county
distributed 16,100 pounds of poison­
ed alfalfa. Where the poiston was
put out at the right time the results
were excelent. Averaging in succes­
ses and failures it is estimated that
over 200,000 rabbits were killed. J.
F. McNaught received the strychnine
from the Biological Survey and dis­
tributed it among committeemen. He
then made collections and made pay­
ment to the county treasurer who
had put up the money to get the
strychnine on hand.
• •
The best organized central mixing
station was in Hermiston. J. D. Wat-
son, H. K. Dean and Colonel J. F.
McNaught handled the plant In a
very systimatic way.
While it is very noticeable that the
In the. land of Christmas trees,
rabbits are much less numerous than
he wrote to me, ---
a year ago, there are consiterable
Plans for 1921
wish
you could see
The plans for 1921 call for a more
sized areas which were not covered
Such Christmas trees as these I
in the campaign last year, or the poi­ definite program in the Hermiston
the swamp so cold, in the swamp so damp,
son was not put out at the right time, district. Farm Bureau committee-
are cedars green and great.
where the extermination work must men will be expected to function as
There are pines so high
be continued. Poisoning will be re­ a committee and a definite goal of ac­
That they touch the sky.
There are hemlocks slim and straight
sorted to as well as organised gun complishment has been decided upon
drives which were very effective last In a recent Farm Bureau meeting.
smile to the moon, they sing to the star,
year. In these drives the business The Farm Bureau will continue to
ey nod to the passing breeze.
cooperate
with
existing
organizations
men of Hermiston are to be com­
And every bough
mended for their spirit of coopera­ in this district so that the local com­
Wears diamonds now,
tion.
munity program will be worth while.
the land of Christmas trees.”
Silage Crop Demonstrations
O wonderful land tn the north woods far,
Affiliates With State and National
O wonderful, beautiful land!
Federation
In response to a general campaign | |
In my cot so white
for silos, more silage and improve­
Recently the County Farm Bureau
I
dream at night
ment of silage crops, five sunflower voted to join the Oregon State Feder­
Of the forest green and grandi
and corn demonstrations were carri- ation and affiliate with the Ameri­
ed out. The value of sunflowers as can Farm Bureau Federation. With
Y mama says that the snow that Iles
a supplement to corn In order to in- this movement the organisation as-
In the land where the great trees
Is like the spread
crease the tonage per acre and get a i sumes new importance. The strength
On my little bed
greater quantity of silage in the silo, of the American Farm Bureau Feder­
Where at night to sleep I go
sunflowers have found a permanent ation rests upon ita great member­
That underneath with tight-shut eyes
place on the project. P. P. Sullivan, ship and the fact that It Is built
The flowers ere slumbering
Chas. Baker. J. H. Reid, Henry Som- through the communities from the
There snug and warm
merer and Bun Moore tried out sun- ground up. With a million and a
From the winter storm
half members In 1500 counties In 35
In March a silo feeding tour state federations the organisation
war held In the west end ot the coun- has tremendous influence. The plan
for the night’s am
ty. Ten silos at Stanfield. Echo and on which the national organization
think of the Christmas land,
Hermiston were visited. Professor la working Is getting results. With
I say • prayer
E. L. Westover of O. A. C. and the a budget of *750.000 for 1921 they
For my papa there
In the forest green and grand;
County Agent discussed the merits are hiring the best experts on legis­
And another prayer I whisper then
of the silage at the different places. lation. tariff, transportation and
While I Kneel on bended Knees
This coming winter a similar tour marketing that can be employed and
%. : )
That the Lord will Keep
will be made among the silos at Her­ with the various departments are
. '• /
The flowers that sleep
a
miston and vicinity.
protecting the interests of the farmer
Boys aad Girls Club Work
as they have never been protected be- Copyright.
Four livestock clubs in the west fore. The
American Farm Bureau
end were organized in cooperation Federation
has become to the farmer
with the County Farm Bureau. The
American Federation of
M
By H. M. Schilling
PROFITABLE DAIRY HERD
In its broadest aspect, interest in
FROM SMALL BEGINNING reclamation developement has been
greatly increased during the year of
To illustrate how a good herd of 1920. Several causes may be assign,
cattle may be developed from a ed. amoung which are the activities
small beginning, the United States of the various irrigation congress in
Department of Agriculture makes the West, the general demand for in­
public the following letter from a creased production and opening of
farmer near Nokesville, Va. This let­ lands wherever practicable for sold-
ter Is typical of many contributed by 1er settlement.
practical farmers aiding In the “Bet­
Several years of drought have
ter Sires—Better Stock” campaign. created a demand for increased
stor-
“I am a farmer and a dairyman. I age and the gradule tightening of the
milk 15 cows and raise about 2
money situation, the irrigation inter­
calves a year so as to be able to cull
ests are looking to the Federal Gov­
my herd 2 cows a year and replace
ernment for aid; especially since the
them with young cows.
Reclamation fund has been augment­
“I started with common grades of
ed by proceeds from the coal, oil and
all kinds, but they were good ones.
gas leasing bills.
Then I began using my neighbor’s
The Umatilla project, composed of
pure-bred bull, and kept the best
the East Side and West Extension
heifers. But this was slow progress,
units, was operated with increased
so I bought six grade Holstein heifers
acreage. The grand total irrigated
and also a pure-bred bull. Then I
for the project increased from 10,500
added two pure-bred cows.
acres in 1919 to 12,000 acres in 1920.
"I now find a ready sale for stock The alfalfa yield of 8,500 tons was
I wish to sell, even for my grades 1,700 tons in excess of 1919, but the
When one uses a good bull and good decreased price per ton resulted in a
cows, well cared for, he does not total value of 140,000 less than 1919.
have any scrub tows.”
Coupled with an almost complete
The letter points out clearly how fruit failure, the total crop value fell
it is possible for one to develope grad­ from 1633,000 in 1919 to *520,000 in
ually Into a breeder of pure-bred and 1920, and the average value decreas­
high-grade stock.
ed from *75 per acre in 1919 to *51
in 1920.
Outside of the operation and main­
tenance of the project system, the
principal construction work consist­
ed of the improvements to the "A"
CHRISTMAS BAG FOR GUESTS Canal, the main distributary from
Cold Springs reservoir. It is to be
Container for Presents "Attached to
noted that this work was practically
Backs of Chairs With Bow of
done with local labor, the farmers
Red Satin Ribbon.
taking unsual interest in it. When
HE Christmas bag is an Innova­ completed. It will result in a great
tion planned by one housekeeper. saving of water to the East Side unit,
The breakfast table Is to he decorated
besides alleviating the drainage situ­
with a mirror In the center, outlined ation.
as a star by holly sprigs, and with, a
General interest has grown in the
slender cut glass vase in the center
McKay
storage development. Stud­
bolding red chrysanthemums. Long-
stemmed flowers also radiate from the ies of water supply and topographic
central star with the blossoms toward surveys have been completed: the en­
the plates of those for whom the gineering and construction studies
flowers are Intended. Every napkin are in progress. It is expected that
Ues beneath a Christmas card with a by spring the service will announce
sprig of holly tied upon Et with red its policy and attitude toward this
ribbon, and to the back of every chair important piece of work.
•
Is tied a bag with a big red satin bow.
Irrigation
The
West
Extension
The bags are of all sizes, and each
Is full of individual gifts. One is an District has taken a keen interest in
opera bag, another a shopping bag their unit’s operations. Some local
In black and gold, still another Is drainage work done in the vicinity
brown leather and gold nailheads, an­ of Boardman, under the direction, of
other a bag for collars and cuffs, an­ the Board of Directors, has resulted
other a gay laundry bag, one is sug­ In considerable benefit.
gestive of the scraps grandmother will
The Hermiston Irrigation District,
put into it, and the other of books
cooperating
with the Umatilla River
that a small girl will carry to school.
All are as dainty and fine as careful Water Users’ Association, was at all
workmanship and good materials can times alive to the people’s interests
make them, and there will be fun In irrigation activities. Cordial re­
emptying the materials out of the va­ lations marked the attitude of both
rious bags.
the Water Users’ Association toward
the Reclamation Service and their
support was much appreciated.
The project was inspected in July
by members of the Committee on Ap­
waal aventar al
propriations of the House of Repre­
Differ on Christ’s Birthday
sentatives headed by Hon. James W.
Good, of Iowa, Chairman, and ac-
HE early Christmas wen : di­
sompanied by Representative N. J.
vided as to the date on
Sinnott, Chairman of the House Com­
which the nativity of Christ
mittee on Public Lands, and repre­
should be celebrated. Some of
sentatives of the Reclamation Service
these celebrated It on the first
or sixth of January, other groups
Numerous engineers from England,
observed September 29 and still
Sweden, Holland, Canada and Argen­
another March 29. As early as
tine also visited the project during
the fourth century, however, the
the season.
period of the new year had been
The Umatilla project was there­
generally accepted as the time
fore
not neglected although only one
for celebrating Christ’s birth.
of the numerous project of the arid
The Western branch of the
West visited. It is believed that the
church observed December 25
first-hand knowlege gained by the
and the Eastern church January
6. Finally it was decided that all
n embers of Congress of the needs of
should celebrate December 25.
reclamation expansion can not fail to
Pope Julius L, who presided In
Bear fruit beneficai to reclamation
the first half of the fourth cen­
development.
tury, is credited with having set
The people of the West and es­
the date.
pecially those on the irrigated pro
jects, therefore look with confidence
to the future. While the price of
Roses at Christmas.
agricultural products Is possibly on
The fact that we can get flowers out the ebb. uever-the-less an optimistic
of doors at Christmas time is in itself
a sufficient justification for grooving spirit should be maintained, and wit
the Christmas rose, but besides that a bright o ut look for construction
It Is worth growing for itself, says there will bo afforded an opportun­
Country Life In America. Its large ity for labor to supplement the far­
white flowers, fully two inches a cross,
resembling those of a giant single mer’s income.
rose, although as a matter of fact It
belongs to the same family as the but­
Our Commerci
ot
tercups, never fail to excite enthusi­
asm In the season of snow and ice. a commercial age.
The ‘moassion
The plant itself grows only six to other day, we face with
battes
eight inches high, and the large, those who have falle • “
greenish-white flowers are bore in
clusters and nestle closely among the of the thousands of chi
dark green leaves.
no share In that easy 1
children, and must find
T
chrletma,
Christmas » the’ alized
decpeation.
Ono
Novel Christmas Salad Bowl.
By the time that the salad course
arrives at the Christmas dinner all
that snrmund the festive boaro! are
apt to be warm. It will be refre thing
to see the salad come to the table in
a block of Ice. Smooth the Ice eq vare
the barter to which we h.
our giving within our ch -ding the
quaintances, we play at ert whe at
spirit of the day to those me. The
the pawns of our industrial ga id and
Salvation army lass, standing » nectins
numb on the street corner, co.
funds for Christmas baskets“