c
Sunday, November 6, 1955
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVft,
Is That So?
The microscopic creatures
within the soil under our feet
exert a profound influence upon
our lives: more perhaps than any
of us realize, making life pos
sible here on earth.
Their number is legion. A tiny
thimbleful of earth, not much
more than a generous pinch,
can be host to 175,000,000 a
greater population than there
are humans in the U.S.
What's more, under ideal con
ditions just one of these 175,
000,000 can produce 16,000,000
descendants within eight hours!
Naturally, to conceive of such
sizes, we must begin to think in
new terms for example, it
would take 1,000 bacteria placed
side by side to reach across the
thin edge of a worn ,dime!
Not only this,' but there are
perhaps as many different kinds
of microscopic plants and ani
malse living within the soil as
there areoatop of it and their
ways of life differ just as pro
foundly. The study of these micro
organisms in the soil micro
biology is new, scarcely 15
years old but already great
strides have been made to bene
fit mankind. Some fantastic
finds have been made and hu
man life-saving medicines have
resulted the antibiotics such as
strpntomvcin. nenicillin, chloro-
mycin. Domesticated and put to
man's use they are now helping
rfpstrnv hostile bacteria.
So far, more than 2000 of
these antibiotics have been iso-
lotoH- thprp are thousands 01
others remaining.
Because of the dramatic dis-
roverv that many of our diseases
arp mused bv bacteria, the false
belief has grown that all mi
crobes are hostile, something to
be destroyed at once by antisep
tics. Not so. In fact, microDes in
iurious to human life are com
paratively rare, numbering per
haps one out of every 30,000.
Most Deadly Poison
Perhaps one of the most
deadly some scientists go so far
as to say it is the most deadly
poison yet known to man is
actinomycin. Its appearance is
deceptive: a colony of these look
like the mold on an old shoe
and if you were to know it, give
that fragrant "earthy" smell to
freshly turned soil.
The main search in the soil to
Hqy, however, is for other kinds
"poisons" bacteria which
will destroy certain bacteria
harmful to humans or inhibit
their growth without adversely
j, affecting the cells of the human
"Body.
One of the best known micro
scopic dwellers of the soil is
. yeast. Thanks to its voracious
appetite, we have wine. While
feasting on. grape. sugar, this or
ganism secretes alcohol thereby
turning grapes into wine. Anoth
er micro-organism turns milk
sour.
Others are less fussy in their
diet, although selective in their
choice of food. One tribe, for
example, lives on hydrogen sul
phide, the gas that gives rotten
eggs their odor. Another lives on
carbon monoxide the same poi
son that comes out of the ex
haust of our motor cars. Yet
another, a small group, prefers
carbolic acid.
Prepare Plant Food
Why can. we say that life as we
knew it on this earth could nflt
go on without these millions qf
different microscopic organisms
in the soil? Simply this: they
AT FIRST
Investment made
by the 10th of the
month earn divi-
dends
First.
at of the
invest mm
I
By EUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
prepare the food for plants,
breaking down complek mater
ials into simple substances which
new plants can absorb. From
these plants, vegetable-eating
mammals can live, and from
them, the meateating mammals.
That's Homo sapiens.
As yet, this new science of
the study of the micro-organisms
in our soils Is a comparatively
new one. Who knows what won
ders this life under our feet may
hold? The new medicines it will
produce? The new poisons and
whether for our use or destruc
tion? Perhaps this ' study may
ultimately solve the problems of
some of today's "sick soils" that
have been overworked and if so
arrive at discoveries which will
increase our old earth's underfed
fertility vastly and simplify the
task of feeding the earth's under
fed hundreds of millions.
(Copyright, 1955,
By Eugene Burns)
(Released by McClura
Newspaper Syndicate)
Free: By special arrangements
with the editors of the Encyclo
pedia Americana, my panel of
judges will award each week to
the reader who sends me the
best true-life nature adventure,
or the best nature observation,
or the best question on nature
and wildlife a complete 30-volr
ume set of this world-famous
reference work in a handsome
Sealcraft binding. Each week
new submissions will be consid
ered. Sorry, I simply can't an
swer your many friendly letters.
Please address your letter to:
IS THAT SO! co Medford Mail
Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito,
Calif.
to
Conservation Area
Plan of Petilioners
Petitions have been circulated
in the extreme northwest corner
of Jackson county proposing the
area be included in the Sams
Valley-Beagle Oil Conservation
district.
The area proposed to be added
to the district starts near Hol
colm springs northwest of Sams
Valley, continues northward to
the Douglas county . line just
east of Richter mountain, and
follows the Douglas and Jose
phine county lines to about a
mile north of Old Baldy and east
ward to Holcolm springs.
Hearing Planned
Petitions will be forwarded
to the state soil conservation
committee, and if approved, a
hearing will be held. Petitions
presently are located at Gail's
market in Wimer, the Evans Val
ley lockers and the Wimer cafe.
The Sams Valley-Beagle Soil
Conservation district was or
ganized in 1950, and in early
1954 the district was expanded
to include most of northern Jack
son county. The district present
ly comprises 896,040 acres of
land.
The district was organized to
work out cooperatively problems
of irrigation, drainage, land
leveling, land clearing, range
improvement, weed control,
flood control and other problems
affecting use of land and water
resources in the area.
Southern Malheur
'Disaster' Area
.Denver (U.P.) President
Eisenhower Saturday declared
the southern part of Malheur
county, Ore., an emergency
drought disaster area eligible
for assistance under the emer
gency grain relief program.
The action was taken at the
request of Oregon Gov. Paul L.
FEDERAL
SAFETY FIRST-Your account is insured to
$10,000 by the Federal Savings and Loan
Insurance Corporation.
ADEQUATE RETURN Our current divi
dend is at the rate of 3 per annum.
1 INVEST NOW Secure your own
with savings.
FIRST FEDERAL
Savings & Loan Assn. of Medford
27 North Holly R. F. Kyle, Secretary
Parents Urged To Vaccinate Their
Against Unwitting Carrier of Polio Virus
(Editor- note: Tliis i the second of
a series of five arUcles on what par
ents should know about the Salk polio
vaccine. Under Dr. Van Riper's direc
tion the National Foundation spon
sored the research development 01 me
vaccine and he is in charse of the
Foundation's program for vaccinatine
children in the first and second grades
of school.)
By HART E. VAN RIPER, M.D.
Meedical Director Natl. Foun
dation for Infaniile Paralysis
"Why did my child get polio?
None of his playmates had it."
Many a parent, suddenly con
fronted with the dreaded diag-
NLRB Completes
Local Hearings;
Moving to Bend
National Labor Relations
Board hearings in Medford on
charges of unfair labor prac
tices filed by the Local Inter
national Woodworkers of Am
erica, CIO. union, against Red
Blanket Lumber company of
Eagle Point and Prospect, end
ed this week.
The NLRB will reconvene at
Bend, Nov. 14, to continue the
hearings. It is expected that
the final phase of the hearings
will be completed and a deci
sion announced, before Thanks
giving. The hearings, which started in j
Medford Oct. 24, are also con
cerned with charges against the
Pine Industrial Relations Com
mittee, which represents lumber
firms in labor negotiations, and
four central Oregon firms.
Started With Strike
The union charges arose out
of a strike at the Red Blanket
Lumber company which began
in June, 1954. The company re
fused to reinstate employees to
former or equivalent jobs when
the strike ended in October,
1954.
The complaint also charges
that the employer, in refusing to
give certain data to the union
concerning payroll and produc
tion figures, violated the Na
tional Labor Relations act.
Among those testifying for the
defense during the Medford
phase of the hearings were W.
C. Mattson, manager of Red
Blanket Lumber company; Wil
lard Mattson Jr., assistant man
ager; Merlyn Harvey, office
manager; and John Mantle, pres
ident of the PIRC. . ...
Testify for Union
Those testifying for the un
ion were Edwin W. Kennan, di
rector of economic research,
1WA, Ben Brackenbury, presi-
dent of L.ocal b-izz, iwa; urm
W. Carroll, secretary of Local
6-122; Glenn Yorton, former lo
cal union vice-president; Thomas
Denninger and Victor Conover,
trustees of the union and Tim
Sullivan, president of the Klam
ath Basin District 6 IWA coun
cil. Arnold Wilson, former Red
Blanket employee, and Leon
Love, job . steward at Red Blan
ket Mill number one, also testi
fied at the hearings.
Patterson, who was informed of
the action by telegram. The
President also signed a letter to
Federal Civil Defense Admini
strator Val Peterson authorizing
the bid.
Malheur county borders on Ne
vada and Idaho.
. The relief will be made avail
able through the Agriculture
department. No specific amount
of aid has been fixed.
Dead line Sunday
at noon Saturday
Classified is at
future
in
S
nosis of paralytic polio, has asked
this.
The answer is that one of the
child's playmates, or some other
person who was not ill himself,
did indeed have the polio virus
and did communicate it. The un
witting carrier was protected
from paralysis by polio anti
bodies in his blood. The child
who came down with paralytic
polio was not.
Had that child been given the
vaccine that Dr. Jonas E. Salk
developed with support from the
March of Dimes, he might have
been spared paralysis. His par
ents could not have been sure
of this no vaccine protects ev
erybody but the chances would
have been somewhere between
60 to 90 per cent that the child
would have been brought
through his infection with, at
worst, a brief illness, and more
likely with no illness at all.
Immunization Not Known
News About Books
From the Library
BY' MISS HELEN WEBSTER
Medford Librarian
Why stop learning? It's a good
question to ask yourself during
American Education week; and
American Education week is a
good time to enroll in the "Peo
ple's University," your public
library.
Sometimes we fail to realize
the importance of education un
til the opportunity for formal
schooling has passed. Frequent
ly new interests point out the
need for background informa
tion in fields not covered en
route to a diploma. Fortunately
your public library, an integral
part of the American system of
public education, stands ready
to help you with information
that is as fascinating as it is use
ful. Origins Told
You'll be entertained and in
formed at onjee in reading
Charles Funk's "Heavens to Bet
sy and Other Curious Sayings."
Here we learn the origins of fa
miliar expressions and gain a
fresh appreciation of our Ameri
can everyday speech.
Power, Safety
Advances Listed
For New Chevrolet
Detroit Advances in dur
ability, safety and power high
light engineering achievements
in the 1956 Chevrolet.
Engines, both V-8s and sixes,
nave redesigned nign-iitt cam
shafts and hydraulic valve lift
ers. Horsepower varies from 140
in the six Cylinder with an 8-to-
1 compression ratio to the 205
V-8 with a compression ratio of
9.25 to 1. '
Chevrolets are available in
standard, overdrive or Power-
glide transmissions.
New Clutch Facing
Durability for V-8 engines in
clude features of a new clutch
facing to provide smoother op'
eration and a new filter system
which prolongs the life of the
engine by providing cleaner oil
throughout the engine.
Among safety features of the
19o6 series is new sealed beam
headlights, designed to lower
beam ' lens pattern which pro
vides more light along the right-
hand-side of the highway.. The
new lights also provide improved
vision m inclement weather.
.tt.no mer saieiy leaxure is
A 2.1 . I .
crash-tested door locks which re
duce danger of doors springing
open in an accident. The fea
ture was introdued on the Chev
rolet last year.
The 1956 Chevrolet is on dis
play at Courtesy Chevrolet,
Ninth and Bartlett.
Check Case Suspect
Arrested in East
Alfred L. Mayes of East Lynn,
W. Va., is being held in Yayne,
W. Va., for local authorities for
uttering and publishing a false
check. Medford police said
Mayes passed a S1.000 company
check, which was payable to
Veneer Sale corporation from
Pacific Forest Sales.
Police said Mayes had in his
possession at the time of arrest i
a S4.000 bogus check. Mayes
also is wanted in Los Angeles,
Calif., for automobile theft,
police said.
ARTICLES FILED
Salem U.P.) Articles of in
corporation were filed here Sat
urday for the Jackson County
Dairy Herd Improvement Asso
ciation with headquarters at
Eagle Point. They were signed
by Will Hubbard, Victor Bird
seye, Don Geren, Lewis Clark
Your doctor cannot tell you
whether your child has been im
munized naturally to paralytic
polio through previous "silent
infections." There is no simple,
practical test he can make in
his office. That is why every,
child should have the protection
of the Salk vaccine and for
that matter why every young
adult should have it too as soon
as enough vaccine is available.
The vaccine achieves pretty
much the same preventive ef
fet, artificially, that an actual
polio infection does naturally;
that is, it sets in motion the hu
man chemistry which produces
protective antibodies, ready
made, into the blood stream in
given, limited supply. Rather,
it is a miniature Point 4 Pro
gram helping the body to help
itself:
The only way science has found
to trigger this latent self-defense
when nature has failed to do it
Everyone takes an interest in
the weather. You can make that
interest scientific with a perusal
of Irving Krick's "Sun, Sea, and
Sky; Weather in Our World."
Another good course in general
science is offered in "Frontiers
of Astronomy" by Fred Hoyle.
The author brings the ereat
questions of space and time
within the grasp of the reader
who has no specialized training
in matnematics and physics.
Public Speaking
The business man who wishes
he'd taken that elective course
in public speaking can make up
for lost time with "Thp Snoor.1,.
maker's Complete Handbook."
by Edward L. Friedman.
Here is a real storehouse of
interesting, colorful material
which will be a source of infor
mation and entertainment as
well as a comrjlete rl
guide for public speakers.
How were you in history?
You'll probably find it a great
deal more interesting to read
when there's no term examina
tion to anticipate. Try Alfred
Duggan's '"My Life for My
Sheep," a highly imaginative,
yci auu-.entic, biography of
j. nomas a tiecket, clerk, arch
bishop, martyr the man for
wnose murder a king was flogg
ed. His life is a familiar story,
Tl U . i
vwjcii, is unusual is ivir. Dugean s
masterly treatment of the sub
ject.
Northwest History
American history holds
more interest for vou than that
of medieval Europe, your libra
ry suggests the definitive biog
raphy of Chief Joseph, by Helen
T-fmi,aj .. arm t
Juie journals of
J-ewis and Clark," edited by
Bernard de Voto. Any journey
you take in the Northwest will
De made more interesting
this background study.
by
Perhaps geography is more to
your taste. If you like it near,
we oner you Ruby El Hult's
"Untamed Olympics," telling
me aiory ot one of the wildest,
strangest, most fascinating re
sins in America, Washington's
uiympic Peninsula. Go farther
aneid, if you choose, with John
Gunther's latest inside book,
'Inside Africa." In the familiar
manner of his earlier sui-vpv
the author investigates political
dim social conditions on the Af-
"u i-uuuueni. tanouid you
wisn 10 investigate the continent
yourself, you will find a practi
cal guide to Africa, very recent
ly published.)
There are no tuition fees:
your student card is issued to
you free of charge. Why not en
roll this week m the "People's
university" on the .Medford
Public Library campus?
MODERN
Need New
Stovepipe?
WE HAVE
ALL SIZES
CHANGE
Furnace Filters
NOW
All Sizes
from
89'
PLASTIC
PIPE
AND FITTINGS
ALL SIZES
Vz in.
I in. .
. 9c ft.
21c ft.
Children
is through the use of the virus
itself by introducing inactivat
ed virus directly into the body.
In a small minority of instances
nothing happens in most .people
the reaction to the presence of
the virus is a quick emergency
output of antibodies.
Safe Way Sought -
It would be easy enough to do
this dangerously. Dr. Salk's job
was to find a way to do it safely.
It was complicated, moreover, by
the fact that there are three
types of the polio virus, any one
of which can cause paralysis.
Hence all three types had to be
embodied in the vaccine.
Dr. Salk rendered the virus
harmless to human beings by
"killing" it with a solution of
formaldehyde. By the Salk meth
od it is inactivated so that it
cannot cause Daralvsis. vet not
so completely "dead" that it !
loses its effect on antibody pro-
duction. j
Sham Battle !
Thus what happens in a Salk !
vaccination may be described as
in the nature of a sham battle, j
in which the human system is i
conditioned to defend itself j
against a harmless facsimile of j
the polio virus, and after which '
it remains armed and ready in
case the real thing comes along. !
As soon as Dr. Salk and his I
colleagues learn how long the
effect of one course of Salk vac
cine shots lasts, and when, if
ever, iurtner booster shots are j
needed, immunity to paralytic
polio can be made lifelong.
When the day of universal vac
cination comes, at least three
out of four of those persons who
are now susceptible to paralysis
will be forever safe from it.
This means that almost all of
America's children will be free
of the threat, and their parents
free of the fear. -
For
$22.95
PHONE
3-5433
321 EAST MAIN
PLUMBING
rr "au to m atic dryerJ:
"Vr X?l 75B EVERY INCH A TOP QUALITY DRYER
I X " '" ' taolc m th. IJ II ...-J I1
J '3 ! " foolui ass 'JMUtikilji:.-' 3 .i'.:. .s:"-.-.J
1 ' 1111 j l OfWKlMilAW J
M , "dO'IToPIHED1 Lti '-LjPL, i-''.-.'ts:'7,
3 : mstitii KJ -.A V j I
Hand Towels Bath Towels F ' --
V FREE! 16 Piece Cannon Towel
jX C with the purchase of a ...
CHF?0$ el SPEED QUEEN DRYER X QTf)
mem
613 East Jackson - Ph. 3-5368
Our Specials This Week
Medicine Cabinets
CHROME TRIM
SIZE 16x22
DON'T LET YOUR WATER PIPES FREEZE!
We Haye ALL Types of Insulation
Need Heat?? We
LENNOX
Oil
Gas
Wood
Coal
Freight Gar Shortage
Continues to Improve
Salem (U.R) Public Utilities
Commissioner Charles H. Helt
zel Saturday reported, continued
improvement in the western Ore
gon freight car shortage situation.
He said Southern Pacific last i
week provided 67 per cent of
cars ordered by lumber shippers
S-W "One Stop"
Solves Your Carpel Problem
12 FT. WIDTH CARPET 5 3 85
BY BEATTIE i sq. yd.
Choice of two smart decor colors in blended 70 Wool
Broadloom by Beattie.
Carpet with mothproof hair and jute pad $5.95 sq. yd.
S & W Floor Cover Shop
709 So. Riverside
Only s229
Down -Pay Only $2.59
COUEY'S
Appliance store
In the
& SHEET METAL C
$(S)95
WESCO
Oil
Sawdust
Wood
1 CARRIER
Heating
and
Air
Conditoining
compared with .62 per cent fhe
previous week.
WRONG JAR
, Rochester, N. Y. (U.R) A po
lice officer arrested a man a few
blocks from the Treadway Inn
when he became suspicious of a
bulky object the individual was
attempting to hide under his
coat. The object turned out to be
a gallon jar of strawberry pre-
I serves. The brand name on the
' jam jar was "Old Honesty."
Phone 2-7376
95
Per Week-
OPEN
WEDNESDAY
NIGHT TILL 9
i
Littreli Parts. Bldg.
1"-
A Few Gallons
Du Ponl
PAINT
LEFT
GLOSS
ENAMEL
Gal. .... $4.26
Quart ....$1.32
n
Have It!!
CRANE
Baseboard
Radiation
fa
'4
i
and Chester Jensen.