rOUlOTTKMEBFOllD! (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
gundiT- July 1. 1958
New- Method off Measuring Moistyre Used Here
County Agent Sees
'Big Step' Toward
Orchard Culture
A "big step" in Jackson county
orchard culture is believed to be
in the making right now.
In about one year local ex
periment station officials and
county extension agents hope to
unveil a new mechanical means
of measuring the amount of av
ailable moisture in sou.
The method involves burying
small disc-like devices in the
ground at various depths. The
rectangular-shaped "discs" are
attached to wires which are long
enough to penetrate the soil sur
face. When an orchardist wants
to know when to irrigate, he at
taches the wire ends to a battery
operated meter. The meter indi
cates the amount of water his
soil contains at the different
depths.
20 Art Installtd
ADDroximately 20 of these
discs, called "soil moisture waf
ers," have been installed on an
experimental basis , in various
types of soil in seven Medford
area orchards. These include the
Ralph Cook, Dunbar Carpenter
and Bear Creek home orchards,
all containing heavy soil, Oak-
dale. Hollywood and Alfred Car
penter orchards, containing in
termediate soil, and the Rogue
River company's Clancy orch
ard, containing light sou.
Clifford B. Cordy, county
horticulture agent, explained
that an average of two wafers are
installed in each hole. The num
ber of wafer sets installed per
orchard depends upon the uni
formity of the soil. If the earth
- texture is heavy in one area
and light in another, two sets
would be needed, he said. Some
times more than two are needed
and in other instances, where
soil type is generally uniform,
only one set is necessary.
' Spun Glass
The wafers, each measuring
about one inch by l'i-inch
around and about one- fourth
inch thick, consist of spun glass
partially encased in metal with
the wires attached. Cordy ex
plained that trie spun glass ab
sorbs the moisture and, when
the meter is connected, the wire
and metal casing work together
to conduct the moisture reading
from the wafer to the meter.
The meter shows the moisture
content in terms of microamp
eres. The" orchardist interprets
this reading according to a chart
adapted to his particular type of
soil and the season in which the
reading is taken.
Before installing the wafers,
orchardists at the experiment
sites send samples of the soil to
Oregon State college laborator
ies. The soil is analyzed there
is determine the amount of wa
ter still in the soil at the point
where trees wilt from lack of
available water.
Varies in Earth
This factor varies in differ
ent types of earth so individual
tests must be made on samples
taken in several parts of the or
chard. Information from this an
alysis is used in interpreting
' meter readings. This moisture
testing service, was started at
OSC just last spring.
The next step involves dig
ging a hole in the ground, pre
ferably with a soil auger. Depth
of the hole depends upon the
lowest point at which the orch
ardist desires a moisture reading.
At the Rogue River company's
Clancy orchard, the hole was dug
approximately 4Vi feet deep.
One wafer was buried at that
depth, another at 30 inches and
another at 15 inches.
As the earth is removed from
the hole it is kept in order and
returned to the hole in the same
order. This is because soil con
ditions vary at different depths.
If surface soil were placed at
the bottom of the hole, or if 41 2
foot soil were placed on the sur
face, the reading would not be
a true one. Cordy explained.
Post Installed
After the wafers .have been
planted, a post is installed and
the varying lengths of wire are
attached to the post. This keeps
the wires from becoming buried
and the post also serves as a
marker.
Cordy said on two of the ex
' periment sites, curious people
have seen the wires on the
ground and pulled on them. "The
wires came up but they became
detached from- the wafers. We
had to start all over again and
plant new wafers." Now orchard
ists are urged to explain the ex
periment to employees before
the employees try to find out
about it on their own.
Meter readings are made
" weekly at the various orchards
by experiment station officials
and the county agents. In regular
use, Cordy said, it wouldn't be
necessary to make readings so
frequently. Right now, while
. the method is still in experimen
tal stages, it is necessary to keep ,
a constant record.
Others Used
While the spun glass moisture '
wafer is strictly a new develop-1
MEASURING MOISTURE Martin Luther
Jr., left, watches as Clifford Cordy, county
horticulture agent, turns dials on a meter to
determine moisture content in the soil at the
Rogue River company's Clancy orchard.
Three soil moisture wafers, consisting of spun
glass partially encased in metal, are buried at
varying depths in the earth. The wafers are
attached to wires, which extend above the
earth surface. The meter is connected to the
wire ends to give the moisture reading.
ment for this area. Cordy said
similar devices made of gypsum
and plastic have been used be
fore here. "These weren't really
satisfactory" he explained. "Gyp
sum also tends to rot and can't
be used very long. Plastic is in
adequate because it is influenc
ed by salt contained in the soil."
The county agent said Dr. R.
J. Higdon, horticulturist for the
Medford experiment station,
happened to see the spun glass
wafers in use by experiment sta
tions in another part of the
country. The spun glass seemed
sturdy and appeared promising
for use in all kinds of soil. Ver
satility is an important factor
here since Oregon soil types are
so varied. Thus, with assistance
from the extension service. Dr.
Higdon brought the spun glass
wafer experiment to this area.
Ultimately, it is hoped the
new moisture measuring method
will take some of the guess work
out of irrigation. Soil may ap-
School District Gets
Taxes on Wrong Land
Salem L! ) The wrong
Marion school district has been
receiving taxes on about 60
acres of valuable river bottom
land for the past 76 yeart
The error came to light when
Mrs. Chester Austin requested
that her 40 acres be annexed
from the Salem district to Riv
erview. Another error discovered at
the same time was that George
Hoyser, a member of Riverview
district school board forjl8
years, has served illegally since
he was in the Salem district.
Everyone took for granted
the land was in the Riverview
district, Hoyser said, and his
grandfather even donated land
on which the present school is
located. Hoyser planned to pe
tition for a switch in the boundary.
No Protests Voiced
In Budget Hearing
Central Point No protests
were voiced and no one was
present at the public hearing on
Central Point's 1956-57 city
budget last week..
City councilmen passed ordi
nance 421, which officially
adopts the budget for the fiscal
year. Councilmen also estab
lished a city hall building sink
ing fund and amended the city
building code to allow construc
tion in dwellings without use
of floor joists.
The council also requested
that the planning commission
set up standards for streets,
parking strips, sidewalks and
service areas within the city.
pear dry a few inches, under the
surface and the orchardist may
think it's time to irrigate, the
county agent said.
Soil Augers Used
However, examination at a
depth of three or four feet may
reveal there is sufficient mois
ture in the soil and irrigation
at that time could be damaging.
Soil augers have been used to
determine moisture in earth at
greater than surface depths, but
seem only partially effective.
Cordy said cost of the mois
ture measuring equipment is
about $50.
Experiment station personnel
and the county agents are en
thusiastic over early indications
in their experiment. They hope
to be able to recommend the soil
moisture wafers for general use
here in about a year.
Medford National Guardsmen
Return From Two-Week Training
Approximately 200 Medford
National Guardsmen of HQ and
HQ Company and Company A,
both first battalion, 186th in
fantry regiment of the 41st di
vision, arrived home Saturday
afternoon at the end of the an
nual two-week encampment at
Fort Lewis, Wash.
The local group arrived by
train about 1:15 p.m. They left
Medford at 12:01 a.m. June 16.
The last week of camp fea
tured night firing demonstra
tions, the division rifle match
and a testing program for 1,000
selected troops. The testing was
to determine how National
Guardsmen compare with active
Army troops in basic military
knowledge. Each National Guard
division in the nation will carry
out the testing this summer. The
41st division was the second
group to complete it.
98 Per Cent
This year's camp attendance
was approximately 98 per cent
of the total strength of more than .
9.600 officers and men. Brig.
Gen. George S. Cook, Seattle,
in his first year as division com
mander, said he was pleased with
th-- attendance record and the
training level exhibited by many
units.
Training in the final week in
cluded small unit tactics, prac
tice on artillery ranges and
bridge building by the engineer
unit. Tank companies fired 90
millimeter guns at the Yakima
Firing center, firing jeep-mounted
105 millimeter recoilless
rifles.
Highlight of the encampment
was the annual Governor's Day
review held Saturday, June 23.
Troops received pay Friday,
4
ARMY FIELD RADIO Recruits of Com
pany A, 186th Infantry regiment, look on
with interest as Pvt. Larry Gants. far right,
explains the use and importance of the Army
field radio. From left to right are Pvt. Ralph
Waldo, Pvt. Dick Callender, Pvt. Glen John
son, Pvt. Ted Yarnell, Pvt. Gene Dalbec, Pvt.
Ross Taylor, Pvt. Don Pelham and Pvt.
Gants. During the first week of training, the
recruits attended a 785-member school where
they learned operation of weapons. They
moved into the field with their home units for
the second week of training in their assigned
jobs. These southern Oregon men meet with
Company A in Medford.
(Oregon National Guard photograph)
- J '
MACHINE GUN SQUAD Field training in
mock warfare is a major part of defense.
These Natronal Guardsmen, members of Med
ford's Company A, 186th infantry regiment,
are engaged in "battle" with a simulated
aggressor enemy. The machine gun squad
consists of, left to right, Sgt. LeKby Jahnke,
squad leader; SP3 Bill Cardwell, and PFC
Theodore Keys, assistant gunner. The squad
is armed with the .30 caliber light machine
gun.
(Oregon National Guard Photo).
Fire Engine Kills 6
Injures 10 in Japan
Tokyo (U.PJ A speeding
fire engine veered into a crowd
of pedestrians in Northern Japan
Friday, killing six persons and
injuring 10 others.
Police at Kushiro, Hokkaido
Island, said the engine was en
route to a fire when the driver
tried to avoid a child on a tri
cycle in the street and swerved
into the crowd.
Fruitland Man Dies
Of Injuries in Fall
Ontario, Ore, (U.R) George
H. Bacon, 73, Fruitland, Idaho,
died Saturday of injuries suffer
ed Friday when he fell from a
pickup truck near the Ontario
livestock commission yards. v
h The dead man's son, J. Robert
Bacon, said the truck was "not in
motion when its door sprang
open and the elder Bacon fell
onto the ground.
Bacon had been in critical con
dition in Holy Rosary hospital in
Ontario, until the time of his
de'ath.
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SWITCHBOARD OPERATION Pvt. Michael Smith, member
of Medford's Headquarters company, 186th infantry regiment,
operates the first battalion switchboard, while PFC Jerry Arm
strong, also from Medford, watches.
Elk Lumber Announces
New Mill Opening
Elk Lumber company hag an
nounced it will open its new stud
mill at 7 a.m. Monday.
This is the second new phase
of the Elk operation to be started
within a period of five days.
The company began using its
new power house last Thursday.
' George Flanagan, general
manager of the firm, said the
stud mill is designed to reduce
wood leftovers. He said the logs
are broken down into small parts
by use of thin gang saws and a
larger proportion of the logs can
be utilized.
The new power house is pro
viding energy for operation of
the new mill. The old pine saw
and plaining mills are still on
COPCO power, Flanagan ex
plained. The power house is de
signed to remove carbon par
ticles from the smoke before it
is discharged into the air. :
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Chtroppochc Physic ion, . .
with agent, officers counting out
more than $700,000 for the two
week camp. All units then
packed equipment and loaded
vehicles for the trip to home
stations. Guardsmen from dis-1
tant points, including Medford, j
returned home by train, while !
other units made the trip in
motor convoys. :
The men consumed $140,000 !
worth of rations in the two j
weeks, used 10,000 cots and mat
tresses and fired more than 1,
500,000 rounds of ammunition.
The 1,200 vehicles used 100,000
gallons of gasoline in two weeks.
Medford's - National Guardsmen
were quartered in the northeast
section of Fort Lewis.
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