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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1957)
EIGHT MTDFORD (OREGON) Pear Industry Maintains Agricultural Economy Lead County Pear Production In Millions of Boxes r F 3.5 2.5 1.5 .5 1920 1930 Constitutional Change Gets Recommendation Salem (U.R) A proposed constitutional amendment to in crease the term of state repre sentatives from two years to four has received the favorable recommendation of the Senate Elections committee and will be before the Senate for final ac tion this week. The Senate Judiciary commit tee gave its approval to legisla tion to raise from $20,000 to $25,000 the ceiling for damages in wrongful death. This would change a House-passed bill to remove the limit altogether. Need Ready CAS H? COUNT ON US WHEN YOU NEED MONEY! Borrow The American Way! LOANS $25 to $1,500 AUTO SALARY , FURNITURE For Any Worthwhile Purpose PAYMENTS TO FIT YOUR BUDGET! American Finance Corp. Phone 2-8886 123 W. Main Medford GUESS WHC MFDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE MAIL TRIBUNE 1 1940 1950 1960 Most of Nation Can Expect Spring By UNITED PRESS The weather took a season able turn today with mild, spring-like readings expected most of the nation. A warming trend that began Sunday continued during the night in the Mississippi valley, the Ohio valley and the lower Great Lakes region. Clearing skies sent tempera tures tumbling in the Northern Lakes area, but weathermen said the mercury will climb to day under bright sunshine. The coldest spot in the nation over night was Mount Washington, N.H., where the temperatures registered 1 above zero at mid night. A A storm center in the Pacific Northwest brought showers from the Pacific coast to the Rockies. The storm brought an inch or' more of rain Sunday over coastal sections of northern California. Forecasters said warming will continue today from the Great Plains states to the Atlantic with mostly fair skies east of the Mississippi river. . Mostly cloudy weather was seen for the Plains with scattered show ers in the southern and north ern sections. Dam in Ecuador Bursts; Homes Swept Away Jipijapa, Ecuador U.R) The new Jipijapa 'Damburst Sunday, drowning at least four persons and sweeping away scores of homes in this provincial town. Damage was estimated at $180, 000. The failure of the dam, com pleted only a few months ago, was blamed on "defective construction." Monday, April 15, 1957 (Editor's note: How is agriculture doing in Jackson county? What is its future? How does it stack up as compared to the past? What are the major items of income? (The following is one of a series of six articles, prepared by the Mail Tribune in cooperation with the county agricultural exten sion office and others, in an attempt to answer these questions). In 1890 there were about 2,000 boxes of pears produced in Jack son county. In 1956, there were nearly 3V million boxes of pears produced here. During the last half of that 66- year' period, local fruit growers (along with nearly everyone else in the nation) felt effects of the economic depression of tne 1930's. Then a widespread blight infestation destroyed more than 1.000 acres of pear trees. Next, World War II halt ed exports to valuable- foreign markets, and force of compe tition from other areas strength ened. Hail, Frost In 1948, a severe hail storm resulted in serious crop losses, and on May 1, 1954, came the hardest blow of all an untime ly frost, which claimed over haif of the anticipated pear crop in the county. In spite of these and other "calamities," the pear industry has for many years maintained its position as No. 1 in agricult ural importance to the county. During 1956, estimated gross income from agricultural enter prises in the county was $28, 688,361. Of this total, about $19, 000,000 came from horticultur al products, mostly pears. An nually, pears represent about 50 per cent of the county's total agricultural income. Survives Hardships C. B. Cordy, county horticul ture agent, says the local fruit industry has survived its hard ships and forged ahead largely because members of the in dustry have used a positive ap proach to problems, profited from mistakes and kept abreast of scientific and mechanical im provements. For instance, after the depres sion, pear growers banded to gether in an attack against blight. Their clean-up campaign brought the disease under con trol. According to Cordy, they have met competition by ex panding local production and emphasizing high quality. Simul taneously, they have spent stag gering sums of money promo ting their product. Growers tax themselves eight cents a box and the money goes toward pro moting consumer use of pears. The Oregon- Washington- Calif ornia Pear Bureau, considered one of the leading industry pro motion and market production agencies in existence, originated right here in Medford about 25 years ago. It has been given much credit for keeping the pear industry "on its feet" dur ing periods of tight economy. Seek Answers Jackson county fruit growers lost no time after 1948 in seek ing an answer to the-hail prob lem. In 1949, the Rogue River Valley Traffic association (since renamed the Medford Pear Shippers association) initiated a cloud seeding program. Air planes scattered chemical solu tions through the clouds at tempting to dissolve hail before it could, reach the pear crop. In 1954, the association pio neered a different hail suppres sion program here using ground generators and silver iodide. This program is carried out by the Water Resources , Develop ment corporation of Denver, thr'ough its local headquarters at the Medford airport. It is still in experimental stages and results are being closely observed by government al agencies and other fruit dis tricts. It's too early to deter mine the relative success of the program, but large annual ex penditures made by fruit grow ers toward its support indicate they believe it has real prom ise. Orchard Heating Orchard heating for preven tion of frost damage started here in 1905, and acceptance of this program gradually increased among orchardists. Then, un derstandably enough, use of or chard heating reached an all time high after the 1954 frost. There are few orchardists in the valley now who do not care fully listen for frost warnings and keep heating equipment ready to use until well past the acknowledged frost danger per iod. Among significant improve ments introduced in the last decade by Medford and Hood River fruit packers have START NOW Jjp Save HIIok been polyethelene bags for stor ing pears. These transparent bags are capable of preserving pears for extended lengths of time. Storage ability depends on the balance of oxygen and car bon dioxide within the bags. This varies according to storage temperatures and other factors, and can be controlled by punch ing holes in the bags. Poly ethelyne bags have aroused a considerable amount of outside interest and research is still under way. Figures Compared " An interesting phenomenon can be observed by comparing pear production and tree acre age figures of 1931-35 and 1955. In 1931-35, estimated pear pro duction was 1 23 million boxes as compared with 3V4 million boxes in 1955. Yet, in 1930, esti mated total acres of pear trees was 11,620 as compared with 10,000 in 1955. Cordy cites better care of trees and use of modern meth ods in accounting for increased production, despite decreased acreage. Adoption of improved pruning techniques, use of new chemicals for disease and insect control, development of effec tive spray schedules and fertil izer programs are a few of the production methods used. Varieties, Acreages FVlowing is a breakdown of varieties and acreages in 1930 as compared with 1955: Variety 1930 1955 Bartlett & Hed BarUett.. 3.860 4.300 D'Anjou 2.600 2.800 Bosc 3.000 1.800 Cornice . 740 900 Winter Nelis 950 . 50 Howell 260 5 Miscellaneous TOTAL 210 150 ..11,620 10,000 Cordy pointed out that the increase in Bartlett, D'Anjou and Cornice acreage and de creases in Bosc, Winter Nelis and Howell has largely been due to grafting of the latter three varieties over to the other three. Reasons for grafting included diseases and low prices, which made Bosc, Winter Nelis and Howell less desirable than the other varieties. Loss of Acreage A considerable amount of worry has been expressed re cently over loss of fruit acreage for residential and industrial purposes as the county ex pands. Cordy estimates about 100 acres of orchard land have been taken out of production in meeting residential and indust rial needs in the last 10 years. It has been predicted that a great deal more orchard land will be similarly used in years to come. "Considering this, 'as well as age of existing orchards, the pear and apple sub-committee of (the Jackson County Agricul tural council recently stressed the need for additional plantings in the area. Cordy said there is "good reason" to believe more new plantings will be in evi dence in the coming year than has occurred in the last 25 years. He noted 50 per cent of present orchards in the county are 40 years old or older. This means their production levels will soon decline a'nd new plantings will be necessary to stabilize produc tion. Additional Plantings The committee also recom mended additional plantings be confined to the present four main varieties Bartlett, D'Anjou, Bosc and Cornice, with the ad dition of Red Bartletts. The lat ter variety was introduced about 10 years ago in Yakima, Wash., and has been especially adaptable to this area, Cordy said. Skin of Red Bartletts has a red tinge, but the fruit is otherwise about the same as reg ular Bartletts. Requirements for the Red Bartlett variety 'to de velop red color include low humidityj cold nights and hot, bright days. Cordy said another new var iety, Packham's Triumph, also shows promise for this area. Pears of this variety are large, sturdy and can be stored until spring. Irrigation facilities rank among the greatest needs for the fruit industry here. Cordy says it doesn't matter whether these facilities are provided by federal, state, county or indi- Daily's U-Drive Medford Airport" Nixon Report Said Los Angeles (U.R) Mrs. Elea nor Roosevelt says that Vice President Richard M. Nixon ne glected to mention "an impend ing famine in Morocco" in re porting his recent trip to Africa. "I read the vice president's re port," the widow of the late President said. "I was surprised to find he did not mention what I feel is a most serious problem Ten Commandments Would Be Reduced Washington (U.R) The House budget cutters are in full cry. Sen. Norris Cotton (R-N.H.), a former member of the House Appropriations Committee, re ported thus to his constituents: "As one member put it, 'The boys are in such a mood that if someone introduced the Ten Commandments they would cut them down to eight'." A", colleague commented: "If they did, the Democrats would call dn President Eisenhower to name the two to be eliminated." vidual funds.. "We need more irrigation badiy and should take immediate steps to get it some how," he states. THE GMDlSlKnnf CMKSflBWaia Most glamorous car In a generation o """iSjsSI ii ii 1 1 sa nuuun MM If the sign says "Rough Road Ahead" don't brace yourself for the bumps in your Mighty Chrysler. For there just aren't any bumps any more thanks to Chrysler's Torsion-Aire Ride. Torsion-Aire is no mere improvement . . . it's a complete change, the biggest since the invention of springs. No other fine car on earth has Chrysler's exclusive combination t of torsion bars, rubber-isolated ball-joints, and outrigger rear HAMLIN MOTOR COMPANY Eighth and Front Streets Medford E i . uni t ' , MERCY FLIGHTS, INC. To Neglect Famine in Africa, the impending' famine in Morocco." Mrs. Roosevelt returned to New York Sunday night follow ing a speech before the south west regional conference of the American Association for the United Nations. "There is an immediate dan ger of a famine in Morocco like the one in 1947 when two mil lion persons died," she said. "We have large surpluses of wheat and powdered milk and the United States will be asked to help." Husband Watches as Bride Dies in Plane Marathon, Fla. U.R) A Mi ami man watched helplessly Sunday night as a light plane crashed and burned, killing his bride of two weeks and the pilot. Buddy Young and his wife, La vergne, 27, had arranged for pilot Thurman Riley, 44, of Mi ami, to "buzz" low over the lodge where the Youngs work as a signal for him to meet them at the airport. The plane hit a high-voltage cable, slammed to the ground and burned. Mrs. Young and Riley were killed instantly. ...except for Chrysler! Fee f the bumps just melt away with Torsion-Aire Ride. It's not a mere readjustment of the same old springs . . . it's a totally new and different kind of suspension I iY... Th planes operated by nationally-famous Mercy Flights, Inc., and its volunteer pilots, are ready, day and night, in all but the very worst weather conditions, to carry the sick, the injured, the pain-wracked and helpless, to emergency medical attention. You can participate in this work of mercy. For $4 per family per year, you can know rhe-peace of mind of being protected should you need the emergency services of these planes and pilots. And if it never happens to you, you still will know you are helping keep tha service in operation for the health and safety of your neighbors. Mail your check to (And be sure to renew promptly Magic Chicken Feed Produces Egg . Machines Milan, Italy U.R) Italian poultrymen said today they have found a magic chicken feed that will turn normal hens into mass production egg-laying machines. They said their formula for increased production consists of feeding the chickens a balanced diet of proteins and vitamins and keeping each hen in a one-cubic-foot cage, where she has nothing else to do but lay eggs. The hens get a vacation every two months, they added. springs ingeniously teamed in a new frame with a lower center of gravity. So don't let the miles bump by in ordinary transportation. Let us lend you a Chrysler tomorrow. Then come on back and find out how the going is even easier when you buy' NOW IN THE 3000 PRICE RANGE I WALT'S LITHIA MOTORS 56-60 North Main Street Ashland when you receive your notice!) FLAT POISONING Dickinson. N.D. (L'-PV- West- em North Dakota stockmen have rerjorted cattle losses through flax poisoning. Immature green uax eaten oy u -n.ic tain enough prussic acid to kill the animals. Use Mail Tribune Want Afli The Low Cost Way To Sell 6 mm KtM.ACt IT WITH 4 AVesfinghouse TROWBRIDGE & FLYNN ELECTRIC COMPANY 214 W. Main Phone 2-5211 3 A ' If) J P.O. BOX 522 MEDFORD, OREGON MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE
