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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1957)
FOUR MTDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Thursday, April 18, 1957 geftoblles Mondo 'Grass' io Undergo Tests at OSC This Spring Corvallis Mondo "grass," currently being promoted in sev eral parts of the country for home lawns, is scheduled for test al Oregon State college to ans-ver local inquiries on its suitability for this area. Harry Schoth, USDA agron omist in charge of the tests, said plantings this spring will prob ably require two or more years of study. Mondo cannot be rec ommended for the Northwest until careful study is made, he stated. Mississippi State college, fol lowing introduction of Mondo as a "lawn grass" for southern states, reported it unsuitable for turf and unable to stand heavy foot traffic in that area. Mondo is not a grass but a low-growing perennial closely related to the lily-of-the-valley. Its grass-like leave are Vs-inch wide, rather rigid, grow 6 to 12 Inches long and have a tendency to droop. It produces small vio let or bluish-tinged flowers fol lowed by pale blue berries. Siemleis Tufted Plants The stemless tufted plants spread from underground stems and tuberous roots. Plants set close together are reported to do well in either sunlight or dense shade, stand considerable wide range of soil and climatic conditions. It proved winter hardy in USDA tests near Wash ington, D.C. While Mondo is used in some southern states and southern Eu rope for borders and edgings, Schoth said it has also been ad vertised for "lawns" that require no mowing. USDA researchers pointed out it needs no mowing where a height of 6 to 12 inches Is not objectionable. dThe plant recovered slowly when mowed, the USDA scien tftts said. Removal of the top portion of the leaf exposes an open unsightly "sod" that may tent out further if mowing is emtinued. Farmers Advised to Protect Allotments Corvallis Farmers with &tieet acreage illotments should jsfatect allotments by signing a saquest to stabilize their wheat acreage history, Robert T. Lis ter, Prineville, chairman of the Oregon agricultural stabilization and conservation (ASC) commit tee, has advised. Requests must be signed and filed in local county ASC of fices by May 1, Lister said. Forms are available in the coun ty offices, and farmers are ad vised to make sure they meet the deadline. One provision of the Soil Bank law states that a farmer may lose part of his wheat acre age allotment if he underplants; accidentally or intentionally; Lister explained. He emphasized that any farmer in any part of the state can protect his allot ment, by signing one of the re quest forms. Queston: Answer: PROTECT YOUR FRUIT Use THE NEW ANTIBIOTIC 1. Available as 2. Increases yields 3. Safe to plants 4. Easy and economical to use Also Controls Walnut Blight Unlike the common fungicides, PHYTOMYCIN gives the grower a product that is specific for the control of blight caused by bacteria such as fire blight and walnut blight. PHYTOMYCIN not only protects the crop but olso may eradicate the infectious agent under certain conditions. OLIN MATHIESON CHEMICAL CORPORATION Insecticide Sales Dept. Fresno, Calif. Baltimore, Md. Distributed by: PACOAST CHEMICAL COMPANY Carmichael, Calif. Telephone Sacramento Wabash 2-4508 Write for descriptive pamphlets Declines Observed In Production Mere (Editor's note: How is agriculture doing in Jackson county? What is its future? How does it stack up as com pared 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 agricul tural extension office and others, in an attempt to answer these questions.) Marketing has always been the major problem facing grow ers of small fruits and vege tables in Jackson county. Lack of good markets is the main reason these enterprises represent only a tiny fraction of the county's overall agricul tural economy. The area itself is well adopted to growing a wide variety of these crops, ac cording to Don Berry, county horticulturue agent. Four Major Vegetables Four major vegetables are raised here, onions, tomatoes, corn and cantaloupes. Onions, tomatoes and corn are the only ones exported in significant quatity. They are sent by truck as far south as San Francisco and as far north as Portland, and a few exports are made to to inter-mountain states. These vegetables are also sold on local markets, which include Jackson county, Redmond, Bend, Gold Beach, Klamath Falls and Roseburg in Oregon, and Crescent City and Red Bluff in California. Cantaloupes and squash are grown here for local consump tion. Numerous other vegetables, regarded as minor crops, are also sold locally through fruit stands or to local grocery stores. Onion Production Onions appear to be the only locally grown vegetable that have not experienced a signific ant decline here in recent years But there is less acreage here ven in onions than there was at one time. In 1956, there were an estimated 80 acres of onions in the county, as compared with 107 in 1939, which was the peak year for production. Jackson county at one ume had around 400 acres of toma toes, most of which were som for processing. The tomato acre age figure dropped to 200 in 1946, and was down to about 100 in 1956. Production of corn as a vege table has always been erratic. Berry pointed out. Acreage has varied from 50 to about 200. In 1946, acreage was estimated at 200, and last year it was esti mated at 150. Cantaloupe Acreage Cantaloupe acreage was esti mated at about 50 in 1956, and hotweon fis and 75 in 1939. The county had about 25 acres of squash in 1956 and a slight down ward trend has been eviaem, m recent years. Among minor crops showing declines have been lettuce and potatoes. In 1929, there were 21 acres of lettuce, and in 1956 Vipr were none. Potato acre age dropped from about 300 in 1945 to about 50 in iaoo. nan ishes. once raised here for ex port, have about completely left the picture. At one tune 30 xo u acres were being raised here, but there is no radish acreage at the present time. Fire Blight? Phytomycin! dust or liqui id Berry says vegetable growers in other areas have been able to "steal" local markets from Jackson county farmers because they can produce and transport their products more profitably than local growers can. Also, local growers do not produce in large enough quantities to sup ply major chain stores or term inal markets. Thus, as the mar ket for locally produced vege tables declined, farmers turned to raising other more profitable crops or seeking outside employ ment. Roadside Stands But local growers are not giv ing up on the vegetable market. The county agent said there has been a definite increase lately in establishment of roadside fruit stands. By selling produce in this manner, the grower elim inates the "middle man" and can realize more profit on his sales. Local growers are also improving grades and standards in packaging their Droduce for market, thus getting farm fresh, high quality produce to the local consumer. Growers of small fruits have faced market problems similar to those of vegetable growers, and have experienced the added problem of disease. Strawberry growing has been especially un dermined by black root rot among Northwests and straw berry yellows virus among Mar shalls. These two are considered to be the highest quality va rieties. They can be grown here in higher average yield per acre than the Willamette valley, but below average California pro duction. Strawberry Growing Iii 1956, there we'e about 65 acres of strawberries here, as compared with 80 in 1949. Berry says there would be a possibility of growing more strawberries here if a disease-hesistant, high quality variety could be devel oped. Acreage of boysen And young berries has also fallen in the last 16 years. In 1940, there'were an estimated 140 acres, as com pared with only 50 in 1956. The county agent said presence of crown or cane gall disease, com bined with limited markets, has made large-scale production of these berries impractical. - Wilt disease has held down acreages of red and black rasp berries, and there have been no high quality, varieties available to grow in this area. In 1949, there were about five acres of black raspberries as compared with three in 1956. In 1949, there were 30 acres of red rasp berries, as compared with about 20 in 1956. New Variety , There were only about three acres- of tame blackberries in 1956, and about eight in 1946. Berry said there is a possibility of expanding tame blackberry acreage here as the result of a variety recently developed at Oregon State college. This new variety, called Marion, is show ing considerable promise as a vigorous, high quality berry, and is being recommended to those who want to grow blackberries. Berry commented there seems little future in grape production in this area because the average season is too short for develop ment of good quality grapes. There were about 20 acres in 1956, as compared with 40 in 1946. He noted, however, that expanded production will be possible only if and when a high quality, early season grape va riety is developed. The county agent said grow ers of both vegetables and small fruits are being urged to organ ize and work toward developing better markets on which sur vival of these industries de pends. Four Local Men To Attend Meet Four members of the Jackson county fair board will attend a two-day spring workshop on fairs next week at Corvallis. Attending the Monday and Tuesday meetings from here will be J. W. Bigham, Francis Krouse, Ed Fossen and EarJe Jossy. The sessions will include discussions of fair problems and suggested solutions. Gov Robert D. Holmes will be speaker at the Monday evening banquet- The workshop is being held under joint sponsorship of the Oregon fair board and Oregou State college. Missouri cottontail rabbits rear 3.8 litters annually with an average of 4.4 animals in each litter. Early Marketing Of Lambs Pays; Pointers Listed Corvallis Oregon sheepmen slated to market more than a half-million fat lambs this spring and summer, mostly to out-of-state consumers, could, net an extra $3 a head from lambs fin ished off before mid-June, ac cording to Oregon State college extension specialists. W. Y. Fowler, livestock mar keting specialist, says lamb prices are expected to hold strong, following the pace set by beef. Best prices will go to early spring lambs, he adds, that fill the market gap between Cali fornia's peak April sales and late June marketings elsewhere. Rule Still Holds The old rule of thumb that a 75-pound lamb on Memorial Day may be worth more than a 90-pound lamb on July 4 still holds, the specialist says Sharp price drops normally hit here about June 15. Fowler and John Landers, OSC livestock specialist, offer the following suggestions for boosting lambs to early markets: Shear ewes early to keep them pasturing well and producing milk rather than "holing-up" in the shade to escape warm weath er. See county extension agents for fertilizer recommendations to keep pasture producing at lambs Vi to 34 pounds of grain daily, right up to load ing time. Any locally-grown grain, alone or in mixture, wUl do. Keep plenty of fresh water and salt available. Drenching Suggested Drench lambs immediately if they show symptoms of internal parasites scours, inability to gain, and dead-looking wool. Drench with one ounce of com- merical liquid phenothiazine. Re peat in two weeks. Keep a nine-to-one salt and ' phenothiazine mixture before the flock at all times. When lambs reach 80 pounds and grade "choice," get them to market rather than waiting for the entire lamb crop to ripen. Over-ripe lambs not only go down in grade and value but re quire extra feed and care in the process. Neighbors can efteu pool transportation for small lots of market-ready lambs. , Keep earliest, heavy, ewe lambs at home for flock replace ments. The specialists also advise growers with old-crop lambs to move them to market within the next ' two weeks to avid price loss in competition with the 1957 crop. 7 Million Bushel Of Grain Shipped Salem Almost seven million bushel: or 20 cargoes of grain were inspected out of Oregon in March for overseas shipment, T. Rrlph Harry of the state depart ment of agriculture s grain divi sion, has reported. Most of the export movement left Portland but about a half million bushels moved from As toria. The .total included 4.4 million bushels wheat; 1.6 mil lion bushels barley; and 633,000 bushels of corn. Countries on the receiving end of the March movement were Ladia, Korea', Italy,' France, Ja pan, Okinawa, South America -.d Parkistan, the department records show. In the first three months of this year the department in spected more than 17.1 million bushels of export grain' or more than the entire grain export business for the year 1954. Harry said business already handled and orders ,in mer chants har-' point to an all time high grain exporting from Ore : 1957. Conservation Group Officers Reelected Directors of the Sams Valley Beagle soil conservation "district Monday night reelected all pre vious board officers at the an nual reorganization meeting. The officers include R. Bruce Grieve, Trail, chairman; Lester E. James, Sams Valley, vice chairman; Earl B. Day, Central Point, treasurer; and W. B. Tucker, secretary. A guest at the meeting was Bob McLaughlin, Hillsboro, area agronomist for the Oregon Soil Conservation service. He de scribed a new regional forage crop nursery recently installed at Corvallis. - Newark, N. J. (U.R) S t a t e Sen; Malcolm S. Forbes, 37-year-old millionaire, overwhelming ly won the Republican nomina tion for governor Tuesday night. He will meet Democratic Gov. Robert B. Meyner in the Novem ber general election. Hormone Injections Boost Beef Gains, Tests Indicate Corvallis Stilbestrol hormone injections to boost beef gains proved more effective than "fed" stilbestrol in trials just completed by the Oregon college agricultural experiment station provided animals receive enough protein to make full use of the hormone stimulus. Feeder steers on high protein rations this winter gained 10 to 15 per cent faster when pellets were implanted under the skin on the back side of the ear as compared with addition of stil bestrol to the grain ration. Both methods are used by ranchers. Tests Conducted Tests were conducted with Hereford steers at OSC's Mal heur branch experiment station near Ontario during a 126-day feeding period ending April 1. Neil Hoffman, station superin tendent, said advantages of im plants were lost when not ac Mongold Receives Gold Star Award A fifth Gold Star Herd award has been made to W. D. Mon gold, owner of La Pine Jersey Farm, route 1, Eagle Point, on his herd of registered Jerseys. ,The La Pine Jersey Farm herd won the award after having completed another year on of ficial Herd Improvement Reg istry testing. The Gold Star rec ognition is for unusually high production over a four year per iod. Last year, Mongold's 18 cows had an average production of 9,896 pounds milk containing 562 pounds butterfat. Over the past four years Mongold has had an average of 19 in his herd producing 9,260 pounds milk containing 524 pounds butterfat apiece. - AH tests on the herd were checked by Oregon State college and the American Jersey Cattle club. The Mongold herd average is more than two times greater than that of the "aver age" dairy cow in the United States- The Herd Improvement Reg istry work is another of the prv grams carried on by The Amer ican Jersey Cattle club to aid the continuous improvement of the Jersey breed. The club's na tional headquarters is in Colum bus, Ohio. Garden Notes By C. B. CORDY County Extension Agent foi Horticulture Vegetable planting has been somewhat delayed due to wet soils but now is a good time to get in a rather complete garden except for the warm weather crops. Such things as turnips, beets, spinach, carrots, radishes and on ions should be seeded, but cab bages, cauliflower and head lettuce should be set out as plants. Head lettuce and spinach are cool weather plants and this is about as late as they could be planted successfully. Garden Size At the start of the season en thusiasm sometimes runs high and a gardner will plant a fairly large area. Then as the summer progresses and the weeds begin to come, it becomes a chore to take care of an'd in many cases it will not be properly taken care of. A small, well cared for gar den will produce more than a large one taken over by weeds and it is more of a pleasure to work in. By planting small amounts of the particular vegetables that are wanted and caring for them well a lot of the burden of gar dening will be removed. Delay Planting Delay planting until a good seeed bed can be worked up add five pounds of a complete fertilizer to 100 square feet and work it lightly into the surface soil then plant the following amounts for an average family: Cabbage-18 plants; Beets-15 feet of row; Spinach-20 feet; head lettuce-1 dozen plants; Carrots- 15 feet with another 15 feet in May; Onions-25 feet to 50 feet. The first corn can also be planted now. Plant five rows about 5 feet long with an early variety such as Seneca Golden and another 5 feet of a later corn such as Golden Cross Ban tam. Every ten days extend the five rows another 5 feet.. This will keep your table supplied with fresh corn from the middle of July up until the first frost. Portland (U.PJ Circuit Judge Frank J. Lonergan has set next Wednesday to hear argu ments on a motion for a new trial for District Attorney Wil liam Langley who was convict ed last Saturday on a misde meanor charge of neglect of duty. jPoPTO and Garden companied by high protein ra tions. Highest gains 3.06 pounds per day were made by steers receiving a 30-milligram stil bestrol implant at the start of the feeding program. The basic feed ration consisted of free choice alfalfa, about 11 pounds of ground ear corn, and one-half pound of wheat bran. Added protein was about four .pounds of ammoniated beet pulp, a new product measuring 20 per cent protein. Steers on the same ration, but with 10 milligrams stilbestrol daily mixed in the bran, aver aged daily gains of 2.72 pounds. Cost per pound of gain, from "fed" stilbestrol was 18.3 cents compared to 16.4 cents with the stilbestrol implant. Feeding Trials The feeding trials further showed that ammoniated beet Weeds and Herbicides By RAY HUBBELL County Weed Control Supervisor The time for controlling broad leaved weeds in grains is well upon us. With all the talk of new weed killers, one might ask if there is anything better for this job than 2-4D. The answer to that question is that 2-4D is still the best weed killer to be used on grain and grass crops. Spraying grains and grass crops with 2-4D is a good investment. It usually returns three to four times the cost of the spray job. In that case, it is a job worth doing right. Correct Use After deciding to spray, the next step is to select the correct formulation of 2-4D- For harder to kill weeds, such as tar weed or fiddle neck, annual burnet and knob weed 2-4D low volatile esters may be used. A combin ation of one part 2-4D and one part 245T may be used if the majority of weeds are -in the harder to kill class. Surround ing susceptible crops must be considered with the use of the 2-4D low volitile esters The rate of application for 2-4D or combinations may vary from V2 to 1 V2 pounds of total acids per acre. Rates of applica of Vi to A pound per acre are usual for the annual weeds. For perennial weeds, such as Canada thistle and morning glory, as high IV2 pounds of parent acid per acre may be used. Winter Grain Winter grain should not be sprayed until after it has started tillering or stooling and may be sprayed until the head is in the boot. Spring grains may be sprayed when 6 to 8 inches high and up until the time of the early boot stage. Improperly timed applications, particularly when the grain is small may result in serious In jury to the grain crop. Incorrect calibration of equipment is another source of crop . injury and will be covered in a follow ing article. 2-4D may be used on corn if care is given to application. Corn is one of the more sensitive of the cereal crops to the growth- regulating chemicals, such as 2-4D. Excessive drenching of the plant should be avoided. Most satisfactory results in spraying corn have come from using a drop nozzle that applies the spray at the base of the corn plant below the leaves. This is particularly true in cases of Hybrid sweet corn. Excellent re sults have been achieved by an overall coverage on field and silage corns. Wine Producers Are Warned of Materials Fresno, Calif. A warning to wine producers against the use of unclean and adulterated raw material- was voiced here re cently by an official of the U.S. food and drug administration. McKay McKinnon Jr., chief of the FDA's San Francisco office, called upon a meeting of San Joaquin valley wine growers to stop a "gray market for gar bage" in the use of uninspected grapes. He said the practice is far from general, but that in an inspection last fall a number of wineries were found to have used grapes which were diseased or contained insects.. The federal official blamed competition for purchase of grapes for the use of uninspected grapes, but said that demand can never justify traffic in adulterated raw material." pulp produced beef gains at less than standard protein supple ment also rated 20 per cent crude protein. Beet pulp can be treated for approximately $5 a ton, Hoffman reported, with total cost of the finished product about 20 per cent less than the protein supplement consisting of regular beet pulp and cotton seed meal. Steers implanted with stilbes trol and receiving the protein supplement averaged daily gains of 3.03 pounds at a cost of 17 5 cents per pound of gain. Animals on "fed" stilbestrol and protein supplement gained 2.69 pounds a day at a cost of 19.3 cents per pound of gain. High Protein Rations Importance of high protein rations for effective use of stil bestrol implants was pinpoint ed when regular beet pulp ws used with the basic ration of 180 Retail Beverage Outlets in County Jackson county now has 180 premises licensed to sell alco holic beverages at retail com pared with 176 in effect April of last year, the Oregon liquor control commission has reported. This is typical of general li cense stability throughout the state, all retail "premises now numbering 4704, which is 12 fewer, than those operating at the same time last year. Of these outlets, 2312 allow sale of bev erages for consumption on the premises. Licensing operations are based on public need in a community, which does not vary sharply unless there are sudden surges in population usually due to new industry, according to OLCC Chairman Hugh Kirkpat- rick. Salem Two hundred sixty- one reactors in 3,032 herds were found in the 43,706 cattle tested for brucellosis, (Bangs disease) in Oregn during March under thi federal-state cooperative testing program. The reactors represent almost six-tenths of one per cent of the cattle tested; they were found in 107 herds. In addition, 15,215 calves in 715 herds were vaccinated. Were PEN HOUSE Sat., April 20-8 a.m. -5 p.m. at 2232 Biddle Rd. (INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER CO.) Doors Prizes Refreshments While You See Our '57 Line of Trucks and. Tractors as . . International Hits 50th Year 4 &i,s? T r " Fifty years of progress in International motor truck engi neering and production are represented by the original 1907 "IHC Auto Wagon" and the new "Golden Jubilee" light-duty pickup, one of the new International A-line of light, medium and heavy-duty motor trucks being introduced to the Med ford area by International Harvester Co., 2232 Biddle rd., Medford. The high-wheeled Auto Wagon's 20-horsepower two cylinder air-cooled engine compares with five gasoline and four LPG six-cylinder high-torque truck engines from 112 to 154 horsepower available for the new International models. While the Auto Wagon was built specifically for hauling produce from farm to market, new International trucks are offered in a wide variety of four and six-wheel and all-wheel-drive models for specialized and general truck ing applications. Golden Jubilee pickup, rated at 4,200 pounds gross vehicle weight, features a seven-foot custom pickup body, new Sweep-Around windshield with 1,181 square inch glass area and a new 65-inch wide custom cab which has the widest inside dimension of any comparable truck model. Wheelbase is 114 inches. Standard engine is rat ed at 112 horsepower and 154-horsepower engine is optional. alfalfa, corn and bran. Grains dropped to 2.73 pounds a day for animals receiving stibestrol implants but went . up to 2.83 pounds for steers on "fed" stil bestrol. Tests were conducted with 50 high-quality yearling Hereford steers from OSC's Squaw Butte Harney branch experiment sta tion, Burns. The steers averaged about 810 pounds at the stait of the feeding period. Average weight on April 1 ranged from 1153 pounds for the group on "fed" stilbestrol and protein sup plement up to 1190 pounds for those receiving stilbestrol im plants and ammoniated beet pulp. Finished live grades for ail animals ranged from "high good" to "choice" with the fat est gaining group consisting of two "high goods" and 'Six "choice" or "low choice" ani mals. See Your Local Fertilizer Dealer l. g. McLaren & co. DISTRIBUTORS 1002 S. Central . . . Phone 2-6181 Inviting To Our 4. :' mm woaB n mm iae ate i sheu. wa'amomiM' ijsHEL& j . I mzj 1
