Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, May 16, 1957, Image 18

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Medford mail tribune., May 16, 1957, Image 18

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Newspaper Page TextTWO MEDFORD (OREGON) State Veterinarian Tells Effects of Sheep Disease Salem The state department of agriculture recently reported that scrapie-infected sheep hav been found in Oregon. Most sheepmen and the lamb-eating public still seem to be in the dark on what eflect this will have on them. Because this is so,- the state department of agriculture offers .this review of the scrapie situa tion in Oregon, as presented by Dr. K. J. Peterson, state veterin arian with the department. Scrapie is an insidious disease because of the extremely long incubation period, which ranges from 18 months to three years or more. It is caused by a fil terable virus. , , As far as the public is con cerned, scrapie will have no ef fect because the disease does not affect humans. It does not af fect meat. It affects only sheep and goats. For sheepmen, scrapie in Ore gon must be eradicated . now, even at the cost of what may Seed Checks Show Few Trouble Spots, Department Says Salem Two trouble spots are appearing in some of the reg ulatory seed sampling done so far this spring, the state depart ment of agriculture reveals. One is in mixed grass seeds offered for sale, the other in small packets of vegetable seeds. Both are from samples taken at the retail level. Not many infractions have been found, but just enough to call this to attention of those who sell and buy seeds, officials state. In a few Instances, mixed grass have been found on retail shelves with new labels pasted over an old one or ones and in no instance do the labels agree with the actual percentages of different varieties of seeds in the mix. On top of this label discrep ancy, the seed laboratory tests occasionally produce different results on the grass seed com ponents than do the labels. The vegetable seed volations found to date are the result of retailers holding packets of veg etable seeds on their shelves for an excessive length of time. As result, these seeds have dropped greatly in germination and must be relabeled or, in a few cases, withdrawn from the market. For protection of seed buyer and seed seller, the Oregon seed law requires seeds to be labeled with definite information and the package contents to conform to the label statements. Only ex ception is packets of vegetable seeds, which do not have to be labeled with respect to germina tion if the seed meets the Ore gon standards' of germination. f Besides germination, the lab els of crop seed must show the origin, the percentage by weight of weed sed, other corp seed and inert matter; the name and number per pound of restricted noxious weed seeds; percentage of hard seed present over 1 per cent; the month and year of the last germination test. 53995 Monarch Seed Cor. 10th & So. Fir iff vgj or 4 iff ! MAIL TRIBUNE seem like extreme protective measures. The only other course will permit the disease to be come widespread. This will in vite an embargo against Ore gon sheep and will result in the costly experience of the industry having to adjust itself to live with it. No treatment is known. Recently a large flock of Ore gon purebred sheep was ordered destroyed by the state because three animals in which scrapie was diagnosed were traced to that flock. A fourth suspicious case originated in the flock. Ob viously, the Oregon flock was the point of infection, although not a single animal in the flock actually showed symptoms of the disease. Every animal appeared perfectly healthy. This is the ag gravating feature of scrapie be cause of the extremely long in cubation period. State and federal veterinar ians under Dr. Peterson and Dr. A. G. Beagle, in charge of fed eral veterinarians in Oregon, are now engaged, with the help of sheepmen, in tracing every ram and ewe sold from the Ore gon Broadmead flock. They are also searching out any breeding stock from Vassajr flock in Cal ifornia in which an outbreak ap peared. Some of the Vassar stock was sold in Oregon. - These animals and all their first generation lambs will be ordered destroyed as fast as the owners can be contacted. In a few circumstances, it may be necessary to include more than the first generation offspring. It may take another month to complete this work. The rest of the animals in a flock to which the Vassar and Broadmead rams and ewes are traced will not be removed. The flocks will be watched closely for a long time. This eradication program established in Oregon is the same as that approved for the nation. It is also the same pro gram which was used successful ly to eradicate scrapie in New Zealand and Australia when it found in those countries in 1952. In the case of sheep ordered slaughtered under the program, the state and federal department of agriculture will participate jointly and equally m indemni ties to be paid. The department has asked three veteran Oregon purebred sheepmen to make the appraisals. The federal indemnity on scra pie is not over $75 on a purebred animal and not over $25 on a grade animal. With the state matching on an equal basis under the joint indemnity agree ment, the largest total indemnity that a sheepbreeder can receive is $150 for purebreds and $50 for grades Under the present eradication program, officials are searching out any rams and ewes taken into non-infected flocks since Oct. 1, 1953, from the known in fected flocks. So far, only sheep men in western Oregon are be ing asked to help run down these animals. At this point there is no evidence of scrapie in com mercial flocks in eastern Oregon. If they do not have them, purebred sheepmen are advised to obtain purebred registry cer tificates for all- animals which came from flocks where the dis- ease is now known to exist. Con van font BUDGET TERMS America's largest-selling reel-type power mower! Velvety cut 5 keen-edged blades shear grass off in smooth, even pattern makes finest lawn look even better. No pushing Power-propelled by rugged REO 214. hp. 4-cycle engine. Uses regular gas. Auto matic Rewind Starter. Handle controls. 'Optional Rider Attachment Gives you the luxury of a rid ing mower at low extra cost. Quickly attached in place of handle. Saves walking, makes mowing fun! i & Feed Co. 6th & Bartlett Thursday, May 16. 1957 Purebred indemnities will not be paid without these certificates, The first symptom of scrapie is a slight nervousness, usually exhibited for only short periods before the animal settles down with the rest of the floe. Then nervousness increases, and the animal will back up to a fence post or anything at hand to rub hard it is from this scratching that the disease gets its name. Scratching and hard rubbing of back and sides will continue so that the wool will rub off. Diseased sheep will carry their head up and a smacking of lips will be evident when scratcing or rubbing. They'll pick their front feet high off the ground and hind feet will often move together. They'll not coordinate movement well and this will be come progressi vely worse. They'll lose weight, even though they continue to eat well. Usually Fatal Scrapie is almost always fatal. Normally an animal will live three months after the symptoms appear. Sometimes it will live only 14 days and sometimes as long as a year.' The virus affects the brain: no gross post mortem lesions are found .but degenerative nerve cells in the brain are evident on histopathological studies. Sheepmen are cautioned not to jump to the conclusion that scrapie is at hand just because a seep scratches. Lice, sheep ticks and sheep scab may cause a lot of rubbing. It's easy to de termine if lice or sheep ticks are the cause. Skin lesions, a fluid or serum and crusts are evident in scab. With scrapie, when scratching starts, the skin is usually normal although the continual rubbing will later pro duce some abrasions and lesions. Pesticides Require Careful Handling, 05C Tells Farmers Corvallis Pesticide chemicals make it possible for farmers to win the annual battle with in sects, but the fight remains a hazardous one each year, reports Robert W. Every, extension en tomologist at Oregon State col lege. The problem farmers face is to kill insects and other pests without killing themselves, Ev ery says. Chemicals must also be applied in such a way and at such a time that no harmful resi dues are left on food crops when they reach market. Nothing is as closely regulat ed as the nation's food supply, Every adds. The federal food and drug administration, under the Miller bill, has set up toler ances limiting the amount of pesticide that can remain on food crops when they're har vested. Food crops are regularly inspected as they move to mar ket, and any crops carrying more chemical residue than list ed, or a residue from a pesticide chemical that hasn't been ap proved for use on the, crop, are subject to seizure. To protect themselves from personal danger and possible fi nancial loss, Every advises farm ers to use only those pesticides approved by the food and drug administration and to use them in a way that will make it possi ble for the crop to pass inspec tions at harvest time. Growers -can get information on which pesticide chemicals to use, and the correct rate and method of application, from their local county extension offices. Some pesticides are extremely dangerous and should be applied only by an experienced person who is fully equipped with nec essary safety equipment. Among tnese pesticides, Every says, are parathion, TEPP and Systox. These materials should never be used on home gardens or stored around the home. Tuberculosis Rise Reported for County Salem A flare-up of tubercul osis in Jackson county c a t tie came to light in the April federal-state testing for this disease, according to the state depart ment of agriculture. Tests in that county revealed 23 tuberculosis reactors in 2,701 dairy cows. Fifty-four herds were included in the April test ing. While this is under 1 per cent, it is still much higher than the state incidence. Veterinarians working on this program tested cattle in 30 coun ties lest month, and only three reactors were found in all the rest of the areas covered. Two reactors were found in 1602 cat tle tested in Washington county, and one in 442 cows tested in Morrow county. The Jackson county situation is the first time in years that so many reactors have been found in one area. It shows, says State Veterinarian Dr. K. J. Peterson, the need for continual surveil lance even though tuberculosis infection in Oregon cattle has been very low for a long period. , Weeds and Herbicides BY RAY HTJBBELL County Weed Control Supervisor At least 50,000 acres of cul tivated land in the state of Oreg gon, as well as an unknown acreage of brush and timber land are infested with Canada thistle. It prefers rich or rath er heavy soils but grown on all types. It grows on acid soils and is as tolerant of alkali as most cultivated crops . Easily Distinguished Canada thistle grows from 1 to 4 feet tall and is easily dis tinguished from other Oregon thistle by its small heads and creeping underground roots that give rise to new plants. Male and female flowers are produced on different plants. Both must be present to produce fertile seed. As the patches c o m m only spread by root development, it frequently happens that all flow ers in a patch may be of one kind either male or f emals. Failure of such patches to set seed has led many people to be lieve that the plant is not spread by seed. In some cases, seed is not produced a b u ndantly but seed when produced usually has a high germination. One pound of Canada thistle has roughly 283,200 seeds. Leaves Long Narrow Leaves are usually long and narrow with numerous cuts or indentations along the margins, Each 3oint between the cuts ends in a short, sharp spine and the edges are much ruffled. The under side of the leaf commonly is lighter green than the upper side. New shoots that arise from the roots do not flower the first year, but make rosettes flat on the ground in the fall. Canada thistle flowers may range in color from rose, purple or lavender to white. The bloom ing period lasts all summer so buds, flowers and seeds may be found on a plant at the same time. As is the case with other this tles, seeds are provided with down that aids in their spread both by wind and water. The down, breaks off easily and leaves brown seeds difficult to separate from grass or clover seed. Variation Noted There is a great deal of varia tion in different plants in color of flowers, shape of leaves and other features. One patch may be quite different from another nearby. The two patches may then cross-pollinate and the seeds may produce plants with still different characteristics. The seed is often found in grass seed, clover seed and other crop seeds. Canada thistle seed may pass through the digestive tracts of animals uninjured. Thus feeding hay or grain with the weed seed in it will help to infest all parts of the farm. Plows and harrows, may spread the weeds by cutting off parts of the roots and dropping them in other places. G o p hers and squirrels often transplant this tles. Trucks, wagon beds, com bines and hay balers used on thistle-infested farms and not completely cleaned before leav ing can spread the seeds to thistle-free farms. Probably the greatest damage caused by Canada thistle is the actual loss of the ground and added expense of farming in fested areas. Thistle seed in grass of legume s e e ds neces sitates costly additional clean ing crop seeds. The state seed law requires that if Canada thistle seed is present, the amount per pound must be stated on the label. If seed of small size like white clover has more than 18 seeds of Canada thistle per pound, it is illegal to sell or offer for sale within the state. With larger seeds, such as red clover, the legal limit is 9 seeds per pound. Screenings con taining the seed of Canada thistle must be devitalized or destroyed. From 8 to 18 inches below the ground surface, lateral roots develop bearing buds 8 to 12 inches apart. These buds form ' new plants. Each lateral root eventually bepds downward sharply and then becomes a ver tical root, that may go down ward 7 to 10 feet or farther. Most of the feeding roots are in the subsoil. 2-4D is .an excellent chemical for control, however complete , eradication requires repeated ap- plications over a number of years. New chemicals tested in Jackson county the last two ; years appears to be promising for complete eradication of all known Canada thistle patches Anyone knowing of any uncon trolled Canada thistle is request ed to call the county agents' of fice, giving his name, address, phone number and location of the thistle. GUESTS FUR SUPPER Chicago (IP) Uobert Mur phy has turned the other cheek to the rabbit kingdom. For weeks, Murphy said, everything that sprouted in his backyard garden was promptly nipped up by a family of rabbits. Murphy Wednesday took them into his house, to the delight of his daughter, Donna Lynne, 3. "I'd rather feed them a little milk," he said, "than have them eat up my whole garden." fcf - t vf J ' I :.;v:::v;::::::':;:::-: JHW" SQUIRREL BAIT After finding a baby squirrel near his Minneapolis home, five-year-old Gregory Froseth quickly solves the feeding problem by using a water pistol to squirt milk into his furry friend. It didn't take Mr. Squirrel long to catch on either, now he outs his mouth over the pistol whenever it is brought to him. Plastic Sheet Used For Silo Covers Corvallis Plastic sheets rec ently put on the market as silo covers may be a good investment if farmers buy the right type and use them properly, says M. G. Huber, Oregon State col lege agricultural engineering specialist. Sheets can be used on upright, bunker, trench and stack silos. Buy only black or colored plastic, Huber advises. Clear plastic may become brittle and deteriorate in sunlight. He als recommends the heavier six mil thickness of plastic which costs slightly more than four mil plas tic but will stand more abuse. One mil is one-thousandth of an inch. Success of the covering de pends upon an air-tight seal seal around the edges, the spec ialist says. Edges of the sheet can ' be held down with dirt or silage. As the silage settles, slack in the sheet should be taken up to remove danger of wind dam age. It is also important to protect the sheet against punctures that might be caused by children, falling objects, or animals. Punc tures and tears should be repair ed immediately, Huber states, since a hole the size of a pin head tan let in enough air to cause silage spoilage. " Small breaks in the plastic can be re paired with waterproof adhesive tape. Jersey Cattle Club Dairy Show Saturday The Rogue River Jersey Cattle club junior dairy show will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Gold Hill. Participating in the event will be 4-H club members, Feature Farmers of America and other young livestock enthusiasts. Judging contests will beheld in the morning, and showman ship contests will be conducted in the afternoon. Bill Wivell, Coos Bay, will act as judge. Apply Walnut Blight Spray Now, Agent Says Walnut blight spray should be applied now, ' according to C.B. Cordy, county horticulture agent. Cordy recommends 2 pounds copper-A to 100 gallons of water with a little sprayer. The ap plication should be made again in about a week. Self Cleaning Tines Won't ball up with grass or sod. Ask For Demonstration in The Dirt At Our "Farm Store" See the Tiller in Actual Operation Doing the Same Job You'll Ask It To Do. j.,. :4::;:!i::;ll:! W: DHIA Selects Ten Leading Herds in County For April The Jackson County Dairy Herd Improvement association has selected the top five herds in the county for the month- of April. Owners of the herds are Grief and Nelson, Ed Ramsay, Fritz and Helen Carlson, Chet Jensen and Hubbar and Vaughn. Top Herds Grief and Nelson's her con sists of 31 cows, of which two were dry, producing an average of 859 pounds milk and 46.6 pounds butterfat; Ramsay's herd consists of 37 cows, one dry cow, producing 1,038 pounds milk and 45.8 pounds. butterfat; Carlson's herd consists of 28 cows, produc ing 1,194 pounds milk and 45.3 pounds butterfat; Jensen's herd consists of 27 cows, two dry cows, producing 877 pounds milk, 41.1 pounds butterfat; and Hubbard and Vaughn's her con sists of 59 cows, six dry cows, producing 984 pounds milk and 40.2 pounds butterfat. The ten top cows in the county are Bert, owned by Grief and Oregon Farm Prices Slip During April Corvallis Prices paid Oregon farmers slipped slightly during April while farm prices over the nation continued upward, reports Mrs. Elvera Horrell, ex tension agricultural economist at Oregon State college. Lower prices for poultry and grains other than wheat were largely responsible for the dip in Oregon farm prices, Mrs. Hor rell said. Potato prices in April, averaging less than half those of a year ago, also held down, the Oregon price index. However, Oregon farm prices still average 2 per cent higher than a year ago. Meanwh ile, farm costs throughout the nation moved up during .April for a record high as labor and operation costs and farm family living costs con continued to rise. During the last year, farm costs have out paced farm prices. This has put buy power of farm products in a squeezs. At the same time, factory wage earners has a more favor able buying power than a year ago with hourly , wages up 5 per cent during the past year and only a 4 per cent increase in prices of goods and services city workers buy. BIG 3 h.p. Engine! Nothing Else, to Buy! Budget Terms If you so desire! Bartlett So. Fir a as a f i m wmnie 11 Rotary Tiller XZ& 6th & 10th & 1 51 Local Animals React to Testing Salem Fifty -one reactors were found among Jackson coun ty cattle tested for brucellosis in April, according to leaders of the federal-state brucellosis eradica tion program. The percentage of infection in Jackson county was reported less than two per cent, even though more reactors were found there than elsewhere in the state. Almost one per cent or 287 of the Oregon cattle tested were reactors, it was reported. Coun ties with more than 10 reactors were Gilliam, 37; Douglas, 32; Baker, 25; Malheur and Mult nomah, 14 each; Crook and Uma tilla, 11 each. Because of ha high number of reactors in the relatively small number of cattle tested, Crook county showed the highest per centage of infection, 14.5 per cent. The same situation ac counted for Harney's 10.5 per cent of reactors. No reactors were found on April tests in Wheeler, Sherman, Polk, Lincoln, Hood River, De schutes and Curry counties. Nelson, 1,408 pounds milk, 94.7 pounds butterfat, 28 days in milk; Red, owned by Grief and Nelson, 1,377 pounds milk, 86.8 pounds butterfat, 70 days in milk; No. 81 owned by Gilman's Dairy Farm, 1,845 pounds milk. 86.7 pounds butterfat, -40 days in milk; Myrth, owned by Rich ard and Elizabeth Westerberg, 1,875 pounds milk, 86.3 pounds butterfat, 30 days in milk. Top ' Cowc Naomi, owned by Hubbard and Vaughn, 2,190 pounds milk, 85.4 pounds butterfat, 30 days in milk; Beverly, owned. by Birdseye Bros., 1,197 pounds milk, 85 pounds butterfat, 31 days in milk; Mindy, owned by James A. and Neola Edge, 2,094 pounds milk, 83.8 pounds butter fat, 44 days in milk; Jewel owned by J. E. Parsons, 1,566 pounds milk, 83 pounds butter fat, 41 days in milk; Erma, owned by Burreson Bros., 1,665 pounds milk, 79.9 pounds butter fat, 33 days in milk; and No. 12, owned by Straus Bros., 2,271 pounds milk, 79.5 pounds butter fat, 64 days in milk. mii:ini:h(MI(dlMU) FROM, jfrnazn9r GIB'GrtU ni tie rot leplitt Plat Cnwtk e Cutnl Ftower Firnati Cirtnl Fkjwirftr, Tint Inrtist Fnit Setthrf Break Binmqr Sthnlati Sud (imiutiM Itotasi Im nl Tart (nwlk Praia Earlier Serf Itcmst RtrbicUil Efftctimrs Dinaati TriKilatiii Stick jOj sill 1 - "f win I0ME SIZE I Ler' ,l,sro ( 1 ItHUUllE ) PHENOMENAL RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTS ij litantoriis irf itlntlttt ill mr ft cmhtj slow tat I tOSE I0SR SHOT OP TO TWO TIMES ITS I0IKII IZE CEIAHIUM PUn HEW TO I TNIEE FOOT SIMT I CHtrSMTHEMUM III FOUR WEEKS TWICE THE SIZE, SET TWICE AS MINT I100MS AS All VHTtEATEO OHE I SIHCIE TIEATMEHT IHCtEASED THE TIELO OF IEARS FIESH AKO mi WEICHT OF CELEIT IRCIEASEI IP TO 50 PtOVEl EFFECTIVE III SETTIHG TOMITO IL0SS0MS FUlTHEt nPniMFJTAL WORK IECESSAH NOT A FIRTHIZtR, HORMONI Ol VITAMIN Horn Cardans Oil . ORO Professional Oil ORO-M taosulos wAfomlsf. .$2 O 30 tablets (30 gram) . .$M 24 (easvlos wAtomlst. . 40 raalat (40 raw)..$3t O 3 taawlos wAtomlst. .$7- aO taklots (60 grams). .$55 CIB-ORO NOW AVAILABLI AT MONARCH SEED & FEED GO. 305 South Fir Phone SP 2-5687 103 North Bartlett - Phone SP 2-2460 BIG Y SEED & SUPPLY North Pacific Hiway - Phone SP 3-3160 PACIFIC SEED & SUPPLY East 4th & Front - Phone SP 2-2413 Watch for Disease When Buying Pigs, Veterinarian Says Corvallis Hog feeders plann ing to buy weaner-size spring pigs should keep a sharp look out for disease, advises Dr. L. R. Vawter, veterinarian in charge of the Oregon State college dia gnostic laboratory. Last year, several hog feeders in western and northeastern Oregon experienced costly death losses from diseases brought in by recently purchased feeder pigs, as well as other hogs pur chased at sales, stockyards, or other farms may have been ex posed to several hog' diseases such as swine dystentery, hog cholera or swine erysipelas. The trouble is that new pigs may not show symptoms of sick ness for a week or 10 days after you get them home, Vawter says. Then when disease breaks out, your own herd has already been exposed. Safe things to keep newly purchased hogs entirely separate from the rest of your herd for at least three weeks, Vawter ad vises. Provide separate water , and feeding facilities, and treat for roundworms if it seems necs sary. If a hog appears ill, call the local veterinarian at once so any sickness can be con trolled before it spreads. You can spot possible sickness by watching for hogs that go off feed, act depressed, or have diar rhea, the veterinarian says. Vawter also said buyers should beware of runt pigs. These are usually small because of a heavy load of internal parasites, or possible chronic in testinal infections. High Energy Feeds Blamed for Hen Illness' Chicago (U.R) The American Veterinary Medical Association says a new illness affecting hen in the South and East seems to be related to the use of high energy feeds which commonly contain large amounts of added fat. Examination of affected birds showed as much as 65 per cent fat in the liver compared with the normal fat content of about 10 per cent, the association said. The first symptom, it said, is that the hen quits laying. METER LOOT HIGH New York Iff) The penny ante bandits who steal coins from parking meters apparently . hit the jackpot last year. Traffic Commissioner T. T. Wiley said about $25,000 was stolen from parking meters during 1956. JUST SPRAY FOLIAGE leares with niracolaR til HO. Watd ania'if Mfereiee, it as little as 2 weeks nowos sUWTtUTCD rum MtOIMOSHES OMAMEKTAU TREES muu KtEMIUS mm torn TOKtS um -nmlnn NffURE COURTESY 0.S.IJU MS, lEiVia KORT, DIV. BeltJtille. Maryta nuns In. Marti, ladia, MitckelL li - print. Bstatieal Gazette, 58. GROW GIANT AFRICAN VIOLETS CIMCLt.m. Mtmrit a ONLY 2 CAPSULES IK APPLICATOR MAKES ENOUGH SPRAT tl eltecwelj treat dozens rt plants it an hris indoors and int. Now raise knie triads, keg mias, mams, del phiniam. pklix, daisies. caruuons, roses, lamas, tie. POTENT .CAPSULES enot at Owen timm wmr. FUEL Star art dilitinckarL Makes the kst if SIB'GROtasr, .if lectin. SERB FOR ADDITIONAL FREE LITERATURE ON BIB 'IBB! 5) .4