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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1958)
i :-TWO MEDFORD (OREGON) Farm Wage Rates Hii Record High, Farm Prices Gain Corvallis National farm wage rates to hired workers are now at record highs, ac cording to Mrs. Elvera Hor rell, extension agricultural economist at Oregon State college. Wages advanced faster than rural living costs in both 1956 and 1957, resulting in buying power greater than at any time except in 1945 and 1946. Preliminary estimates show that farm operators in the nation also fared well, in spite of risingo perating costs. In comes were up for the sec ond consecutive year. Oregon and national farm prices followed different pat terns throughout the year. At the close of 1957, farm pric es in Oregon dragged a little behind the close of 1956. Na tional prices, on the other hand, were as much as 3 per cent higher than the 1956 close. Both Oregon and the U.S. averaged higher for the year. Farm prices in Oregon crept up 1 per cent during December, due mainly to sub stantial increases in meat an imal and egg prices which off set lower prices in many of the crops. National farm pric es leveled off from Novem ber to December as higher prices for meat "animals and sweet potatoes counteracted price declines in cotton, to matoes, milk and oranges. Although farm costs contin ued to rise, the rise was too slight to have much effect on farm-product buying power, Mr. Horrell reports. A slight rise in prices of production items, especially feeder live stock and motor vehicles more than compensated for a drop in family living items. WASHING CASUALTY Dover-Foxcroft, Me. (ffl Two-year-old Patricia Nutting crawled into her mother's washing machine. It took fire men and mechanics working with blow torches and crow bars three hours to free her. This Week's IS rjc Here's a home to fall in love with. Across the rear the family area extends in easy, open space from the family room, through the kitchen area, to a family eating room. Wide glass doors open in sum mer to include the patio for sun. play and relaxation. Built-in oven refrigerator, barbecue and cabinets are along one wall. The range is located against a half-wall which opens to the family room. Cabinets between the kitchen and eating area open on either side. There's space in the service area for washer and dryer, as well as a freezer and a sew ing table. For enertaining, the living room and dining area extend II. IZ .. - - "-J . I I .... i i to .1 re N iML MAIL TRIBUNE New Order Explained About Vaccinations Salem Vaccinates under 30 months of age in beef cattle, and vaccinates under 24 months of age in dairy cattle may now be removed from a herd quarantined for brucellosis in both range and dairy areas, according to an administrative order of the state department of agricut ture. This change in the depart ment's regulations came as a result of conferences with cattlemen from the Klamath county area, who maintained the former regulation, which allowed vaccinated calves under 18 months of age to be removed, was too strict. After investigation, department ex perts decided the rule could be changed without risking effectiveness of the program. Don Parker, assistant at torney general with the state department of agriculture, Many Oil Meters Checked in 1957 Salem Oregon residents who heat their homes and of fices with fuel oil will be reas sured to know the state de partment of agriculture in spected more than 3,000 fuel oil meters for accuracy in 1957. Of these liquid measures tested, 446 were over two in ches in diameter, and 2,562 were two inches or under in size. More than one-third of the meters tested by department inspectors last year needed minor' adjustments, and 150 were condemned for repairs. After repaired and retested, the condemned meters were put back into service. In order to do this inspect ing, over one million gallons of gasoline and other fuel oils were pumped into the depart ment's testing equipment. After checking the amount de livered, the oil was returned to the companies' tanks. The department's two test trucks used for meter inspec tion traveled 30,106 miles dur ing 1957. Town, Country House LI VIN DININ PLAN NO. 360 ; ...jTU 1889 5 (2 FT. .T; to a spacious 28 feet, bright ened by a corner fireplace and an expanse of casement windows. The master bedroom suite includes a private three-quarter bath and dressing room with built-in dressing table, linen closet and wardrobe. The wide sliding-p a n e 1 wardrobes in the family bed rooms have drawers below and storage shelves above. The family bath has a pull man with two lavatories, plus both tub and stall shower. Closets line the halls, pro viding ample storage for lin ens, brooms, family storage, a forced air heating unit and water heater. The modern exterior of this home would make it an at- Thursday, January 23. 1958 said that this order points up the advantages of a flex ible brucellosis law. The 1957 legislature authorized the department to adopt and issue regulations necessary for en abling the state and the var ious counties to become modi fied certified brucellosis free areas, to maintain that status. The regulations adopted by Oreeon's deDartment of ag riculture must be in line with minimum federal stadards. Discussion Welcomed If the regulations had been a part of the state law, Park er continued, it would have been impossible to change them until the next time the legislature meets. The at torney added that the depart ment welcomes talks with cattlemen about their ideas for improving the program Another important change contained -in the administra tive order concerns brucellosis susDects originating from bru cellosis-infected herds that are moved to or sold through a stockvard or livestock auction market. The new regulation stipulates these animals must be sold only for slaughter and moved directly to a slaughter ing establishment that has fed eral, state or municipal meat inspection. This section was added to Oregon's rules because the department had received re ports that some out-of-state sellers are bringing brucellosis suspects into Oregon in an at tempt to sell them. The administrative order, signed Jan. 13, also declares owners of cattle herds must use 'the official veterinarian in their area for vaccination and testins for brucellosis and tuberculosis. However, with approval of the department, the owner may use another of ficial veterinarian of his choice, provided he pays the cost of required testing and vaccinations. ' The order states this re quirement is necessary in Or der to achieve the most effi cient and economical use of the tax funds which have been appropriated to carry out the program in Oregon. a. i- tractive addition to any neigh borhood. Cedar shakes form the interesting lines of the roof. The rough-cut stone in the chimney and planters lends textural contrast to the vertical board on board sid ing. Box-framing around the windows repeats the long, low lines of this 1889 square foot home. Comolete workine drawings of the above plan can be obtained at a cost of S7.50 for the first set and $5 for each additional set, when ordered at the same time. This plan will be available for a period of four months from this date. Please allow two weeks for delivery. If the above home does not entirely meet with your satis faction, a new home plan book, TOWN & COUNTRY HOMES, may be purchased for SI. Send all or ders for either plans or books to: Hiawatha Estes, P. O. Box 401-1, ortariage, cam. Jm Animal Industry Conference Dated At Oregon State More than a dozen of the country's top animal nutri tionists and chemists will re port latest research findings to help farmers increase live stock feed efficiency, Feb. 6 and 7, at Oregon State col lege. The Oregon Feed and Seed Dealers association and OSC will co-sponsor the 16th an nual Animal Industry confer ence. J. E. Oldfield, OSC ani mal husbandman, is program chairman. Opening day speakers in clude F. H. Kratzer, poultry nutritionist, University of California, discussing protein for poultry; V. H. Cheldelin, director, science research in stitute, OSC, speaking on the contributions of basic research in animal nutrition; and A. O. Shaw, head of dairy hus bandry, Washington State col lege, reporting . dairy cattle feeding research at WSC. Hormones " and other feed additives in beef cattle nu trition will be discussed by Wise Burroughs, nationally prominent animal husband man of Iowa State college. The place of agricultural chemistry research in animal nutrition will be reviewed by J. R. Haag, OSC agricultural chemist. Other first day speakers are Laurent Michaud, scien tist for the Merck, Sharp and Dohme research laboratories, Rahway, N. J., reporting med icated feeds for turkeys; and George Arscott, OSC poultry researcher, who will review latest findings in poultry nu trition research at the col lege. Tranquilizing drugs in live stock feeding, a highlight of the second day program, will be reported by D. C. Church, OSC animal husbandman. Other topics include roughage utilization by cattle by Bur roughs and a talk on Pakis tan's people and livestock by Shaw, who returned recently from a world tour. Greater feed efficiency through supplementing Ore gon's low-cost roughages with concentrates will be discussed by David C. England, OSC animal husbandman. Kratzer will report research findings on feeding turkey breeder hens. Ag Dept. Chemist Gets High Rating Salem James Launer of Salem, chemist with the state department of agriculture, ranks among the top three feed analysts in the nation ac coring to J. D. Patterson, the department's chief chemist. This announcement was the result of information released by the Association of Ameri can Feed Control Officials. Every other month, iden tical feed samples are sent for analysis to more than 125 laboratories throughout the nation, including most of the state laboratories. The entries are reconciled for accuracy by the Association of Ameri can Feed Control officials. Launer's rank among the. top three was determined from analyses submitted during a five-year period. Market Influences Noted By Promotion Leader R. A. Patterson, manager of the Oregon-Washington-California Pear Bureau, was a guest speaker of the Medford Pear Shippers association at meeting held recently. Patterson noted the market ing of the winter pear crop has been influenced by sev eral major factors: the large volume of pear production this year, the heavy supply of apples on the domestic mar ket at low prices, the good supply of bananas and a weaker economic picture in the prime markets. Food and produce items feel the pinch first in a depressed economy, Patterson said, with other consumer items taking precedure with the buying public. He noted increased in dustry promotion is needed to stimulate consumer demand in the face of buyer resistance and competition from other produce items for the food dollar. Two promotion pro grams are planned for the coming months, in addition to the program completed in De cember of 1957. The first one was launched January. 16 and continues through mid-February, with another planned for March. Patterson expressed the thought that a reduction in the supply of tangerines, due to the freezing weather in Florida, would have a bene- The Sunapee, or golden trout has been found in only four places: Lake Sunapee, and Big Dan Hole Pond in New Hampshire, Averill Lake in Vermont and Floods Pond in Maine. CHIT CHAT By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribune Farm Editor People are making plans for a Pear Blossom Festival here again. Tentative date set is April 12. So far no definite plans have been made. During the recent meeting held in Medford it was suggested this year the annual event be called "The International Pear Blossom Festival." This sounds, like a step in the right direction. We think this should be more thm just a community celebration. Why not start to lift it up to the level of the "Apple Blossom Festival" in Wenatchee, Wash.? This would have two advantages. It would give an already well-promoted industry even more promotion and it would attract more tourist business. As chamber of commerce officials are so fond of remarking every tourist car attracted to Southern Oregon means an average of $16 to $18 a day spent figuring an average of three persons to a car. It takes ideas to put on such a celebration so anybody having them should drop a card or letter to "Pear Blossom Festival," 11 Almond st., Medford. This is a good chance for various farm organizations to stick in their oars and pull with the rest of the community in putting on a first class celebration. Those pear growers and shippers following the experi ment on controlled atmospheric storage of pears at ' the Myron Root and company packing'plant will be glad to know the project is proceeding satisfactorily. Eventual aim is to keep the oxygen in the air-tight tent at a 5 per cent level. Don Root says this week the 10 per cent barrier was passed. A big problem is preventing the sodium hydroxide solution used in the air-scrubbing process from changing to sodium carbonate chrystals. However, so far that problem is under control. Don't forget the annual meeting of the Jackson County Stockmen's association slated for Feb. 11, starting at 10:30 a.m. in Central Point. Guest speakers will include Robert Stewart, director of the state department of agriculture, and Ted Hyde, chairman of the beef commission committee of the Oregon Cattlemen's association. Those responsible for the program are Collier H. Buffington and Merton Bradshaw. Both the Jackson County Stockmen's association and the auxiliary organization, the Jackson County Cow Belles, will elect officers. Members of the nominating committee for the former are Herb Carlton, Prospect; Ernest J. Lathrop, Central Point, and Richard R. Hein, Ashland. When the Talent irrigation project hits full operation farmers will have to seriously consider rotation of pastures. Since agricultural authorities believe reclaimed land bene fitted by this project will consist of small subsistence farms it means daily rotation. Those with larger acreages may be able to rotate their acreage on a five-day basis. The -chopping system is used in a few cases now in the county, we are told. However, this is a costly method and one which most farmers are unable to afford. It consists of keeping stock in a feed lot and using machines to cut the pasture and chop it up for feeding. More grass in a pasture is utilized by keeping it away from the trampling hooves of the stock, but it also means constant daily feeding of the chopped material. Such methods are necessary to prevent the animals from picking up worms which they have a good chance of doing if allowed to stand in the same irrigated pasture constantly. Also, better use is made of the pasture by alternating the grazing. One county farmer estimates he carried stock on 30 acres less by using this method. It's something to think about anyway. Considerable interest in forestry practices has been de veloping lately in the county, according to local agricultural authorities. ASC officials said of the first 50 applications made under the agricultural conservation practices program, 15 were for forestry. This covers the period from Jan. 1 to the present. Authorities say this represents more such applica tions than have been made for the past three years. One farmer figures he can make $1,000 an acre by plant ing forestry seedlings. There is a reported shortage of such seedlings in several nurseries throughout the state. While farmers become interested in the acreage reserve program of the soil bank they should also bear in mind that cut-over land should not be neglected either. Anyone can come under the ACP program while the acreage reserve requirements are much stricter. Cut-over land should not be neglected, an agricultural authority pointed out. Research Being Conducted On New Irradiated Foods Corvallis ' A roomful of 1,200 white rats at Oregon State college is helping to answer questions about the wholesomeness and safety of irradiated foods that some day soon may be on tables in homes across America. The irradiated: foods promising new product of the atomic age are being fed to the rats to see whether they affect length' of life, gains, or number of off-spring. f icial effect on the winter pear demand in the coming months. The trip to Medford is a part of a tour of the major pear producing districts on the West Coast, and after visiting the California districts he will attend the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable association con vention in San Francisco- Sun, day, Jan. 26. Bank Stockholders Hear Annual Report Portland Three vice presi dents were elected arid 1957 net earnings of $5,389,885 were reported Monday by the First National bank t of Port land at the bank's annual meeting of stockholders at the Portland head office. New vice presidents are Stetson B. Harman, an assist ant vice president and trust officer, Grant W. Perry, as sistant vice presdent in the head office loan department, and Arthur E. Zerbe, assistant vice president and loan offi cer at the Main office. This was the third highest net profit in the bank's 93 year history, and amounts to $3.37 net earnings per share on the 1,600,000 shares of stock outstanding C. B. Ste phenson, president, said. The 1957 earnings are 2.2 per cent less than the all-time record reported at the end of 1956, the bank president said. Interest paid on savings de posits last year was $7,364, 314, an increase of $1,660,657, or 29.1 per cent over 1956. To date, no differences have been found between rats on irradiated and non-irradiated foods, according to Dr. Edward C. Bubl, leader of the project started in September 1954. Foods under test are pork, peaches, carrots and jam. The foods are irradiated for preservation at the ' Idaho Falls, Idaho, atomic energy installation and then shipped to OSC in cans. They are stored for it least six months at room temperature as part of the test of the effectiveness of the food treatment. Ten other U. S. research centers are also working on other phases of the research that is sponsored by the sur geon general's office, depart ment of army. Since OSC started its diet studies with rats in 1954, it has been awarded some $128, 000 by the surgeon general's office. A new grant of $33,600 was received this month to continue the work through the fall of 1958. The white rats that are the test animals are carefully picked and observed, Bubl pointed out. Brothers and sis ters are used in comparisons with one third receiving un treated foods, one third re ceiving normal-dose level ir radiated foods, and one third receiving a double-dose ir radiated food diet. When the rats die, body tis sues are examined by Dr. Jesse F. Bone, agricultural ex periment station veterinarian, to see if they have been changed by the irradiated diet. No differences in body tissue have been noted in tests to date. Some of the rats have been on test two years, long past the usual life span of ordinary rats. Bubl and other ag chemists at OSC are also studying problems of flavor changes that develop in irradiated foods. Still other studies on irradiated foods are under way at OSC in the food tech nology and bacteriology de partments. Special grants have been received for all of the various projects. ' Dead Line on Classified Ads: 5:30 p.m. for following day. except 10 a.m. for Monday;- far Sunday, noon Saturday. Further Information Given On Saff lower A new type of agricultural industry may be started in the Rogue River valley fol lowing a few commercial plantings this spring and more extensive research, it was learned last night. Approximately 19 farmers met in the agronomy station of the Southern Oregon Branch Experiment station to hear how the Safflower can be raised profitably. H. H. White, station superintendent emphasized that his organiza tion is not pushing develop ment of the plant commerci ally and that "a lot of work has to be done." The 19 were among the group of farmers who have shown an interest in develop ing the plant for commercial sale of the seed and their farm lands represent a wide variety of soil types. White in dicated this particularly is im portant to gain more knowl edge of the plant's growing conditions. Total plantings will be limited to 300 acres in the county. The plant is a member of the thistle family and pro duces a bright yellow blos som. Used in Paint Oil from its seeds is used in high quality paint and enamels, some in synthetic resin materials and could even be used in plastics, ac cording to John A. Yungen, agronomist at the station. Del Chapman, representa tive of L. G. McLaren, Shell Oil distributor in Medford, said he had contacted the Pa cific Vegetable Oil company in the San Francisco Bay area to learn of marketing arrange ments. . The seed would be pur chased from the company at a cost of approximately $3 an acre figuring plantings of 30 to 35 pounds of seed per acre. Chapman said company offi cials informed him maximum freight rate would probably be $10 a ton. The company would pay $70 a ton FOB for the produced seed at the Rich mond, Calif., plant, he said. However, Don Patterson, manager of the Grange Co operative at Central Point, if he were to haul it for the farmers he would want more than $10 a ton. "deadheading" (coming back empty) and might take as little as $8 a ton on a back-haul basis. He said his company would prob ably haul it in 22 ton loads. Patterson said it would also squeeze him if, as specified, the Safflower crop were to be harvested the first of Septem ber and had to be delivered to Richmond by Oct. 1. Chap man said arrangements might be made to give the haulers more time. White urged the farmers at tending the meeting to make sure they could handle the ex perimental planting efficient ly "then go ahead and do the best you can and make a go of it." "I can't emphasize too much that one failure will do lots of damage and hundreds of successes cannot erase the ef fect of that one i failure!" White pointed out. "It will take careful management." Explained Experiment White explained that he had experimented with the crop for six years, starting in 1951. Lots of work has to be done yet, he emphasized. This would cover experiments and studies of fertility, rate, of seeding and other phases. "You won't get rich, neither will it cost you a great deal of money," the station super intendent said. "I would fig ure you would make about as much money as you would from a grain drop, then you won't be disappointed at first." Chapman explained follow ing the meeting that his com pany is interested in a plant which may help the farmers and he first noticed it when in California where it is grown extensively in some sections. His company also handles fertilizers through Shell Chemicals corporation, he said. White explained he became interested in the plant when he learned the seeds could possibly produce a substitute for tung oil which is now im ported. That imported oil has become almost essential in certain war materials. If hos tilities should shut off normal trade the overseas source of tung oil may be curtailed also, he said. Yungen explained to the as sembled farmers that the Safflower is now grown in the semi-arid areas of the Middle East and Northern Africa, In GREEN FIR WOOD Prompt Delivery PHONE SP 3-6297 McGINTY FUEL CO. dia, Egypt, United States Northern Great Plains Ne braska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, California, New Mexico, and Utah. Climatic requirements in cluded semi-arid, hot dry at mospheric conditions and at least 120 days growing season. It needs also a good supply of soil moisture for satisfactory yields. Grows Tall Annual growth is from 18 to 40 inches in height. Tallest growth reached at the experi ment station with one variety was 40 inches, Yungen said. It requires a soil temperature of 40 degrees or more for germi nation. Shoots start through the soil in five to 20 days after planting. Seedlings will stand tem peratures of from 10 to 15 de grees, but seedlings four to six inches in height may be damaged at 25 degrees. Yun gen said seedlings at the sta tion were not damaged when the frost did severe damage to pears in the district. Yungen said the stalks are strong enough so there is no lodging. Also, it does not pre sent a weed problem the fol lowing year, he added. The Safflower can be plant ed in deep, well-drained sandy loam or light clay loam soils and requires a little more ac tual nitrogen fertilizer than grain approximately 50 to 60 pounds per acre It yields fairly well in dry soils but much better in irrigated soils, Yungen said. The plant also tolerates alkalinity in the soiL How ever, Yungen said he and White figure it would be sub ject to possible lour main dis eases leaf spot, ruts, root rot and bur rot. None of these has been observed in the ex perimental plantings here, he added. No insect damage has been noticed. Yungen suggested farmers plant no sooner than March 25 and up to April 10. Seeds should be planted about '116 inches deep. An ordinary grain drill can be used. Where a farmer would plant 15 pounds of grain to an acre he would plant about 25 pounds of Safflower. Poor Weed Competitor Safflower is a poor weed competitor so the field should be cleared of all weeds, and 2-4D cannot be used on this member of the thistle family. The plant can be harrowed before it comes up since it has a strong tap-root and can be harrowed again when it is two to four inches tall. A reg ular grain cultivator can also be used. When used, irrigation should be applied at flowering and about seven to 10 days after ilowering has 'Started. The plant flowers for a per iod of 10 days to three weeks and the buds range from five- eighths of an inch to an inch in diameter. However, when irrigating by flood irrigation made sure the water does not "pond-up", Yungen cautioned. Safflower is adapted to di rect combine harvesting, with possibly a few minor adjust ments as reducing the cylin der speed to 500 to 600 revo lutions per minute to prevent cracking the seed. Time of harvesting depends on when the heads are 98 to 100 per cent dry and easily threshed by hand, Yungen ex plained. In oilcake form its feeding value is equal to soybean meal when fed on an equal basis. Dairy cows, beef, sheep and poultry all eat it readily, the agronomist said. Oil meal or cake when made from hulled seed is higher in pro tein than linseed oil meal but when made from unhulled seed has only 18 per cent pro tein and 40 per cent fiber as much fiber as straw, Yun gen added. Kapers Tickets on Sale from Members Tickets to the Annual Med ford Kiwanis Kapers can now be obtained from members of the club. The annual musical variety show will be presented on Feb. 26, 27 and 28 and March 1 at the senior high, school auditorium. Name of the show is 'Krazy Kapers of '58." There will be a special price for students only on Wednesday night of the pro duction. The Kapers will feature all local talent with professional direction. SF Banks Lending Money al Lower Interest Rates San Francisco (tPl Three big banks with headquarters in San Francisco began lend ing money to their best cus tomers today at a slightly lower interest rate. The banks were American Trust Company, Crocker-Anglo National Bank and the Bank of America. They cut the so-called prime rate of in terest from 4Vfe per cent to 4 per cent. The action followed a sim ilar cut announced by Chase Manhattan Bank in New York on Tuesday. Several other New ;York banks followed suit. 'Wait and See' Attitude Other major California banks adopted a "wait and see" attitude towards the cut. However, it appeared likely they will have to go along with it if they want to remain competitive. Only 1 a rg e corporations with impeccable credit ratings qualify for the prime rate on loans. The cut in the prime rate was a reaction to a Federal Reserve Board announcement that that the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia had cut the discount rate from 3 per cent to 2 per cent. The discount rate is the in terest rate which the Federal Reserve bank charges on money borrowed by commer cial banks. As of Wednesday, none of the 11 other Federal Reserve banks had lowered their dis count rates. The executive committee of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank met Wednes day to discuss the discount rate. Later, it sent a telegram to the FRB in Washington, presumbably asking approval for whatever decision it made. Might Not Be Too Good Herman M. Mangels, presi dent of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, de clined to tell what action the committee took. He merely commented that "under pres ent conditions, it might not be too good" to. hold the redis count rate higher here than in Philadelphia. However, some observers believed here that the local Federal Reserve Bank might want to hold the present 3 per cent rate on grounds eco nomic conditions are better in the west than elsewhere in the country. Oregon Leads States In Filbert Production Oregon ranked first among the states in 1957 in the pro duction of filberts and second in the production of pears, prunes, sweet cherries and English walnuts. This is re vealed in a rating of the states made by the Oregon depart ment of agriculture from the nation's production figures re cently issued by the U. S. De partment of Agriculture. Ex-Medford Man Opens Office in Sunnyville Leo E. Glascock, son of Mrs. Nora Glascock, 264 Beatty st., Medford, has open ed an office in Sunnyville, Calif., where he is a certified public accountant. A eraduate of Medford High school, he received his CPA training at Golden Gate col lege in San Francisco. He was connected with the Cali fornia Oregon Power company and the First National bank of Portland while in Medford. Bedford Motors Your Only AUTHORIZED and FRANCHISED DEALER For Willys OFFERS k Largest Stock of Willyi Parts South of Portland ir Complete Stock of Winches, Cabs and Accesories k Most Modern and Best Equipped Shop in Oregon On Hand All Models of 1958 Vehicles Let Us Prove What A "Jeep Vehicle Can Do For You. Medford Motors Inc. UNCOLN-MERCURY-WILLYS 225 South Riverside Phone SP 2-6157
