Small Worlds
Around Us
By Lynn M. Watkins
'8 MedfordTribuxe
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 19S9
This Gifted Toad
Blew Himself Up'
He had eaten too much. Just
because bugs were plentiful
he had stuffed himself. Now
he was very heavy and very
sleepy. It was an effort to
m,ove. That was why the big,
fat toad remained where the
morning sun found him, a few
feet from the pool's edge. He
wriggled down into the litter
leaves at the base of the
old log the best he could. He
slept.
To all outward appearances
he was just an ordinary toad,
little different from any of
hia kind. Yet later events
proved he was unusual. He
may have been more alert and
axious to live. Anyway he
proved to be exceptional. He
showed an aptitude for sur
vival. Hungry Snake
While he was sleeping away
from home a hungry snake de
tected him. Some faint noise
or d a n g e r-sense awakened
him and he looked into the
cold, unblinking eyes of the
approaching snake. Apparent
ly he had faced such dangers
before. Immediately he began
his "blow-up." Even before
the snake was close enough
to strike, the toad's body be
came balloon-like. His little,
built-in pump worked fever
ishly. His body swelled until
the skin was drum tight. His
legs stiffened and straightened
until they were rigid and he
was raised to his tip-toes.
As if fascinated by the un
believable spectacle before
him, the snake stopped and
stared. He didnt' attempt the
wallowing act he had plan
ned. The toad remained in
flated - and unswallowable
The snake remained motion
less. His intended prey was
much too large to be handled.
Fear on the part of the toad
must trigger the inflationary
action. By some muscular con
trol it takes in air until the
body is inflated. 'After the
danger is passed it allows the
air to escape and regains its
normal shape.
Slithers Away
After the snake gave up
and slithered away, the puffed
up toad released the air. Then
a human hand picked it up
. and . carried it away. Placed
in a cage with another snake
the toad repeated the air-intake.
Other toads, under the
same conditions, allowed
themselves to be swallowed.
The difference seemed to be
with the individual.
In the wild, the possibility
of being swallowed must be
an ever present danger, yet
the ballooning act is seldom
observed. The number of
these creatures who save them
selves seems to be few.
So this "protection-infla
tion," if that is what it is,
may. be an accomplishment
of only certain gifted individ
uals. Perhaps Nature ordains
that these few shall survive
while the majority are des
tined to be food for hungry
snakes. Such a gifted one must
have been he who stayed
away from home that night,
(Released by The Register and
Tribune Syndicate, 1959)
Soil Pests Can Be
Controlled Now
Bugs like wire worms, ca
cumber beetle larvae, white
groubs and other soil inhabit
ing pests can be controlled for
two years or longer by apply
ing an insecticide to the soil
previous to working the gar
den in the spring, according
to Don Berry, Jackson county
extension agent.
Plant injury from root mag
gots which attack radishes,
turnips, cabbage and seed
corn also will be reduced or
eliminated, he said.
Berry pointed out that it
is important that insecticides
be mixed thoroughly with the
soil to a depth of four to six
inches. Either aldrin, dieldrin
or heptachlor may be used
effectively, he said.
Apply two pounds of 5 per
cent granular or one-half pint
of emulsifiable concentrate in
five to 10 gallons of water for
each 1,000 square feet of soil
tobe treated, Berry said. He
warned not to 'overdose since
plant injury could be caused
by excessive amounts of in
secticide in the soil.
The treatment also would
be beneficial prior to setting
out strawberry beds and cane
berry patches as well as flow
er beds, especially those which
contain primroses, rhododen
dron and begonias, for con
trolling strawberry root weevil
and wire worms.
The state-aided Marriage
Guidance Council in Britain
operates centers in 100 cities
and towns.
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You saw the beautiful "Low Bo'
model at the Sportsfair. Now ask
these progressive dealers for a per
sonal demonstration.
Plans for Family
Counsel Agency
Aired at Meeting
Plans for incorporating the
proposed permanent family
counseling agency for Jack
son county were discussed
Thursday night at the, first
meeting of directors and steer
ing committee members in
the county courthouse audito
rium. Those present voted their
support of formally establish
ing the agency.
Two committees were ap-.
pointed, one to select tempor
ary officers and the other to
review the proposed constiU
tion and by-laws for the agen
cy. The next meeting is sched
uled May 7, at which time
further steps toward incorpo
ration may be taken.
Raising funds from private
sources for operating the
agency during its first year
also was discussed. The agen
cy would have to carry on for
this period on its own, it is
understood, before becoming
eligible for assistance through
the United Medford Crusade
Only Other City
It was pointed out that
Portland is the only other Ore
gon community having family
service agency.
Mrs. John Waterman, 'psy
chiatric social worker with
the state board of health, dis
cussed the functions of a pri
vate agency's directors in
terms of policy and adminis
trative procedures.
Mrs. Henry Padgham, Dr.
Harry Danielson, and Miss
Celia Walker, who was chair
man of the Thursday night
meeting, discussed the mental
health committee's activities
during the past,three years in
exploring tne need for a lam
ily counseling service in this
area. Dr. Danielson reported
on the committee's pilot coun
seling project last winter,
which, he said, showed the
need for such a program on
a permanent basis here.
Present board 'members in
clude, besides Mrs. Padgham,
Leon Mulling, Dr. Alva Gra
ham, Mrs. Chester Fitch, Dr.
William Thompson, Mrs
Charles Bateman, Mrs. Robert
Keeney, Mrs. Walter Bish,
Charles Crary, Bob Taylor,
Robertson Collins, Mrs. Leigh
Gustison, Mrs. J. H. Gardner,
Larry Clark, Mrs. Erie Klein,
Dr. R. R. Martin, Rev. George
Bolster, Dr. Thomas Rutter,
Mrs. Richard Porto and Erv
Hogan.
Summary Meeting
01 Decisions Set
A Great Decisions summary
meeting will be held Monday,
April 27, at 8 p.m. in the
courthouse auditorium. The
session will be in preparation
for a similar one on the state
level to be held May 8 in
Corvallis.
At the evaluation mee tines
there will be discussion of the
subjects, the ballots, and needs
for the coming year. The Jack
son county television series
will be discussed, and plan
ning for next year's study will
take up part of the evening.
A new county chairman will
be chosen. Wallace Iverson,
retiring chairman, will pre
side, i
The meeting will be open
to anyone interested, and
group leaders and members
are asked to attend.
Present for the Corvallis
meeting will be Philip Van
Slyck of the Foreign Policy
association, New York, who
prepared the fact sheets and
opinion ballots for the study
series. Als attending will be
William Campbell, director of
the western region of the association.
Dale Carnegie Course
Planned in Medford
A new Dale Carnegie
course is scheduled to start at
7 p.m. May 11, in the Medford
YMCA. Ray Robinson, Bill
Fish and Ralph Matlack, all
of Medford, will serve as
graduate assistants.
Instructors will be brought
in to conduct the course,
which is being sponsored by
the Northwest School of Com
merce, Portland, and Jack
Travis, owner of the Sun Pub
lishing company, Hood River.
Travis said the course is a
self improvement class. Vet
erans having Oregon educa
tion benefits may use them to
enroll in the course, he said.
EVEREST AND JEMfZWS
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613 E. MAIN PH. SP 3-5345
1 Black East of Hawthorns Park
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