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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1959)
A MAIL TRIBUNE, Mcdford, Or. Thursday, Nov. $, 1959 State Farm Prices Move Up in Sept., .U.S. Unchanged - Corvallis - Oregon farm prices moved up in September In contrast to national farm . prices which held unchanged Reported Mrs. Elvera Horrell extension agricultural econo mist at Oregon State college Although Oregon farm prices pointed upward in Sep tember, individual farm com- jnodities presented an up-and- ' down, pattern, Mrs. Horrell 'found as she studied reports ;'from the U. S. department of agriculture. Poultry and egg prices in the state dipped lower, wool prices improved, ; and Oregon potato prices also .moved up. . Prices on dairy cows field : unchanged, but milk and milkfat prices in Oregon im- rproved a little. Beef cattle and : calf prices ranged from un changed to higher, but hogs . and lambs were lower. Wheat prices were lower, but other j grain and hay prices rose in the state. ' Putting them all together, ,-the general level of Oregon farm prices averaged about a -1 per cent increase in Sep tember and stands about 1 Tper cent higher than Septem ber 1958, Mrs. Horrell said. ; In contrast to Oregon's up- 'ward trend, prices received by the nation's farmers held t uncnanged during the month tending Sept. 15, Mrs. Horrell padded. Lower prices for meat animals, grains, oil-bearing crops, and potatoes were off- set by higher price tags on dairy products, 'fruit, and ieggs. I Meanwhile, prices farmers t had to pay for things they buy held steady with prices v received. As a result, the buy- I ing power of farm products held unchanged last month and the parity ratio - the gov- ; ernment's yardstick for meas- uring the relationship be- f tween prices received and prices paid by farmers - re- ; mained at 80, 7 points below . September 1958. The more unfavorable ratio this year has resulted more - from falling farm prices than ! from rising costs, Mrs. Horrell pointed out. Prices received .rby farmers are down 6 per . cent irom last year. Prices f paid, including taxes, inter est, and wage rates, are up I only 1 per cent. ; OSC Study Shows 5 Good Ram Pays - Corvallis - An outstanding ' ram will pay for itself Within . ,a year by producing above av ". erage lambs, reports Dr. - Ralph Bogart, animal hus- bandman at the Oregon State. " college agricultural experi i ment station. i OSC researchers compared grade, weight and selling - price of offspring from out- standing rams with offspring of average rams. They found the difference is enough that " one lamb crop will cover cost ; of the better ram. , . Lambs sired by the two best rams averaged 90 pounds : at weaning, and graded good and choice. Lambs from the two least desirable rams aver- aged 76.5 pounds at weaning, and graded high utility and low good. The better lambs .. sold for 2 cents a pound more. . Weaning weight, conforma- tion and condition of the rams were considered in se lecting those for the research project. Of the 16 rams stud ied to date, Bogart pointed out that even the poorest t were rated average or bet- .ter. Much greater differences .would be evident in offspring n rams were selected ran- domly, he emphasized. Yellow Dwarf I Hits Cereal Crops f Corvallis- W illamette Val ;jey larmers sunereu a pos isible $4,700,000 loss this year ias yellow dwarf virus dou- Cbled its 1958 toll to destroy ... ... . ueany one-iounn oi ine vat i ley's cereal grain crops. j Oat fields were hit hardest -jwith 27 per cent of the poten- jtial crop ravaged by the dis ease. Barley ran second with .a 22 "per cent loss. Spring s wheat loss was about 17 per J-cent and winter wheat, 4 per 'cent. . . - Loss figures were estimated by county agents after talk- iing with growers, warehouse- ;men and others in the trade, explained Dr. William B. Ray mer, plant pathologist at the ; Oregon State College agricul- tural experiment station, t Resistant barley varieties .Tare being developed, but it "will be several years before they are available. OSC re- searchers also are working on I control practices, he reported. ;In the meantime, he suggests 'farmers check with county 'agents concerning growing 2 practices that may minimize i the losses. -- CHIT 'CHAT By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribune Farm Editor is coffee actually worth a dime? When coffee raised to a dollar a pound or more on the grocer's shelf all the restaurants and lunch counters around town doubled the price from a nickle to a dime. But, now coffee has dropped considerably in price. So, why doesn't the per cup price drop, also? Is it because of higher costs of handling? Higher labor costs? Or what? Or, is it just be cause the merchant doesn't want to turn loose of a little extra profit? That, my friend, involves a lot of economic theory. For instance, why does a tomato grower get $20 a ton for his tomatoes in the Sacramento valley and the chain store which buys them sell 'em for what amounts to $500 a ton? Costs of handling and processing, is the economists answer. Then they break down the consumer's dollar into so much for raising the farm product, so much for transportation, so much for processing, so much for retailing it. Economists have been lecturing and writing on the big middle-man profits as if the general public the "common man" (if there is such a character) was unaware of it. A conversation with a "working stiff' recently at one of the local lunch counters convinces us. that the working man is well informed on this point. This man, a pipefitter, had stopped in Sacramento while looking for a job recently and observed many things. One of these was the difference in price of tomatoes to the farmer and to the consumer. He was just as well, informed on what is happening in inter national trade. Like too many of the American public, how ever, he had stopped being angry ? about it and figured it would solve itself when enough people are out of work and the farmer is hurt with the A general depression, he the support price payments, the surpluses themselves. We are sorry he isn't mad about the food-economics situation because an aroused public is a demanding one. Then, usually something gets done one way or another. We have read suggestions state politicians. For some parallel. Neither one can be they are both so sure they are right why don't they agree more on what should be done? Maybe the politician isn't as well informed as he thinks informed" and well informed The pipe-fitter in his well-worn khaki work-clothes said, poIiticiaUy, he favors a return to the days of President Theodore Roosevelt and Sen. William Howard Taft and their policies of high tariffs on competing foreign goods exported to the U.S. Just who benefits when a large chain store sells quantities of clothing manufactured in Hong Kong from Australian wool when a woolen mill in the northern end of the state closes up throwing it can't meet this foreign competition? It may benefit the chain store stockholders and buy the clothes cheaper, but economy at least a little out joined with similar other ones than it comes broomeranging back in higher taxes (fewer, local companies to carry the tax burden), and lower employment.:, . "This thing is going to go are hurt," our lunch acquaintance remarked. "As long as the big U. S. companies are building overseas plants cheaper foreign made goods will continue to come into this country in ever increasing numbers. And it won't make any dif ference what political party wins an election, because for several years this cycle will continue- to its bitter end." We hope you are wrong, capital and government must happening just as. surely as and dug the first shovel of dirt for the new plant and per sonally brought over the foreign goods. Higher labor costs have forced in foreign goods, but at the same time maybe the trade barriers were dropped too low by an overly gen erous, reciprocal-trade mmaea government, uur pipeiroer friends says we should buy only the foreign goods we need. That might be the more practical and workable answer. We don't know. : Oregon Weed Meet Set H e re Next Week The Oregon Weed confer ence will be held in Medford for the first time Nov. 12 and 13, according to Ray Hubbell, Jackson county weed super visor, and conference presi dent. "Top men in research from industry, colleges, experiment stations and area farmers will present their findings and tell what the future may hold in the relatively new field of chemical weed control," Hub- bell said. All the meetings will be held in the Medford YMCA building Thursday and Friday, Hubbell announced. The conference starts at 10 a jn., Thursday. Approximate ly 300 persons are expected to attend the- meeting from throughout the state. One of the highlights of the program for weed supervisors will be a talk on weed control and plantings on Oregon high ways by Mark .H. Astrup, landscape engineer, state high way department, Salem, Fri day morning. Thursday morning, Don Berry, Jackson county exten sion agent willpeak on herbi cide use in tree fruit farming. Following Berry, Otto Bohn ert, Central Point farmer, will speak on, "How I Control Weeds on My Farm." Tieing in with Berry's talk will be a speech on vegetable and fruit weed research by Dr. Garvin Crabtree, Oregon State college, Friday morning. Directed at the irrigation district managers and water- users is a talk by Dean Boyle, bureau of reclamation, Boise, Idaho on ditchbank and aqua tic weed control, Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, Dr. Bayer, extension weed spec ialist, Davis, Calif., will talk on getting the most out of soil sterilants. '-J On a weed districts panel Thursday afternoon will be Rex Warren, moderator; Jess R. Grisham, agricultural com missioner, Yreka, Calif.; Har old Schief erstein, Klamath Falls; and Roy Hubbell, Med ford. I rest. - indicated, would take care of on agricultural surpluses and by both economists and farm- reason tney don t even run all wrong or all right. But, if he is. Being "public pressure- are two different things. people out of work because momentarily the people who it generally throws the national of kilter. When this incident is on and on until a lot of people Mac, but labor as well as share the blame for what is if a labor : boss went overseas A. J. Liddon, Minerals and Chemicals corporation of America, Menlo Park, New Jersey, will speak on granular herbicides Friday afternoon. Following Liddon's talk will be one which should interest fruit growers, Hubbell said. A. M. Ross, regional manager, Gaco Western, Inc., Portland, will talk on protectants for spray tanks. This is the eighth annual meeting of the 10 -year -old weed conference, Hubbell said. During the first two years of its history the con ference was held with the seed league meeting. The con ference was organized to pro vide research information to all interested persons in weed control. The annual short course in weed control has been elimi nated this year, Hubbell said. Those wishing weed control information and instruction should attend the conference, Hubbell suggested. Also, any one wanting to renew a li cense for equipment can do so by attending the confer ence, he added. Current officers of the weed conference are Ray Hubbell, Medford, president; Phil Biel- ke, Brooks, vice president; Rex Warren, Corvallis, secre tary; Ray Kelso, Salem, treas urer. Conference directors are Gordon Walker, Indepen dence; George Kitzmiller, Portland; Raymond Crabtree, Maupin; and Ed Draper, La Grande, . Ex' officio directors are Claren Hesp, Athena and Paul Willard, Salem." - Santa ..Catalina Island off the coast of California was discovered in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.- If was long a base, for smugglers and pirates. USt S&H GREEN STAMPS Medford Fuel Go. Tel. SP 2-21 11 Court & McAnd. COW PALACE CHAMPION steer of the Grand National Francisco recently, was shown with his owners, Mr. and Mrs. H. Skinner Hard, of Bakersfield, Calif. The Champion steer, a 1000-pound Hereford was. covered with his royal purple robe and was auctioned off to the highest bidder on Nov. 4 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. (UPI Telephoto) GARDENING TIPS By DON BERRY County Agent COMPOSTING MATERIALS Both English and black walnut leaves can be used for composting or humus ma terial. This is also true for oak and other tree leaves. Walnut leaves do not cause the ' soil to become unusually acid and are not detrimental to plant growth. Their compo sition is not much different from . other tree leaves and can be used for the same pur poses. . Walnut leaves are not the best for mulching. They tend to form a packed layer and prevent proper soil aeration. VEGETABLE STORAGE Plan on storing vegetables? Many vegetable crops can be kept fresh for several weeks or. throughout the entire win ter. ; Vegetables placed in stor age should be sound and free from cuts, cracks, or injury. A diseased or injured speci men in storage could damage the entire supply. , Any place with a furnace is usually too warm and dry for most vegetable storage. Vegetables can be stored in cellars, basements, outdoor pits, banks of soil, and in many types jof special build ings. Often a room can be partitioned off for cool stor age. Screened inlets for fresh, cool air will provide ventila tion and temperature regula tion. A room where canned vege tables and fruit keep well is useful for storage of pump kins, squash, tomatoes, onions and potatoes. Bins are good for potatoes and onion stor age if they are off the floor to allow free air circulation. This also should prevent rats and mice from nesting in the stored food. Where winters are dry or drainage is good, outdoor cel lars, pits or mounts of various kinds can be used for storage. Beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, salsify and turnips can be stored where they are grown if drainage is good. The tops should be cut off fairly close and soil from be tween the rows can be thrown over the roots. Mound storage can be a round or long pile according to the amount to be stored. A finished pile should be three to four feet high. - -Cover Lightly The covering should be light at first and be increased as needed to prevent freezing. A shallow trench around the base will carry off the excess water. For areas where rain fall is heavy, cover the mound with boards. A narrow piece of hardware cloth placed ver tically around the mound will keep rodents out. Pit storages made of tile are economical, easy to build, and quite permanent. Tile storages will hold some vege tables in very good condition for six months or more. Tile storage is built in units of one or more tile according If o RANCHES 1 To Buy or Sell w.T."Bill"Fasel,lnc.J) REALTORS JJ 1244 So. Riverside ' SSvS5p 3"5317 ifC 4ll .S J' I Tim Topper, grand champion Livestock Exposition in San to the amounts of space need ed. An 18 by 30 inch tile will hold three bushel baskets. Tile should be located on well-drained soil, shaded from the sun and close to the kitchen. Dig the hole 6 inches deep er than the tile length and just large enough to let the tile fit snug. Place three standard bricks, on end, equally spaced around the bottom of the hole. Rest the tile on these bricks. Place 2 inches of coarse gravel in the bottom of the hole and fill in soil around the outside of the tile and mound it up to the lip. The storage chamber and material to be stored should be precooled. For easy han dling, place fruit and vege tables in bushel baskets or other containers. Long han dled wire hooks will help in raising and lowering the bas kets. ' To K.ep Out Rodents . Place a square of one-half inch hardware cloth over the tile to provide aeration and keep out rodents. Spread a bushel of dry leaves over the hardware cloth for insulation cover this with a waterproof lid, giving at least 4 inches of room above the insulation. Weight down the lid. An old tub or shallow box makes a good lid. Cabbage keeps well at tem peratures just above freezing. Celery will freeze at 28 to 29 degrees. Onions keep best at temperatures ranging from 36 to 45 degrees. Start potatoes off in storage a few days at 60 to 65 degrees to permit drying and callusing of me chanical injuries. Then drop the temperature to 34 to 38 degrees. Pumpkins and squash should be mature and free from mechanical damage when stored. Cut them with at least 2 inches of stem and leave in the field for 2 weeks to mature the crop if weather is favorable. Place the fruits separately on racks or shelves in a well ventilated dry stor age at a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees. Tomato fruits that are full grown and green or showing a slight amount of color when picked will ripen normally when stored at 55 to 70 de grees. Handle tomatoes care fully as they should be sound and without bruises. SDA's Launer Rated Top Feeds Chemist Salem - Oustanding recog nition for James Launer's work as feeds chemist for the Oregon department of agricul ture is contained in a report at the recent American feed control officials meeting in Washington, D.C. Through Launer's work, the Oregon laboratory rates No. 1 among the states in accuracy of analytical work on feeds. This rating is based on five continuous years of collabora tive work with the national check sample work. More Stales Write Laws On Marketing Salem The trend toward increasing" marketing promo tional activities under legisla tive authority of various stat es, is growing. Legislative ses sions this year included both new authorizing acts in some states, and revised existing au thority in others. These findings come from a National Association of Mar keting Officials , survey of 1959 legislation on marketing promotional activities. The survey was conducted by Mar ket Development Chief Paul T. Rowell of the Oregon De partment of Agriculture, as chairman of the NAMO com mittee on marketing services and promotion of agricultural products. Rowell reported on this 1959 survey at the NAMO an nual meeting "in North Caro lina in October. It supple ments his committee's 1958 survey, which was the. first of this nature. The 1959 survey shows both additional commodity self-help programs established under existing legislation and now legislation creating oth ers. Division Created A marketing division was created this year in the Iowa state department of agricul ture. It is authorized to gath er and diffuse useful informa tion concerning the market ing of Iowa farm products, and to cooperate in promotion of their sales, distribution and merchandising. In several states includ ing Wisconsin, Washington and' Hawaii - bills for new marketing enabling acts were held over for further consid eration at their next legisla tive sessions. Here in Oregon, under the Oregon enabling act, a High land Bentgrass commission was created this year by seed producers. An Oregon Beef council was created by the 1959 legislature and will be suported by voluntary contri butions at 10 cents per ani mal collected at the time of state brand inspection. Rowell1 says "commodity groups throughout the coun try are becoming increasingly aware that if they don't de velop and publicize the value of their product no one else will. They recognize other commodities are plying their wares with the trade and the public to gain consumer fav or." Better Pork Seen For Oregon Farms Corvallis - Willamette Val- Oregon-grown pork will re sult from the new industry sponsored swine testing sta tion near Hermiston, predicts Dr. J. C. Miller, head of the dairy and animal husbandry department at Oregon State College. Boars and market hogs will be accepted for testing Oct. 24 at the Umatilla branch of the OSC agricultural experiment station. Swine testing facili ties have been provided there by the Oregon Wheat Commis sion. Dr. David England, OSC animal husbandman, will be in charge. , Dedication ceremonies for the swine testing facilities will be held early next spring at the close of the first testing period, England reports. Pigs will be on test from the time they weigh about 50 pounds until they reach 200 pounds, approximately 100 days. Miller says the increasing supply of feed grains and high hog market in the Pacific Northwest are combining to make hog production a "nat ural" for many Oregon farm ers. iacuic coast states now ship in about 70 per cent of their pork needs, mainly from the Midwest. He said the new testing station should stimu late hog production by giving better animals' L MODERN ARTIFICIAL BREEDING WITH FROZEN SEMEN FROM AMERICAN PROVED SIRES . Annraa - Efficiency of Feed Conversion in Your Generation I - of . Livestock ( - - C. C. Williams ROGUE VALLEY PROVED SIRE SERVICE msBoum i i I This Week's By HIAWATHA ESTES This is a sensible open plan due to the arrangement of the living, dining, kitchen and family areas which automati cally increases the size and usefulness of each room. - Unexpected guests can be ushered into a presentable front living room without as much as a glimpse of scatter ed toys. The' corner fireplace is the focal point of furniture arrangement. The dining ell means that all of the area of the family room can be used for family living and does not have to be used as a part-time dining room. . The kitchen is especially roomy and light. In addition to all the latest built-in appli-J ances, it has a broom closet, an oversized pantry and a large eating nook have been included in this design. The family room is partial ly open to the kitchen. Sliding glass doors to the patio ex tend the livable limits of this room. .A very short hall connects the center-hall entry with all three large bedrooms. The master dressing room not only has two wardrobes but also a dressing table and linen closet. Tree Planting Steps Explained Corvallis - Four steps to successful tree planting-good ground preparation, prompt care of trees, correct planting and care after planting are discussed in a new bulletin distributed by the Oregon State college agricultural ex tension service.- Charles R. Ross, OSC exten sion farm forestry specialist, helped edit the bulletin which gives detailed illustrated in structions for planting trees in both eastern and western Oregon. Oregon residents can get a copy of "Plant Your Trees Right" from their county ex tension office, or from the OSC bulletin clerk, Corvallis. The bulletin is published jointly by the extension serv ices of OSC, University of Idaho, and Washington State university. BREEDERS' SERVICE "inheritance FOR PROFIT" Assure Future Income. This Service is as Close as Your Telephone : KOftOOM BEDROOM FAMILY ROOM 7PbT C y IGI4 llIS SOllS frl X 'V j? ' II kItchen .V Jf t 9,20 IT A. V jt. BEDROOM . Tf yd amrr - Li. " ' U " UVIM ROOM . PLAN NO. 3730 'r$ ' -V iqS 1985 SQUARE J f Phone SP 2-4093 1 Home for Living Twin pullman lavatories are features of the master bath - together with a tile shower. The water closet has been located for maximum privacy. The family bath also has a pullman lavatory plus a tub with shower over. An additional half bath is off the service. If finances are limit ed, the master dressing room and bath could be eliminated and constructed at a later date. The rock covered roof of this modern home extends out from the exterior walls to give large eave overhangs for protection from the weather. The board.on board siding and stone veneer and planters are enhanced by framed screens. Windows are a combination California Changes Bang's Regulations Salem California has an nounced that beginning Jan. 2, 1961 all female dairy cattle entering that state must be brucellosis vaccinates. Entries 14 months from now must have been vaccinat ed for brucellosis between four and through 12 months of age, with official health certificate to certify this fact. HAV PRICES HIGH! HERE'S NOW TO CUT COSTS Supplement Your Hay with Purina Range Checkers One Ton Replaces Fire Tons of Hay Help Your Cows Drop Big Crops of Husky Calves Feed Only Two Pounds Per Head Per Day. Helps Cows Produce Lots of Milk to start calves right. ASK US TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CONTRACT PRICES a A MAPI RIGHT 7 ' ' PRICED RIGHT . PROVED RIGHT YOUR STORE WITH THE Mm VmiCRO-MIXEP CHECKERBOARD ytPJt Nation. ItjHECKEriSJ 10th ond S. Fir ' 6th and BartleM Man" D ODD Ct 4 ion n o o n n o W-an of louvre and aluminum case ment. ' Complete working drawing of the above plan can be obtained at. a cost of $7.50 for the first 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 satisfaction, a new home plan book, Homes for Living, may be pur chased for $1. Send all orders for either plans or books to Hiawatha Estes, P.O. Box 404-T, Northridge, CaUf. SOUTHERN COUNTIES LIST MOST ESTRAYS Southern Oregon areas re ported most of the animal es trays which are listed on the current "strayed or stolen" re port of the state department of agriculture. The list in cludes reports from 9 owners of three horses and 11- cattle and calves missing between mid-August and the end of. September. The department's livestock officers and brand inspectors as well as sheriffs offices and state police have descriptions of the animals. All but four of the 14 animals are branded. A recent survey found that there are 990 national con cerns in the U.S. whose names start with the word "Ameri can." -
