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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1960)
(:) I Farm Pear Tree Decline Study Explained, History Given Editor's Note: The follow- - ing article ii one of a teries of stories on pear decline in . the Rogue River valley based on excerpts from a paper prepared by Prof. Henry Hartman, horticul turist at Oregon State col- lege, C. B. Cordy, Jackson ' county horticultural agent. H. Ronald Cameron, John '. R. Higdon and Harold J. Jensen. Professor Hartman, '. who has been heading the ' decline study here, was ' scheduled to discuss the de cline problem and his latest ; findings during a meeting : of the pear industry here '. earlier this year. Under doc tor's orders since his heart attack, Hartman has not yet been able to come to Mod ; ford. ' What is the poor tree de cline research? What are it's objectives? What is the his tory of decline? What are oth er aspects of tree sickness? The pear tree decline re search in the Rogue valley is ' joint project between the Fruit Growers League of Jackson county and the Ore gon Agricultural experiment I station. The league has helped finance the project. Indivi- dual members provide some 'labor, supplies and faciliti The Oregon agricultural ex periment station pays its workers' salaries except for .that of Henry Hartman, for mer head of the OSC horticul ture department, who is head ling the project. It also finances i incidental expenses and tra 1 vel. OSC also provides clerical help, laboratory facilities, and greenhouse space for the work ;at Corvallis. Southern Oregon branch ex (pcriment station also provides 'some personnel and facilities. decline are found in different simlar to decline. Trees In- ,The Oregon Extension service js carrying on certain phases iof the work, also. The present' project got underway Aug. 1, 1958. How ever, preliminary studies of pear-tree decline were made prior to the 1958-59 fiscal Vear. Present research is a 'crash program aimed at sav ing the present pear tree gen eration. Researchers hope to find preventive measures for .'specific troubles which often jvome to light long before the actual causes ore fully re vealed. Decline History Given Various forms of pear tree also parts of the world where pears are grown commercially, in the United States the trouble was first seen in the state of Washington. Extensive dam age was done to that stale's pear orchards particularly llie trees on Japanese root stock. Later the same trouble was ob served in this area. Although the trouble is found in trees with both French and Japa nese root slock it seems more prevalent in the latter type. One case was fund in the Wil lamette valley in 1959. It was found in various parts of Cali fornia, also, during the past season. Due lo work done so far, it is possible to separate many of the ailing trees from true decline and give specific causes. Itogue valley pear trees are seriously injured or killed often, by high water tables or "wet feet." This trouble oc curred long before the decline problem was discovered. Japa nese root stock is more sus ceptible to "wet feet." No rootstock is immune to the high water table trouble, how ever. This problem has creased during the past few years. The wot seasons of 1055-50 and 1957-58 added to the problems. Precipitation in crease each year from 1943 to 1958 also aggravated the prob lem. Fairly recent changes in irrigation practices in the im mediate vicinity of the orch ards also increased the problem. Different than one hurt by true decline, a tree injured by water alone usually shows re tardation of growth and even "die-back" at the terminals but may send up suckers from the frame work of branches. Poor Strains Troublesome Poor strains of rootstock arc another cause of ailing trees in the Rogue valley. So far, five proven cases of this condition have been found. Due to tjiis type of tree trouble trees have not grown normally since being planted. They have been dwarfish or scrubby from the start. Shallow soils is another ail ing tree category. Trees in this type of soil often collapse during periods of extremely high temperatures and low relative humidities. Injury from smudge oil has given trees symptoms jured by oil soaking trunks or rools collapse during the latter part of the growing season. Tired trees is yet another classification of tree trouble. This is indicated by insuffi cient annual growth, lack of deep green color in leaves and a tendency toward low yields and unsatisfactory fruit size. This trouble is not fully revealed yet by research, the agricultural scientists report ed. Low nitrogen levels in the soil is not associated with this problem. It initially occurs in trees with large quantities of nitrogen. Failure to utilize properly the nutritional ele menls available is a more likely cause. There are a number of mis cellaneous ailments. Trees girdled by rodents also show pear-decline like symptoms. Collar rot is caused by action of soil fungus organisms Numbers of trees in the val ley suffering from this trouble is not known. Old blight can kers in the roots is yet another miscellaneous problem. This problem has decreased in the vallev in recent years. How ever, there was a time when pear trees used to die from root blight even though trunks and large branches did not re veal blight organism presence. Plant Services Shown In Film Salem - A second 20-min- uto 10mm sound color film, "For Crop and Man," is now available for showing lo inter ested Oregon groups. The film depicts how the division of plant industry, slate department of agricul ture, serves agriculture and consumers. The film includes fruit and vegetable harvest and processing scenes in west ern and central Oregon, nurs ery activity, and plant pest and disease surveys, ragweed control operations. H takes to the skies in plane dusting op erations over Umatilla county grain fields and glimpses weather modifiers (rain mak ers, for example) at work. The film is a department production. It is available from state department of ag riculture, information office, Salem. ATTENTION! FRUIT GROWERS Look over this list of the most com- plete selection of new insecticides t designed for you. Norkem Corpora- tion also offers you experienced field service. B"W Etf gives oxcellcnt control of major insects EL V I IN JV. W and docs not harm fruit. Use SEVIN yourself to get fine finish and more top quality fruit. The Scab Spray. The Combination ft T Cf Mm. C A of Protection and Eradication hat f IX tV Oja TT provided superior control of Pear Scab. 1 . V GUTHION The Single Insccticido that controls all major fruit pests all season long! Controls codling moths, apple maggots, mites, scale, pear psylla, cherry fruit flics. DIAZINON KELTHANE Ability to kill many species plus long residual action add up to Low Cost mita control. Phytomycin, Agrimycin and Streptomycin for effective, ef ficient Pear Blight Control. ANTIBIOTICS CHLOROBENZILATE Sf 1Z, all stages of mites and thoso types resistant to certain other miticides. For effective, easy, economi- A F (" "N A I Ft g cal weed control, Norkem W fc fc U IxlLLtKb has the greatest selection available. I I A fckl A 4 C ancrtncr product to be used against U I YV -Jm& pc-" psylla up to within SO days of harvest. For Experienced Field Service Contact PJor (!H Corporation ED SMITH P.O. Box 1133 Medford, Ore. SP 2-6151 CHIT CHAT-! ly JOI C0WLIY Mail Tribune Far Iditer Uncle Dan Sez: Me and my old ladv was going to church Sunday morning and I had to drive 10 miles an hour fer about 2 mile behind a fool woman driver on account of not being able to get around her. I finally passed her just as we had to stop afore gitting into the highway, giving her a mighty mean look as I went by. She pulled up aside me at the highway, stuck her head out the window and hollered "If you're going to church, get in a better humor!" It shore did make me feel cheaper'n a wood nickel. MAIL TKIBUNI, Medford, Or. Tueiday, May 17, 160 About 400 Persons They wasn't many folks at church on account of a little rain and the preacher started off by saying it was a funny thing to him how 50 drops of rain could keep 100 folks from church. It got him in a bad humor and he worked the congre gation over good, especially them that was absent. He finally got on the subject of people being money crazy and allowed as how the pore and humble and ignorant would get to heaven first. I been humble and ignorant all my life but I ain't ever been able to work up any great joy over the blessings of poverty. Just between you and me, that woman hollered a better sermon out the window in about 10 words than our preacher give us in a hour and 10 minutes. I reckon preachers, like everybody else, has their off days. Well, the tax assesser was out our way sneaking around last week, which is mightly bad in a election year. But I found out a long time ago it gits you no place to argue with a tax assesser. His mind was made up afore he ever looked at your propity, maybe afore he got out of bed that morning. Arguing with them tax fellers is worse than arguing with a woman, which is about like trying to read a newspaper in a high wind. I give up on the fair sex when we got girl bull fighters and wimmen rasslers, and when the tax assesser got to measuring the pitch of my barn roof, 1 sold my herd and got me a rocking chair. Them cannibals out on that island in the Pacific has got the only fool-proof solution I've ever saw for the tax situation. They eat the tax collector. My old lady come home this morning from shopping and got out her old trunk and started counting her Great Grandpa's Confederate money. I was curious but didn't let on I was looking. Wimmen is funny tiiat way and some times you get more information if you just keep quiet. Bui I finally give up and ask her what she was doing with that Confederate money. She said she had just decided that Con federate money was now worth about the same as U. S. money and she wanted to see how much she had. Ted Kennedy, younger brother of Sen. John Kennedy, dropped into the office Saturday led by the local Kennedy campaign manager Robert Boyer, Medford attorney. He was following up his brother's appearance here some weeks ago. We asked him a number of questions including how his brother's chances stood with the agricultural states. Naturally, he said he expects his brother to do well in the farming areas. He said the only farm counties he suffered defeat in during the Wisconsin primary were those on the Minnesta border a state in which rival Sen. Hubert Hum phrey's strength was greatest. Incidentally, contrary to some political commentators like Alsop, young Kennedy feels that direct personal appearances won the West Virginia campaign for his brother, not the Lincoln-Douglas style debate which was televised. For in stance, while talking to the West Virginia miners he held a can of dried eggs in his hand. The federal government has distributed these and other surplus agricultural products to the out-of-work miners and their families in the area. This is the kind of thing, Kennedy told the miners, he would encourage. Senator Kennedy feels that Oregon Is now the key to his possible Democratic nomination at the national con vention in Los Angeles this summer. The senator needs the support of the Rocky Mountain states and he feels that if he wins the nomination in the Oregon primary Friday this will swing that area his way. Since this is a western farming area he feels victory in Oregon will help considerably to swing the other farm areas, too. Fishermen Propose Self-Help Program Salem - For the first time in Oregon commodity commis sion history, producers are pe tioning for a direct referen dum on proposals to establish a self-help program. Th e request comes from commercial fishermen who want to form a seafoods com mission of Oregon. In a petition to the state department of agriculture, fishermen say they represent about two-thirds of the pro duction. When petitioners speak for more than half the production, they may request the department to by-pass the usual hearings and proceed to registration of producers for a referendum vote. The deaprtment is checking the seafoods petition to de termine if it is in order to waive the hearings. The seafoods request fol lowed shortly on heels of the department's announcement that the Oregon fryer grow ers' referendum failed to elim inate their commission as sessment. On this, 165 broiler growers voted, with 71 or 43 per cent wanting to wipe oul the 17100th cent per pound levy. To carry a grower referen dum, two-thirds of the voters must favor the proposal. About three-fourths of the state production was repre sented in the referendum with the minority who want ed the fryer levy cancelled ac counting for 51 per cent of the voting production. The Danish radio industry employs 30,000 persons in modern factories. FFA Attend Eagle Point - Elvin Haw kins was named Chapter Star Farmer during last week's Eagle Point Future Farmers of America fifth annual par ent and son banquet. Hawkins was given a per manent tropny and his name will be placed on the Eagle Point Lions club rotating pla que, Glenn Clymer. Eagle Point Lions elub president, told the crowd of 400 per sons attendin' the banquet. Other award winners were Dale Vaughn, farm and heme electrification; Victor Halsey, soil and water management; Glenn Burg, farm mechanics. Each was presented an indi vidual permanent plaque by Harry Hanscom, Eagle Point Junior Chamber of Commerce president. Ron Greb was presented a Dinner Lamb Pool Shipment Planned Here Soon Jackson county farmers with farm flocks of sheep are being polled on how soon they will have enough lambs for a pool shipment, accord ing to Earle Jossy, county ex tension agent. Jossy said some lambs should be ready for shipment by May 20, if not then by June 1. It takes 350 lambs for shipment, he said. Approxi mately 3,01)0 lambs were shipped last year in the Jack son county pool. Meanwhile agreements on the new wool pool are coming in. These should be sent in as soon as possible so the pool can be closed by June 1, he said. Proper zoning, after all, is like channeling a stream or river. So population growth has to be channeled or zoned. The better the channeling or zoning the faster and more efficient is the growth. As Gaffney of the University of Missouri points out "Each addition to the local market helps also to spread the overhead of more specialized and larger operations. Each new taxpayer shares the burden of large public works and im proves the city's credit. Each new producer helps diversify the city's economic base and insure its stability. Each new seller tends either to bring in outside money or to reduce leakages of money to outside sellers, and thus he creates new demand for local services." Uncle Dan's remarks were borrowed from the wife's hometown paper in North Dakota. We felt this rambling commentary was appropriate for this time of year. rotating plaque by Bob Bit terling of the Oregon Milk Producers league. Bitterling, as Master of the Eagle Point Grange, also presented Madi son Patrick the Grange's ro tating plaque for public speak ing. The Eagle Point Lions club president also presented Don Pestka the farm safety permanent individual plaque donated by the Lions. Steven Geren, Dale Vaughn and John Patrick received the FFA Green hand awards. FFA activity awards were presented to the five boys ranking highest on the activ ity board by Howard Wilde, 1957-58 chapter vice-president. First place and plaque went to Benny Sutton. Others who also received a gift cer tificate for FFA jackets were Steven Geren, Ron Greb, Dale Vaughn, Victory Halsey and Warren Pestka, listed accord- I ing to ranking. Honorary Degrees Given Honorary degrees were pre sented Bob Lonzway, Bill Woods and John Patrick. Lonzway, as field conserva- i tionist for thj Sams Valley Beagle conservation district, helped the chapter by holding soil and water classes in ; school and teaching land leveling. Bill Woods, an Eagle Point rancher, made it pos sible to judge livestock at his ranch and loaned hay equip ment. John Patrick, the father of the chapter president, loan ed his truck for many hours of wood-hauling. He also help ed in many other ways. The banquet guest speak er, Dennis Wood, is state pres ident of the Oregon FFA as- j sociation, past president of I the Mololla student body and an outstanding member of his local church. He was state public speaking winner and western regional winner and will go to Kansas City this fall to participate in the na tional convention. Marketing Expert Receives Award Salem - W. L. Close, of Salem, known throughout fruit and vegetable shipping centers in Oregon, recently received the U.S.D.A. certifi cate for continuous outstand ing service and a $250 cash award. The presentation was made at the recent regional shipping point inspection conference at McCall, Idaho. Clo.e is federal marketing specialist attached to the State Department of Agriculture. Portland IUPD Sen. Wayne L. Morse (D-Ore.) said Monday that Premier Nikita Khrush chev's withdrawal of his invi tation to President Eisenhow er to visit Russia "belies his words" in favor of peace. Salem-flMl - Jean Scheel, Corvallis, has been elected chairman of the Oregon Rural Civil Defense Advisory committee. Km VOTE FOR E. II "Pickle" TAYLOR Democratic Candidate For County Commissioner Lifetime Resident of Jackson County Successful Stock Rancher Successfully Owmdi Operated the Taylor Pickle Factory for Over 20 Years. Conservative Qualified for the Job Active in Many County Affairs. Pd. Pol. Adv. Taylor for Com missioner Committee - -E. H. Taylor, Rt. 2, Box 285, Central Point, Oregon. Conservation of all natural resources Is a strong plank j in the Kennedy platform, Ted Kennedy told us. He feels i an easterner promoting conservation will be considered more sincere by the public than somebody from the west ! where the issue is almost forced on a candidate. Easterners have been key figures in promoting conservation. He pointed j pointed out such people as Theordore Roosevelt, Franklin ; Delano Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot. i It's just a short hop and skip from conservation to zon ing, as we see it. Actually, that is what zoning is all about, it's aimed at portioning land off and designating it for uses to which it seems best suited. We don't say zoning always 1 achieves this aim for there is a lot of good orchard land which is now a part of subdivisions. Farmers feel a strong 1 kinship for their lands so it's only natural for them to , oppose any proposed restrictions if they feel it's going to hamper them in their free use of that land. I M. Mason Gaffney, associate professor of agricultural economics, University of Missouri, asks a sharp question, "Will urban expansion ever slop?" He has an interesting chapter in the 11)58 yearbook of agriculture entitled, "Land." "The increasing demand for land for urban uses has been met by accelerating expansion of cities into the rural areas," a fellow professor points out. "The outlook is for a faster rate of conversion of agricultural land into nonfarming use. particularly for urban expansion. Many of the metro politan areas may be expected to double the amount of areas they will occupy within the next two or three decades." Before you scoff at this, remember this man belongs to the same class of people who produce marketing reports and estimates which you farmers follow religiously in plan ning your farm operations. HAYING TIME IS MEM GRANGE CO-OP Locally Owned Locally Controlled and Operated Solely for the Benefit of Local Ranchers and Farmers. Always quality p rod ucts, and reasonable prices. X . i V--K-SS&. i . r A 1 3 We Have the Best in High Quality HOLLAND TVINES. A Large Stock of Hay Salt Always on hand. Harold M. Maver. nrofessor. department of eeoeraDhv ITnivercilv nf Ptiimffn nnintc nut In the same hnnk that mnrh -9 ! of the land the urban or city spread will occupy is crop- land used for Intensive production of speciality crops and i has a higher value per acre than the average value of all I agricultural land. j These croplands, being devoted to Intensive cultivation of specialized crops, are characterized by small "farms, he j further points out. Naturally, they would have n much i denser population than the average for all agricultural areas. ! Pears are a speciality crop. So is Talent alfalfa seed. Both ! arc produced in the Rogue River valley. "While the total loss of cropland may not represent : an actual net loss of agricultural production nationally, the loss of speciality crops, involving conversion to nonagricul ' tural use of some of the best land for such crops, could well become significant," the professor points out further. So the farmers of the valley should bless, not curse, the Jackson county planning commission for its attempts to zone valley land for what its studies consider the best use. We admit that the commission's efforts are slow and some what awkward and bumbling, but an attempt is being made. It is trying to keep a proper balance between agriculture ! land use and industrial use. fool them on this shirt deal! (see page 8) fPI ! V rft'ftV ! r-il t . 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