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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1963)
i . w - r? EDEN VALLEY ORCHARD A section of 1900 s is still owned by the same family, the Eden Valley Orchard between Med- The orchard also includes part of the first ford and Phoenix is shown as it extends valley orchard planted by J. H. Stewart, over to an adjacent orchard on the hill. The former Missouri nurseryman in 1885. part planted by Col. Gordon Voorhis in the Orchard Superintendent rtnn All H r. " w m By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribune Farm Editor It takes a lot nf know-how It takes a lot of know-how to be an efficient orchard foreman or field superinten dent and even more to grow up with the orchard business when horse power switched from the four-legged kind to the mechanized. Lee Hedgpeth, field super intendent at Eden Valley Or chard, is considered general ly as one of the best and most experienced in the business. And he has been in the busi ness since he was 15 years old. "I will be 65 next month. I don't feel that old, either. Wouldn't feel right if I weren't out doing my share of the work," Lee grinned. "Been in the business contin ously except for a mechanical course in Portland and short HIV LEE HEDGPETH Veteran Orchard Superintendent NIAGARA'S fm ' wrjMWgaf'WTT'wa i hitches in mechanic's shops. ' Lee now v But all of my training and ex- orchard mechi nerienre has nrerjared me for ... ... perience has prepared me for orchard work." Unusual Orchard The Eden Valley orchard is unusual since it includes part of the first valley orch ard planted by J. H. Stewart, former Missouri nurseryman in 1885. It's also unusual be cause the acreage planted by Col. Gordon Voorhies in the early 1900s is still owned by the same family. This at a time when orchards have been changing hands with increas ed tempo. Chances are that it wi'.l stay in the family since Lee is grooming Dan Voorhies. the colonel's grandson and neph ew to Mrs. Henry Pringle, formerly Marian Voorhies Riegel, to take over the orch ard operation. In the 1920's when Lee first started, working in the orchard it consisted of 16QJ acres. Formerly it covered a section, 640 acres or one square mile. Leaning out of his yellow pick-up truck, Lee pointed to one of the longest straight pieces of orchard land in the valley 42 rows of pear trees stretching for a half-mile. This 65 acres, like the rest of the 160 current acreage includes Cornice, D' Anjous, Bartletts and Bosc. Develops Equipment When Lee came onto the place all pulling and hauling was done by six teams of mules and horses. There was one tractor. It was the con tinual puttering with that one tractor, and perhaps the Mod el T Ford which took him to Diamond Lake for fishing which developed a mechani cal aptitude and skill in Lee. He has been at it ever since. 1 TOP RATED PEAR ADG Unexcelled Fruit Finish Higher Percentage of Top Grade Fruit Superior Pear Scab Control Fruit Has Excellent Keeping Qualities Compatible With Other Pesticides - Beneficial to Foliage Use On All Varieties Low Per Acre Cost ot 773-3573 Hi South Grape Street Medford, Oregon Putting Idttt to Work NIAGARA CHEMICAL DIVISION ANAHEIM FRESNO RICHMOND YAKIMA J) Hom OIIim: MIDDLE PORT, NEW YORK MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. lix. Lee now works with the orchard mechanic In adapting machinery and parts of mach inery to orchard work. Trac tors have cabs on them to pro tect the operators from orch ard spray dope. A farm trail er has a special arrangement of wheels to make it ride more evenly over orchard ground. Many other pieces of equipment were developed by Lee and later by his top-rated farm mechanic. In the early days after hand spray rigs, the larger or chards used an underground pipe system for applying spray chemicals. The chemi cals were mixed in a central plant then piped through the orchard. Hoses were attached to the pipes to spray the trees. Lee, who had the maintenance and operation job on this sys tem, still feels it was an effi cient system. It didn't dig ruts through the orchard as the spray rigs do now. The Eden Valley orchard fed its people more directly in the early days. Milk, eggs and butter came directly from the orchard s cows and chick' ens. It still has four cows which provided milk for both full-time and seasonal help. All of the stock is raised right on the orchard property. There are still a lew horses, too. Lee still supervises their care. An orchard, like anything else, either goes forward or backward, but never stands still. When Colonel Voorhies acquired the original orchard tract it had "gone over the hill," according to many peo ple. Under Lee's supervision it continues to make a profit. FUNGICIDE EM MEDFORD. OREGON FARM Woodlot Facts By DICK OLSON Oregon State Farm Forester Fire can destroy or damage your woodlands in a few hours and eliminate values that have taken years to de velop. A little advance plan ning or work may prevent such a fire or limit the dam age to a very small area. Fuel and air are always present in a woodland area. If enough heat is supplied to ignite the fuel, a fire can be started. Fire prevention is usually aimed at elimina tion of the source of heat. However, this is not always the method. Sometimes the more flammable fuels can bo removed or kept away from the source of heat. In this way, a fire is prevented by removal of the fuel. Heat in sufficient quantity to ignite fuel is sometimes caused by lightning, but is much more frequently the result of man's carelessness with equipment, fires or smoking. General Approaches Two general approaches to prevention of forest fires are used. One of these is educa tion of people to make them more fire conscious and the other approach is the closure of hazardous areas to entry and use during periods of high fire danger. The KEEP OREGON GREEN program is one of the more effective ed ucational methods, also the county conservation day tour for the school children reach es a number of homes. Closure of hazardous areas during the fire season-and shut down of all woods operations during periods of extreme fire danger-prevents fires from start ing where control might be difficult. Following is a list of ways which can reduce the chance of fire, or better control fire in your woodland: (1.) Do all debris burning during the winter months and not during fire season. When burning must be done during the fire season gel a permit from the local fire protection agency, so they will know where the burning is being done and they can check con ditions to be sure such burn ing will be safe. (2.) Elimination of logging debris by burning is usually a good practice. By burning this material in the fall or winter, the area can be fire proofed so there is little burn able material remaining in which a fire can start when conditions are more hazard ous. Slash burning requires advance preparation to keep the fire from spreading to adjacent lands. In some cases it might be better not to burn at all. In partial-cut areas, excess accumulations should be piled in larger openings for burning. Check Machinery (3.) Be careful of power driven machinery of all types. Be sure the equipment is in good working order with all the safety devices available in use. Keep a fire extinguisher and shovel with a power saw in use. (4.) Construction of fire roads, firelines and water holes are good ways to limit the spread of fires. These may not prevent a fire but they will confine it and make the suppression much easier. (5.) Posting a . woodland area with "no trespassing" signs may prevent some fires by keeping people out of your woodlands. However, this is difficult to enforce and may antagonize sorrfe people caus ing them to set fires in the area. (6.) Lightning fires are us ually started in snags or rot ten trees. Falling or harvest ing the snags and defective trees will prevent most light ning strikes from starting fires. If a fire is started, it will be on the ground where control is easier. Fire laws and regulations have been enacted to prevent forest fires by restricting use or making certain acts il legal. These laws were de signed to protect your wood land and all other forests in the state. Every woodland owner and user should com ply with ' the requirements. The cooperation of all own ers, users and fire protection agencies is necessary to PRE VENT FOREST FIRES. -FOREST LAND WORTH HAVING IS WORTH PRO TECTING. Business Said Off To Beffer Start Than Last Year Washington - il'PH - The Whitp House's chief economic expert said Monday that busi ness is off to a better start this year than it was In 1062. "The start of 1963 is as good as 1062 was bad," Wal ter W. Heller, chairman of the Council of Economic Ad visers, told a conference of the Magazine Publishers As sociation. Heller said the economy's performance seems to be bearing out administra tion forecasts for approxi mately a 3 per cent increase in economic growth during 1063. Termile Problem Hits Home Owner By DON BERRY County Extension Agent Home-owners should be on on the look-out for termites this time of year. These appear as ant-like insects which come out of the woodwork and swarm to the windows. While it isn't easy to remain calm when you suspect termites are attacking your house, that is exactly what should be done. It takes considerable time for a ter mite colony to actually dam age your house structurally. If termites are suspected a few days spent investigating the best course to follow would pay off. Alarmed home owners are easily subjected to high-picisurc sales talks where termites are concerned, and these may end up in ex tensive and expensive control jobs before the facts are clear. There have been some re ports of unethical practices in termite control in some parts of Oregon. Oregon State uni versity and the U.S. Forest Service entomologist, station ed in Portland, as well as Oregon Forest Products lab oratory have been investigat ing the best methods of con trolling the termite problem. Tbey suggest that the first step for the home-owner is to make sure they are actually plagued with termites. This can be done by sending, or bringing the suspected ter mite to your county agent's office for identification. Where termites are a prob lem some situations can be controlled by the home-owner at little cost. Where ex tensive house repairs are nec essary, deal only with reli able local pest control firms. QUIET TIRES Akron, Ohio-IUPll-A soft spoken" truck tire that cuts the annoying whine of heavy vehicles on highways has been developed by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company. The muled sound of the tire is accomplished by varying the length of tread elements at various points around the tire. NOW SEE SNUG-As no armchair with a flair as fitting SHIFTY-Two crisp speed or 4 -speed, both hteire 3s& sesp3s Spyder ttjuipmtni' U aniUibU on iwiA Corvair Moma CmetriMt See '.Jour entirely different km 9TH & BARTLETT Wheat Substitute For Oats, Rye Okayed For 1964 John H. Wclbes, chairman of the Oregon wheat referen dum committee, announced Wednesday that on the recom mendation of the committee, the secretary of agriculture and Congressman Robert Po age (D-Texas), chairman of the feed-grain sub-committee of the house agricultural com mittee, agreed that wheat could be substituted for oats and rye history in the 1064 program, according to word received by Bert G. Wilcox, Jackson county extension agent. Poage announced that the sub committee acted on amendments to the bill under consideration that would au thorize permanent voluntary feed grain programs commenc ing in 1964. The amendment, of impor tance to Oregon growers, pro vides that the producer with oats and rye acreage history on the farm may apply for and have this acreage added to his farm feed grain base. This will make him eligible to take the overall 20 per cent reduction in the feed grain program and to seed wheat, price - supported at $1.30 per bushel, in lieu of feed grains (including oats and rye) on the farm in 1964. As reported by Welbcs, Congressman Poage believes the amendment to be careful ly drawn and docs not provide for the substitution of corn, barley or grain sorghums in lieu of oats and rye because such a provision might allow too much expansion of the higher-yielding feed grain in the cornbclt and south west sections of the United States. Poage also asserted that the amendment will make the 1964 wheat program especial ly adaptable to producers in the Pacific Northwest who are growing wheat, rye and oats in their farming pattern. Welbes stated this amend- WHAT'S NEW AT YOUR ever was. Sporting too TURBO-SUPERCHARGED Or as its twin bucket scats. Wow! shift to pick from-3- SAYS floor - mounted. ''ft '''' FROM THE GROUND UP By BART BARTLETT The ideas and suggestions presented in this space are intended as food for thought and at best as suggestions as to what might be accom plished by doing some plant or animal growing operation in each individual case in a certain manner. As everyone knows, advice is easily acquired, but is a rel atively non-profitable item in the marketplace. The by-products of free advice may be so expensive that the farmer or rancher can do no more than pay the advisor and so receive no compensation for his ef forts in the production of the marketed commodity. In this instance the tax paid advisor as well as the commercial ad visor are included. Lawns should be mowed so that the grass is left relatively long until about mid-April. This permits the grass root systems to recover from a long winter and will result in a lawn that is much easier to maintain for the remainder of this growing season. An appli cations of wood ashes at about one pound per 50 square feet can be made at this time. Wood ashes can now be ap- ment to the feed grain bill would make the combined wheat and feed grain pro grams much more similar to the original bushel manage ment plan so long advocated by the Oregon Wheat Grow ers league. Welbes quoted Poage as say ing that Wednesday's subcom mittee session concluded the consideration of amendments on the bill, and it is expected final subcommittee action will be taken March 27 which will open the door to consideration by the full house agricultural committee. C0RVAIR M0NZA SPYDER . r- A smooth 150 hp-worth of punch. "WHEN"-Takea guesswork accuracy Into every shift. and Club Coupt (lAovn above). 'Optional at txtra tod. COURTESY CHEVROLET MEDFORD TUESDAY, MARCH plied to such plants as roses, lilacs, and flowering quince. Do not apply wood ashes to evergreen plants such as laur els, firs, pines, cypress or azaleas. This is a very good time to make some improvement to pastures. Weedy pastures should be sprayed for control of certain brush plants. The same sprays can be utilized to control sour dock and thistles. Many pastures in this area are only 50 per cent efficient due to heavy infestations of such weeds as sour dock and thistle. Where pastures have not been fertilized this year, it will be well to make an application now or in the near future. Consult your spray chemical dealer for materials and ad vice. Fertilize strawberry plants now or as soon as possible. If your willow tree has been shedding lots of dead branches and it is a tree that you wish to keep in good health it should be sprayed very soon. A copper spray will control the fungus disease that causes! small limbs to die. For best results the graftinc of all fruit trees should be I done within the next two weeks. I In Oregon we have two ma-! NOTICE TO FARMERS! You are invited to a discussion, with movies, of new varieties of alfalfa, sudans, sorghums and pasture grasses . . . courtesy Northrup King & Co., at . . . FAIRGROUNDS CAFETERIA WED. NITE, MAR. 27, 7:30 P.M. FREE! Coffee and Donuts Dealer . ' Albers Feed & Farm Supply CHEVROLET translated, SHARP-A full range of special gauges for an expert view of engine CHEVROLET out, put A 11 jor universities that are de voted to education. The tax payer is under constant pres sure to provide funds for the operation and improvement of the state institutions. We won der whether or not in many instances there is not a dupli cation of facilities at each in stitution. Perhaps a student cxhange program could be ac complished so that within ths reasonable distance that is in volved between Eugene and Corvallis, students of both col leges could make use of facili ties at both institutions. We suspect the colleges them selves will be the larger op. ponents of this idea. It pays Oregon's lawyers to serve in the Oregon legisla ture. How else can the bills be written so the ever increasing lawyers in practice will have to be paid to tell a taxpayer what the law means and later to defend him in Court? f.ischaiiics Tools For RENT at A to Z Rental 1213 N. Riverside 779-1474 DEALER'S performance. PHONE 772-61 13 26. 1963
