Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1963)
ft A Transplanted Midwesterner Bear Creek Orchard Foreman r JOE COWLEY (toil Tribune Turn Editor Fay Godciard, working foreman (or Bear Creek'i headquarter!' orchards, like 10 many Oregonian. la a tram planted midwesterner. Like so many former mid westerners, here, he has (arm ed all hia life. A atring-bean of a man with an easy white grin in il tan face, Goddard looks like a former Nebras kan should look. He came to the Rogue val ley In 1946 from Colorado looking for work. He was picking pears for Bear Creek when the orchard superinten dent asked him how he liked the pear business. Then, how would he like to work for Bear Creek? "I told him 'all right, but I didn't know much about the pear business. Somebody would have to teach me,'" Goddar! drawled. "He d I d Louis Herron waa foreman and Berty Lowry, superin tendent then." Supervises 400 Acres Now Goddard has approxi mately 400 acres of pear or chard and 23 men under him. He largely directs the entire orchard operation, from prun ing, spraying, thinning to ir rigating and picking. Hia di rections come from the super intendent. The Jangle of the telephone Interrupted the living room interview and Goddard moved quick as a cat for the phone. This waa a thermometer read, ing report. He knew he was going to have to be out heat ing at 1 o'clock the next morning unless the cloud cov er held. We had Just asked him about how many hours he averaged in dally orchard work when the phone rang again with somebody offer ing their services for heating. "Some of 'em are pretty good. And some of 'em aren't," Goddard replied to our question on teenage heat ing crews. "This is the first year we have had any trouble. For some reason this year, you can't rely on them. They say they will show up and don't." "So, we Just use tome of bur reserves, try to always keep a reserve crew, or we use some of our regular men who have to work during the day," Goddard explained. "Recently, he had to cat up and flag for the crop dusting plane at a o'clock In the morn. ing after being up all night nesting," Mrs. Goddard, a pleasant, attractive little worn' an interjected. "He put In 22 houra heating Friday night ana Saturday." "Oh In the winter it isn't too hard work. Get down to eight hours a day than," the foreman remarked. Bear Creek uses mostly Laxy Flame heaters with the tall stacks and return stack heaters with the thick round stack and attached elbow Joint pipe. When Goddard first came to work for Bear Creek it Was using a lot of square pots and STOCKMEN FEED PELLETS Veer eeane er un.aLtioL reefhaee will make km far a ateaem aalsaced ratlea that yea can fete) with little laber and ne wartaat. The (ntreatad reert et milk rro duc.d will five yn mail mum retains ea a small task investment. MORTON MIIUNO CO. 300 Rata Una, Medford LH. BUTCHER CO. 690 South Grap. Phono 773-7585 TUESDAY. APRIL 30. 1963 big round open ones. Like a lot of veterans in the busi ness he feels these pots are most efficient since the flame burns low and horizontally, down to where the frost is. When Goddard first came to Bear Creek it had four head of draft horses, no rubber tired tractors and two cater pillar tractors. It now has 14 rubber - tired tractors and eight orchard crawler tract ors. He also ran the first speed sprayer the campany had. Then he was bundled up in rain gear with a respirator mask covering his nose and mouth. Now the company tractors have a space helmet type of thing attached to the tractor engine to supply the operator pure air. Tractors have cabs, too. Although Goddard was raised on dry wheat lands of Nebraska, he Is known as an efficient irrigator. He said he had no trouble learning how. He likes ditch Irrigation, knows his soil and where his high ground is. Often he picks up the tail water of three other men irrigating for him and uses that again. "We're Just liable to get pear-plcklns machinery," the FARM Woodlot Br DICK OLSON Oregon Siaie Farm Forester This week's article concerns Itself with a simplified look at the sustained yield concept of tree fanning. Thla concept is very com plex because trees are a very complex crop. The variables of growing trees, because of being a long range crop, are perhaps more numerous than any other crop. Your managed forest or tree farm Is Ilka a bank account. When money la put into a sav ings account, it Is called capi tal and the banker pays the owner interest on It. Trees now standing are your forest capital and the wood that grows on them each year Is the Interest on that capital. By practicing good sustained yield management the inter est can be spent without grow ing poorer, because you still have the capital. Hare is an example of how It works: Tree Farmer Jones has 1, 000 acres of forest land. Each tree in his forest adds a ring of new wood growth each year. This new growth may amount to an interest of 300 board feet per acre. That makes a total of 300,000 board feet of wood added to his for est each year. So Tree Farmer Jones may harvest enough trees to equal 300,000 board feet of wood annually with out reducing his forest capital. The harvest plan of a large lumber or paper company Is much more complex than that of Tree Farmer Jones, involv ing perhaps hundreds of thou sands of acres and different species which require differ ent harvest methods. Never theless this simple formula Is essentially the basis for the calculations which enable a company to supply its mills with logs without damaging or reducing Its forest capital. Forestry Tour On Saturday, May 4, there will be an adult forestry tour In Josephine county. One of the tour stops will be on Smith's tree farm. A good ex ample of small ownership for est management. The tour will start from the Josephine coun ty courthouse at 9:30 a.m. WEED-FREE CROPS? DACTHAL? can help make it possible Dacthal ia the new pre-emer-gance herbicide registered on a no residue iosit for all the crops shown to the left. Given excellent, economical control of annual graasea und many other weeds such as crabgrass, green foxtail, yellow foxtail, lovegraiu, witchgrass, purslane, Florida pus aley, carpet woed, common duckweed, lambequartere, barn yard graas, red root pigweed, and nodding spurge. Odorless and non-irritating . . . recognized as one of the tafeat commercial her bidden. Packaged aa a 75 wattable powder. Dacthal herbicide ia a product of Diamond Alkali Company. AVAILABLE ATI foreman said, commenting on orchard labor. "Sure, they're steady workers," he said re ferring to Mexican Nationals. "They can't leave because they are under government contract." "We don't get the old type of fruit tramp anymore," he commented. "Most of the transients are wlnos. No, too many of the welfare workers aren't much good. They just don't want to work. And pruners come and go." "That's the whole prob lem," his wife added. "Peo ple don't want to work." "Why should they when they can draw welfare," God dard added. As a whole, the pear busi ness has been good to the Nebraska - raised farmer. He has a comfortable home in Medford and his oldest boy is studying for the ministry at Bob Jones university in South Carolina. The only thing is, he does work long hours, but he doesn't complain. "I had to go to work for the packing house so I could see him during the summer," his wife smiled. "That way we could eat lunch together. Facts The first tour stop will be on Azalea drive, at E. D. Car ter's Tree Farm. The main subject to be discussed at Car ter s will be Christmas tree growing. At noon a sack lunch will be eaten at Price's Log Cabin in Sunny Valley. A short motion picture film on Christmas tree culture will be shown. The afternoon will be spent on Smith s tree farm. Discus sion will cover over all forest management, tree farms and several forest management practices applicable to improv ing growth and quality of trees. For further information concerning the tour, contact the Josephine County's exten tion office. Jackson and Jose phine county residents are all invited. How does a woodland own er go about practicing forest management? A simpler term "Tree Farming," has come in to popular use as more and more people have discovered the close parallel between for est management and farming A farmer would soon be out of business if he did not grow crops over and over again. Un der a forest management plan. trees are grown as a crop like wheat or corn. A wise farmer would not let cattle graze in his unripened corn or let fire burn his wheat field. Neither will the wise woodland owner let cattle deitructlvelv Braze his woods nor permit wild fire to run through his forest. As a farmer cultivates corn to keep out weeds and thins vegetables so that they will grow faster and larger, so docs the forester remove de cayed, deformed and diseased trees from the forest and thin the young stands 'o give the remaining trees more room and sunlight. Young trees will respond quickly to release from competing hardwood vegetation and other conifers. While It takes only one year to grow and harvest a wheat crop, It takes many years to grow a tree. This does not, mean, however, that the own er must wait until all the trees in his forest have matured be fore he can get some cash in come from them. Today's de mands for wood often pro vides markets for the thin nings of young stands as well as tor ripe trees. Such items as Christmas trees, fuel wood, posts, piling, car stakes, and crossties may be harvested as thinnings and sold at a good profit. This cutting, if done properly, docs not harm the remaining stand but Improves it and speeds up Its growth. Musi Know Markets Before a farmer's grain crop ripens, he carefully explores the market so he can get the best price. The timber owner has an advantage here for he can delay the cutting of his trees until the best time. But he, too. should know the mar kets for all the product his woods can yield. A farmer often looks to his county agricultural agent for advice in crowing farm crops. A Jackson or Josephine coun ty Irec grower can realize val uable professional advice by looking to our local industrial forester, private consulting ' foresters. SCS Forester, and State Farm Forester to show him how to grow tree crops. The start of the 1963 fire taaaon has been rescinded by Legislative action. A bill was passed by the State Legisla ture and signed by the Cover-; nor, which makes it possible ior each state fire district to dec 1 d a, according to local weather conditions, when the fire season should begin. Now I is the chance then, to do that debris burning that you have been thinking about doing. i Don't put It off until it is nee- . esear.v to obtain a permit. I Farm & Chit By JOE Mail Tribune The orchard foremen and field superintendents are the top sergeants of the pear industry. We learned this during our current series of inter views being printed on this page. So far they seem to have a jew basic things in common. They have a strong loyalty to their bosses, feel as responsible for the orchards as if they were their own, are good family men, constantly look for better ways of running the orchards, like the pear busi ness and make a fair living at it. They also point up what may become a critical shortage in 10 or 15 years. Few younger men are being trained to assume their responsibilities. And this also applies to pack ing house supervisors. This is a time for pessimistic rubbing of the fruit in dustry's fortune telling glass ball. A time while they wait for a day or two of warm weather to shower the minute green pears on the ground so they can count their losses before they pack their boxes. "There is nothing we can do to continue the pear indus try In the Rogue valley forever!" a packing house owner forecast. He has been watching the pear acreage gradually move north. Perhaps the Rogue basin project will bring in more acreage in the Sams Valley area. This will increase the problem of two few men and too little money spread over scattered orchard chains. And this is a critical trend. It used to toke five men to spray 20 acres a day, if they were lucky. Now one man on a spray-rig is expected to cover 60 acres a day. We have seen orchards which experienced orchard men know have been pruned too heavy and the primings left in heaps on the ground instead of chopped up and mulched in, new ladderr left to rot against trees, and heaters too close to young trees. These are the hazards and results of loose supervision. It also shows up in packing houses with their scatterings of pears around the packers' stations and under the conveyor belts where a few years ego there were hardly any. A few years ago, too, 65 acres employed seven steady men who did all the pruning and spraying and most of the thin ning. Harvest labor was plentiful. The "fruit tramp" a number of years ago walked down the road after the harvest season and never returned. Packing houses and orchards used to rely on these highly skilled but somewhat erratic professional harvest hands. Now local women, mainly housewives, go to packing school and work season after season to buy that new refrig erator, new stove, or to pay for a vacation. The help is steady and the money is spent in the community. It's a contrasting situation fn the orchards, however. The professional picker is rapidly dwindling in numbers or has eliminated Medford as a between seasons stopover for travel expenses. The employment service has to dig harder to come up with pickers before growers turn to the Mexican Na tionals round out the season's work. But the pear Industry needs an infusion of new blood. Fruit men with the, capacity to look several years ahead feci the industry should establish scholarships to find quali fied people. Perhaps they could work in the fruit industry during the p:ak season and go to college In the winter and spring quarter or the first half of ttie summer quarter. They could become trained horticulturists to supply the rapidly dwindling supply of well experienced field men. Or, perhaps local high schools could establish a one or two year post-graduate course to train youngsters in mechanics, the chemistry of growth, the rudiments of typing and book keeping for supervisory positions. Two highly respected representatives of the fruit industry recently told a touring group of high school students that above all they should take typing. The wouldn't hire any of fice personnel who don't know how to type. One of the two men insisted the boys should learn shorthand also. Two qualities the pear men and foremen, however, is a sistence that the people under of work. Too many foremen people working for them," a course, we have to draw a thin hard line between foremen s decisions and those which should be left to the top brass," he added. This varies with each operation, of course. Some orchard operators let their foremen and superintendents decide when to heat or not to heat, other do not. This could make or lose an orchardist money depending on the quality of foreman he has. But, It's plain that the orchard business is a business and a science. It is going to require technically trained young people to hold the green line in the foothills and on the valley floor. Even this may not be enough. Perhaps pear acreage will dwindle gradually to comparatively few acres as subdivisions move in. Perhaps o large industry will move In to take what skilled help there is and set a fuse to the "population explosion." This possibility stresses further the urgent need for over all county planning, economic included. It also points up a sharp need for functioning industrial development and agricultural committees sponsored by the chamber of com merce or the community at large. Above all, it shows a dire need for more workers and fewer government-spon sored planners. Oregon's Poutrymen Given Recognition Corvallls - Oregon was one of 12 states receiving special recognition this week (April 24) at the annual convention of the Poultry and Egg Na tional board in Tampa, Fla., reports N. L. Bennion, Ore gon State university exten sion poultry specialist. Oregon's poultry industry is one of the leaders in its financial support of the na tional board which is concern ed with consumer education, research and promotion of poultry products. Bennion SPECIAL GOOD USID TRACTORS TO- Cr.wl.r Tr.ctor $3250 hd-S w ti.de ,n4 Winch J2850 NASH FORD TRACTOR 4 IMPLIMINT CO. J00J Oarer lake M.. flS LV phon Garden Chat COWLEY Farm Editor want in their superintendents willingness to work and in them turn out a high standard tolerate less than the best from pear shipper pointed out. "Of said. This is the fourth consec utive year Oregon has been so honored nationally. Top Tonnage Begins With ANCHOR Pelleted Fertilizers For complete selection and service. Call . . . GRANGE CO-OP SUPPLY ASSOCIATION HIGHWAY 99 - CENTRAL POINT PHONi 664-1262 OR 773-4022 421 A STREET ASHLAND PHONE 482-2143 MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOHD. OREGON HORSE HAZARD The driver of the pick truck at the far left of the picture was cited by Medford police for disregarding the traf fic escort for the Roguc-Saddelites 4-H horse club. The truck almost hit a horse and rider. The picture was token as the horse group traveled along the freeway Fairgrounds Need Told Sportsmen Ted Christensen. chairman of the Jackson County Horse man's association membership and activities committee, and John Belknap, president of the organization were guest speakers at the April meeting of the Central Point Sports man's Club, at the club house in Central Point. "The primary aim of the horseman's jrganizaliofi is to promote all activities of the horse and pony groups throughout Jackson county, with the emphasis on 4-H clubs," Christensen said. "Such groups are made up of our youth, and it is these boys and girls we are so concerned about. They are the future leaders of the community. Their interests, hobbies and problems are ours also, and their major problem at this time is adequate fair grounds. A place to tend, groom and ride their animals. "The existing fair grounds when they were first built could in a way and did partly serve the community. This project that we are now en deavoring to help make into a reality will afford the re-i quired facilities needed by every club in the entire coun ty, not just horse and pony groups. It would be a place for all organizations from the knitting circles, garden clubs, home projects, livestock, bi cycles, skates, gun clubs, aquariums and all the many other different hobby groups now being conducted in south ern Oregon, including the Southern Oregon Kennel Club," he said. Population Up The ever increasing popula tion to this area and thP rapid ly growing interest of the city dweller as well as the rural neighbors has made nec essary more adequate fair grounds, a real problem for concern of all parents." Christensen continued, "At the last count, the report re vealed there are 100.0U0 horses in the state. At least one-fourth of that number is here in our area. There is no designated place in the whole county for our youngsters to ride their bicycles or horses without the everelasling pres ence of the careless motorist. Maybe the days of the horse and buggy are over, and the manner in which some of the drivers of automobiles drive, it really makes a fellow won der just how much longer cars will be in style." Incident Cited At this point. Chief Naval Recruiting Officer Ed Haw kins cited the recent incident of April 13. A group of hors riders were being escorted across the freeway, by Med ford police. The driver of a ' PEB geaaanMen?r9 t pickup truck showed no care for the riders and no danger in his disregard for the riders or the horses. He was stopoed and given a citation by the police. Hawkins and other on lookers witnessed the whole affair. "The neighboring counties do maintain adequate facili ties, and it is to these areas many of our own groups, such as the Southern Oregon Ken nel Club, roping activities clubs, are forced to go in order to continue practicing in the winter-these animals need stalls and a place that is covered and enclosed. Com paring our own fair grounds with the others throughout the state, we don't even come in for a good second", said Christensen. "Why do we have to leave our own home grounds? All we are doing is helping build up the prestige and boost the economy of areas that are already further advanced that we are. It is only human nature to culti vate hobbies and outside inter ests and it is an expensive project for adults as well as children. All we are asking for is adequate facilities. That naturally means the required room. We need a place that is safe, that will afford proper stalls, riding area and a place that will give booths for all kinds of hobbies Such an area would be an asset to Ihe community, and would bring Don't See me now for Crows, blackbirds, jackdaws, grackles, pheasants any bird that steals seed won't come back a second time for seed treated with ORTHO Bird Repellent. They spit it out and fly away. It's easy to get this kind of protection for your seed. All you do is pour this repellent right in with the seed in your planter box. Actually, you're getting more than bird protection with this product. The full name is ORTHO Bird Repellent and Seed Protectant. It also contains an insecticide to control soil insects such as wireworms, seed corn maggots and corn rootworm. And a fungicide for extra protection against diseases like seedling blight, damp-off, and seed decay. This is the only bird repellent that combines all these protections. So this year, don't plant for the birds. When you get your seed, ask me for ORTHO Bird Repellent. Ellon's Farm & Garden Store 4th 4 Fir, Medford Grange Co-Op Supply Ass'n. Hv , Cental Paint 421 A St., Ashl.nd Monarch Seed & Feed Go. 10th I S. Fir. Medford 6th I Bertlett, Medford Putman Bros., Looker & Feed Store lay l Point, Ore. T. M. Reg. U.S. Par. Off.: viaduct to attend a play day on the Jackson County fairgrounds. The freeway traffic is expected to be a much worse hazard during fair time as youngsters bring their livestock and horses to th. fairgrounds south of Medford. to this locality the same kind of civic minded people that are now being forced to go to the outlying districts for the facilities we so badly need. Instead of money leav ing our city it would be com ing in," said'Christensen. Industrial Air Products Go. Joins With Miller Electric Manufacturing Go. to Present the MILLER WELDING SHOW Wednesday - May 1, 1963 - 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P. To Be Held at Industrial Air Products Co. North Pacific Hiway MEDFORD, OREGON Factory representatives will be present for discussion and ft demonstrations on the Miller welders as well as Victor cqui ment. Tec Torch products and Bay State abrasives. Plant for the Ortho, on all Oh-ceis, Read Directions and Caufiens Before Use Bayliss Joins First National Warren Bayliss, formerly assistant manager for Myron I Root & Co., has joined the Medford branch of U. S. Na tional Bank as agriculture j field man. according to E. J, i K ar, bank president. In his ,. .v position. Bayliss will be the bank's agricultur al representative for Jackson and Josephine counties. Bayliss started witli Myron Root & Co. in 1950, after working for five years as ranch manager for Mount Crest Ranch at Hilt, Calif. Hs was on the board of directors for the California Hereford Assoc. while he lived at Hilt. A ;937 Medford High school graduate, Bayliss at tended the University of Washington before serving with the U. S. Marines from 1941 to 1945. He was with the Marine Air Corps. Bayliss was a director of the Jackson County Stockmen's Association and is a past pres ident of the ""ear Shippers Association. He has served as a member of a Jackson Coun ty school boaH and is cur rently a director of the Rogue Valley Country club. He ia also a Boy Scout Troop com mitteeman. Bayliss and his wife. Dor othy, reside with their two children at 1809 Oregon Ave., Medford. About 45 tons of grease are needed to launch a ship. BIRDS! ORTHOS Bird Repellent eaojTHopP me Pj
