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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1963)
TUESDAY. JUNE 25. 1963 in i iv n HmW v Farm & Garden I lUlf It f I L.' fe.i. MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON r Avt : ' -' IK' X V' -"4 : turn". CUSTOM SPRAYER This custom sprayer stulion on Kings highway which Is now con- with three tank compartments was spe- ducing research on biological control o( cifically designed for experimental spray- insect pests, ing. It is used at the Med ford horticultural Biological Control Studied For Reducing Insect1 Pests Pete Wcstlgard, entomolo gist with the Southern Ore gon Branch Experiment sta tion, Wednesday will attend a panel discussion on inte grated control of insect pests in agriculture. This is part of the week long conference of the Pa cific Branch of the Entomo logical Society of America meeting in Gearheart, Ore. It started Monday. Integrated control means co-ordinated control of insect pests, chemically, biologically and culturally. Biologically means control by other insects who gobble up the Insect pests. Culturally means con trol by pruning and other means so plants and trees arc not so suscptiblc to insect damage. Integrated control may be the answer to Raehael Carson and her book, "Silent Spring." Integrated control al.so In volves applying the right kind of chemicals at the right time In the right amounts which won't kill the preying Insects. Biological Control Biological control of some Insects harmful to orchards is being studied now In iield plots at the Medford horti cultural station on Kings highway by Wcstlgard. Pete comes from California, a leading state In biological control nnd agricultural pro duction. He, with Porter Lombard, new Southern Oregon Branch Experiment station superin tendent, were successful in se curing a $4,1)00 allocation from the county court and budget committee for con struction of a greenhouse. This would allow year-around research on biological control at the experiment station on Ilanley rd. It will be used, also, for agronomy research, screening of insecticides, study of pear decline and psylla control. , Westigard said the green house will be good, particu larly, for studying plant dis ease. In this area it has a tendency to jump around making it difficult for a con sistent outdoor plot study. Westigard, assisted by the Medford station crew is using icar tree blocks to see if the first coddling motli spray can bo eliminated about mid-July to allow penr psylla predators to build up. This would be the spray normally applied between the delayed dormant and second cover spray. Elimination of any spray re duces the cost to the orchard ists at a time when the pre dicted small pear crop re quires cutting all orchard costs to the bone. Biological control of cod dling moth on the Pacific Coast so far has not proved practical. However, research ers at the Yakima, Wash, and British Columbia experiment stations are using gamma rays to sterilize the male moths. Release of sterllo male moths into orchards may make It possible to keep the coddling moths at such a low reproduc tion level that orchards will not suffer economic damage. "Determining what level of insect infestation results in economic damage to an or chard is the keystone of our biological control research n o w," Westigard explained. "Minor defoliation on a tree does not necessarily mean It has been economically dam aged by loss of tree vigor or reduction of crop." He explained he also is try ing to establish a curve to learn how fast the damaging insects will build up before the predators take over. Is it before or after economic dam age occurs? Answers to these questions are important to the fruit growers. The study of reproductive peaks of insects and predator Insects also reveals why birds are not considered effective In biological control. They cannot reproduce fast enough to control the rapidly multi plying insects. Local IntoroBt 1 Local orchardlst.i became Interested in biological con trol when they noticed some orcharriists were not applying sprays for two-spot spider mite. Abandoned orchards do not have mite infestation, it was learned. Further study showed predator Insects ap parently had built up due to absence of sprays and con troller the mites. "if ive-re sesiug - i&;f a good milieidv, irftss.rW?" AfL KM l i f s r 1 - - ' ' ''J t i 1 ' 1 - ' "X" I I Chit Chat By JOE COWLEY Mail Tribune Farm Editor People are still analyzing the failure of the wheat refer endum this spring. A number of possible reasons have been given, but as in any other election sometimes the worst guesses are educated guesses. One thing sure the wheat program was backed by Sec' relary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. Wheat or grain sup ports certainly were not any program pushed by former agricultural secretary Ezra Taft Benson. But if Benson had been pushing the same program we think the wheat refer endum would have passed. So, we feel failure of the wheat referendum actually is tne raiiure of freeman to put across his ideas to the farm er. This is not to judge Freeman as a bad secretary of agriculture but to question how close he is to a man of tne soli the farmers who must support and apply his fed eral programs. Everything we can find out about Benson indicates he was a true evangelist for programs he believed in. But, he had to believe in a program before he would sell It. Per haps this lack Is a major weakness in the Kennedy-Freeman agricultural administration. Unlike Freeman, also. Benson could not only talk about how a program should work, he could show the farmer. He grew up on a farm and became a county agent. In spirit he never left the farm. He could talk to farmers as one of them. He made it a point to tour agricultural problem areas, to learn what the farmers were thinking first hand, to demonstrate an eagerness to become better acquainted with the farmers problems so as to give practical answers or proposed solutions. By practical, we mean what was farmer- practical, not politically practical. Benson consistently dis regarded the latter which probably was his major weakness, according to his critics. Benson not only contacted farmers personally In the field, but set up machinery so their opinions could be con sidered by the agricultural department and incorporated in its programs. He did not jam such conferences with federal personnel to "guide" public opinion as was so evident at the regional Rural Areas Development regional conference In Portland. The National Agricultural Advisory commission was one such piece of machinery. Before acting on a specific com modity problem, representatives would be called in to dis cuss every phase of its production and marketing as af fected by the problem. They were asked to tell what they could do and what the government should do. The cattle crisis In 1953 is an example, Some cattlemen wanted the government to get into the cattle business and some didn't. However, the American National Cattlemen's association came out strongly against government supports. So what happened? So a tariff quota was set on cattle coming in from Canada. More beef went into school lunch programs. Beef was sent abroad through the Mutual Se curity program. The government did buy, as a temporary expedient, the equivalent of 850,000 head of cattle. But, mainly It promoted the sale of beef. Chain stores and res taurant chains and every Institution where meals are served boosted consumption of beef. Ranchers Plan Show Me Tours To Cover Forest Grazing Cards are being sent out to all stockmen in forest service range allotments asking them to contact their district rang ers to arrange "show me" range tours for each allot ment. The tours will be scheduled for early in the summer and in the fall to show . Austin Klahn, new range conserva tionist stationed here, the con dition of Hit- various grazing areas in the Rogue River Na tional forest when the cattle go on range and after they come off. The stockmen are concern ed that the forest service is not considering browse and logged off areas in its pro posal to limit the number of beef animals on the range. The forest service has stated there will be no cut in range allotments until 1965. During Thursday night's Jackson County Stockmen's association directors' meeting, Martin Grier, chairman of the forestry committee, said he is concerned over trespass action against one Applegate ranch er. If the forest service takes severe action against this man it could set a dangerous prece dent for the rest of the forest range use, he said. Fences won't control cattle 100 per cent, he added. ' Don Hanscom, Central Point rancher, said even a range rider wouldn't be able to stop all cattle which might drift over onto a neighboring allotment. Send Plans Association President Cor don Stanley, Lake Creek, with Grier asked all cattlemen to send their own grazing plans to the forest service and cop ies to the county association. The forest service has been asked to send copies of pro posed allotment plans to the county association, also, Grier said. The Applegata stock man also asked each rancher to figure the investment per cow. He noted the forest serv ice range conservationist had visited him and asked him for his estimate of the investment. Klahn also plans helicopter tours of the range areas, he told Grier. Two Apple gate ranchers have set tentative range inspection trips already, Grier said. The public may be nvited on an overall trip lat er, it was agreed. Stanley suggested it would be good public relations with the forest service to discuss tree planting problems with them. The cows have been blamed unjustly for killing a number of young trees. County Agent Earle Jossy related that OSU research in dicated cows do not bother young trees except when the tender buds appear. Usually they are not on the range then. Gophers, porcupines, and difficulty in getting nurs ery stock established in rug ged conditions are the main Lygus Bugs Pest Now in Alfalfa, County Agent Says Lygus Bugs, an enemy to alfalfa seed producers, are working on alfalfa field; in the county, according to Bert Wikox, county extension agent. The Lygus bug can be con trolled by treating infected fields with DDT at the rate of one pound per acre, plus Toxaphene at two pounds per acre, or Toxaphene at three pounds per acre, or DDT at two pounds per acre, or Dylox at one pound per acre. The above dosages refer to actual amounts of toxicant per acre. Treatment should be made when lygus adults and nymphs average one per swe.'p during the pre-bloom period. Research in other states suggests a second ap plication during bloom period only if population of nymphs and adults reaches eight to ten per sweep. Do not feed DDT or Toxa phere treated plants or en siluCe made from treated plants to poultry, dairy ani mals, or animals being finish ed for slaughter. Do not per mit animals to graze on treat ed fields. Do not use on forage to be sold commercially. Do not apply Dylox within 14 days of cutting or grazing. To Protect Bees To protect pollinating in sects, apply insecticides in early morning oi- late even ing, Bert Wilcox says. The adults are about 316 causes for trees aying, uic stockmen generally agreed. Urge Vaccination The association president urged all stockmen present to contact their neighbors urging them to have all their calves vaccinated against brucellosis. No calves can be sent to Cali fornia without vaccinations, the county agent added. The stockmen also agreed that the cattlemen "should have more say" about who the department of agriculture se lects for veterinarians. The state veterinarian for this area is doing a careful job, the stockmen agreed. The question will be referred to the association's sanitation committee and to the Oregon Cattlemen's association. A range short course in co operation with the Jack son County Extension Service and OSU has been set tentatively for Dec. 17, 18 and 19, Jossy announced. At least 25 people must register for the course before those dates will be con firmed, he added. The directors agreed to sponsor a boy to be selected by a community committee for the state range tour. Cost is $25 per boy. The county is allowed four boys. Scale, Miles Now In Local Trees Some San Jose scale and two-spo,!ed mites are showing !up in local orcnaros, accord ing to Don Berry, county agent. San Jose scale crawlers : have emerged, he noted. : Growers with this problem ' should apply such spray mate ' rials as Diazinon or Parathion 1 now, the county agent recom I mended. I Two-spot mites are building j up, he pointed out. PEPP ii I recommended. Kelthane of . Tedione was applied in early ' June, but some mites are now ! resistant to these materials. Where mites are present in large numbers growers should spray three-fourths pint or 40 per cent PEPP per acre on every other row and use only 100 to 130 gallons per acre as the larger gallonages dry slowly and may cause soma tree injury, he explained. This material should be ap plied on days which are warm and still. Repeat the spray in three to five days and spray the alternate unsprayed rows. Where no crop is present de lay controls until some injury appears in the center of tha trees. Inch long. Lygus bugs vary in color from yellowish green to reddish or dark brown. The presence of a light yellowish "V" shaped mark on the back of the adult is helpul in dis tinguishing lygus bugs from other insects. Nymphs are wingless and frequently mis taken for aphids in the field. They can be distinguished from aphids by their sturdier bodies and ability to move about rapidly. Lygus bugs overwinter as adults. In early spring they resume activity during warm, mild days, laying eggs in in plant tissue, usually in the terminal growth. There are several generations produced each year, Wilcox says. Lygus bugs feed by suck ing juices from the plant. Nymphs feed more actively than adults and are believed to most damage. The insect sucks juices from productive portions of the plant causing blasted buds, blossom drop, and shriveled seed. GENERALS PULL RANK Hythc, England-UPl!-Farm er Ray Edwards said Mon day he had to move his cows from an army training ground because "generals didn't like being stared at by cows." He said his cattle were friendly but no respecters of rank. "I have seen them walk up to high-ranking officers and look over their shoulders," he said. con SPECIALISTS IN AUTO INTERIORS BOAT INTERIORS CONVERTIBLE TOPS BOAT AND AUTO CARPETING 12!h& So. Central PHONE 773-6450 Benson tours Included the drought area of Texas In 1953 by car. In 1955 he went to western Europe to try to in crease outlets for surplus wheat. The same year he held a series of meetings in the Moorchcad, Minn.-Fargo, N.D. area to discuss strengthening hog prices. He visited barns, fecdlots, walked through fields. And this is a small sample. We say the program failed because of lack of personal selling by the secretary of agriculture. We have heard the bushel quota plan as included in Freeman's "two-price" plan was proposed by wheat growers. From some opinions given by farmers we get the idea that the acreage control and bushel quota was too much. It indicated greater govern-' mental control of agriculture rather than less so was feared by the farmers. Or, as analysts staled, the farmers were just sick and tired of the heaps of paper work requirements which had to be met for price supports. Farmers, When You The small farmer must have had a role in the referen dum turn down since 734,000 small farmers were qualified to vote for the first time this year compared to 558,000 farmers who plant more than 15 acres to grain. Kansas turned it down and North Dakota passed it so whether an area was a major wheat producer had little effect. Perhaps Republican growers turned it down because they didn't want to indicate approval of the Democratic administration by passing it. But, Oregon and Washington which have become strong Democratic states in recent years voted the wheat referendum down. The farmers apparently were looking for security and didn't feel the tight controls would give It to them. Ironically, the tight governmental controls proposal comes at a time when the entirely governmental controlled agricultural pro grams In Soviet countries have resulted In crop failures. Because it isn't killing tlic strain we've pit now. Mite cut too much into our profit last year. What milicirff at vt ,nij -i sr litis .trtinonf KELTHANE AP. I've hrenrhrrking the of komt of the bis apple and xar growers around here. They all u.-e Ki.i.tiiask Al You should tee how clean lluir lrw are! Art yon mi it ni'H kill Mr m.i. uA l Dead sure, honey. Kklthane AP kills just aliout any mite thiit uttrk apples ami 'ars. Kuropean red, two-spottil. Mi'll.um-1, Willa mette, apple rust and clover. Its action lasts, too kills oil migrants ami new colonies. And it won't hurt nnte predator. i;V tl tit gt, ud Kt'tr ffiirl usi'ip U nnd stiiti u iih it. You read my mind as usual. I'm going in to pick up enough Kklthane AP to take care of our mite problems. F7 rUy ROHIV1 P HA&A! u uu Benson noted that "the existing program of rigid sup ports required strict production controls. But America did not become a great country by restricting production." Henry A. Wallace, former Democratic secretary of agri culture earlier had said: "My greatest fear is that farmers themselves may destroy the farm legislative machinery by asking It to do work for which It was never Intended." . . . Here's the Cash Market for Your Grain! A Premium Price for Your Premium Grains. faMJllWMWilUllLMUUlLtlilLMMBJ Harvest I OP I GRANGE CO Locally Owned Locally Controlled TRUCK HOIST FOR FAST UNLOADING We Pay CASH On Delivery s Grange co-or CENTRAL POINT Perhaps the farmers felt they had created a Franken stein and turned on the monster before the program could turn on them. Dutch Farmers Plan Folk Festival Program Bit J 1 .-"-Twatws i : Kutztown, Pa. - The Penn sylvania Dutch farmers are adding something basically new to Grange activities In America. Instead of exhibit ing the priie fruits of the field at community, county, and state fairs, grangers of Penn sylvania Dutrhland. aiming at a national audience, gather their farmstead heir looms from attic and outkitchen. from liarnloft and wagon shed for display in the Grange hall at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folk festival. The Pennsylvania Dutch Folk festival - the nation's largest folk event - will be held from June 29 through ! July 6, at Kutztown, Tenn., a small college town located midway between Reading and Allentown on Route 222. As part of daily folk panorama the men grangers will demonstrate the whole range of farm chores from rail-splitting and setting up the "snake" and "Irish" fence, greasing the wheels of a Co nestoga wagon with pine-tar extracted at the festival from yellow-pine knots, and water witching, to harnessing and hitching up a team of work horses, cradling and flailing grain, sheep - shearing, ami changing a blutiwogga into a ladder-wagon. The women grangers as their part in the panorama, will demonstrate the prepara tion of traditional Dutch foods and pass around samples to pageant guests. Among the dishes will be ponhaws - a type of scrapple - mush, and smearcase; seasonal cookies such as lepp-cakes, apces. and heifer-tongues: freshly churn ed butter and buttermilk; and stenner fresh "wanilla" and "tschawkalate" Ice-cream ' ; ins. -i '' E . i , " - ' t? ' V i v.. J - A I - i v-?h .'-til 37 Ash Street CENTRAL POINT Phone 664-1261 or 773-4022 421 A Street ASHLAND Phone 482-2143
