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VJ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1963
eteran Packets Reflect
On Fruit Processing Changes
Bv MARY ALICE BIIUSHA
The Rogue Valley's oldest in
dustry is the pear harvest, and
the multitude of workers em
ployed in this crop annually are
the packing house employees.
Some of the veteran workers are
still around and still working
Others are retired. Within the
thirteen local plants are found
packers who remember their
beginning days.
Clarence Pankcy,' now re
tired, spent 55 years in the pear
industry and started as a packer
at Central Point m 1908. He re-
calls the early days with a
chuckle.
"The weight of each box was
a flat 52 pounds. The packer
sorted, sized and packed the
fruit. After a packer had pack
ed 50 boxes he had to go home
for the day. Pankcy moved
from the packing bench that
paid four cents a box to the lid
ding job. He later went to work
for Raymond Reter where he
was employed as a packing fore
man. He was promoted to pack
ing superintendent, a job he
held until his retirement from
the Reter Fruit company several
years ago.
Walked To Work
Ray Reter said he first be
came involved with the pear
business when a lad of 16 years.
He walked to and from work un
til he could save enough money
to buy himself a bicycle. He
didn't have to dodge the cars
in those days, just the holes in
the graveled road, and had to
stay out of the way of wagon
teams and horses. The lady
packers were transported to and
Hit-'?'
... ' : ... "
"Apt-
r s Sk
Y" ' A
BULL EXPERIMENT Gene Brown, (far right), shows off his
bull calves. The experiment being conducted in Josephine county
indicates Dulls gain more rapidly
Wheat Program
Deadline Nearing
Time Is short for wlntor wheat
producers to consider how their
wheat plantings may affect their
participation in the 1054 feed
grain program, Chairman Albert
Straus of the Jackson County
Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation (County) commit
tee, rcminde:! growers today.
New 4-H Market
Prograi
im Set
For State Fair
Corvallis A new 4-H live
stock marketing program Is
planned for the 1013 Oregon
Slaie Fair in an effort to in
crease understanding of m a r
krt demand for meat a n I m als
among 4-H members, reports
Glenn Klein, Oregon State uni
versity state 4-11 extension agent
and former Jackson county 4-H
agent.
For the first time, 4-H mem
bers who sell Ihclr beef, sheep
or swine will have a chance to
see how the animal dresses out,
Klein said. All 4-H animals will
vbo sold to Mt. Angel Meat com
pany on the basis of live
grade. In the past, 4-11 animals
have been sold through t h e
North Portland livestock yards.
The animals will be taken to
Ml. Angel from the fairgrounds
Thursday, Sept. 5. On Saturday,
Sept. 7, 4-H members and oth
ers interested will go to Mt.
Angel to learn why their ani
mals graded out as they did. 1
Condiirllng Program
Conducting the evaluation pro
gram, starting at 10 a.m., will
be John Landers, OSU animal
srienco specialist, and Bert
Ebner, meat company owner.
They will use whole carcasses
as well as meat already cut up
to Illustrate how livestock is
graded after slaughter.
Using the finished product as
an example, the Saturday pro
gram Is designed to increase
the club member's knowledge
of livestock production and
marketing, Klein said. Such fac
tors as selecting the right ani
mal to feed and the Importance
of proper rations for best re
sults to suit market demands
will be stressed.
SLAUGHTER PLANTS
Salem Slaughter plant
coming under tha Oregon Da-
fiartment of Agriculture's meat
nspection program handled
more animals during the second
quarter of 1963 than during
eithrr the first quarter of 1963
or the second quarter of 1962.
from work either in wagons or
surreys.
Bob Root of the Myron Root
company, began his packing
career under the supervision of
Pankcy. It seems he was left
in the foot bin, size 195's, until
he learned how to pack. A week
before school started he was
moved up one bin to the ISO's.
Fannie Whitman, recalling
the pioneer days, said the pack
ing season was of longer dura
tion. It began in August, lasting
into January. The packer had
no paper needle to hold the
paper in place then. The loose
paper was placed on the left
side of the packer. For finger
stalls, the packer wore a rubber
band around her thumb. The
pack was different from the
pack to-day. The first layer was
packed in one direction and the
next layer reversed. The pack
ing hours were long. At five
cents a box her biggest day was
$5.50.
At Southern Oregon Sales
Mrs. Velma Singler, who was
employed for 35 years with
Southern Oregon Sales says she
believes the only two places In
the Dackins house she nasn t tit
led are at the dumping and lid
ding machines.
She clearly remembers the
first packing benches she used,
The benches were not movable,
When the packer moved up the
belt she had to pick up her box
and move onto the next Dencn.
The fruit was brought to the
packer on a wide belt, The
packer sized her own fruit for
packing.
Velma was employed for
wan (leers for the meat market.
Tho chairman said that manv
wheat farmers in the county are
also feed grain producers and
as a result are eligible to par
ticipate In the 1054 feed grain
program by diverting feed grain
acreago out of production.
Ite noted the drop in 1964
wheat prices as reflected by the
present wheat futures market.
currently, the judgment of the
market Is a July 1064 Kansas
City wheat futures price of
around $1.55 per bushel. This
price, adjusted to a farm level,
reflects a wheat price of about
$1.25 to $1.30 per bushel.
Under Heavy Pressure
A 1964 crop in excess of cur
rent disappearance of about 1.3
billion bushels for domestic and
export use will undoubtedly put
neavy aownwara pressure on
wheat prices, probably forcing
prices down to a feed price level
as ine supply seeks a consump,
tion outlet.
Chairman Straus pointed out
that tho 1004 feed grain program
has been designed to reduce pos
sible expansion of overall grain
acreage. The program provides
an effective guide for farmers
to follow in keeping their overall
crop acreages In 1964 reasonably
in line wnn expected needs.
Range Growth
Aided by Moth
C O r V a 1 lis Manas0ma.nl
plans are needed to take full
advantage of the possibilities
for range improvement being
offered by the sagebrush de
foliating moth now devastating
sage throughout much of East
ern Oregon, reports Dillard
Gates, Oregon State university
extension range management
specialist.
The moth (Aroaa Websterl) Is
working on an estimated six to
seven million acres of sagebrush
rangeland. Areas badly Infested
In 1962 show evidence of an al
most complete kill of sage, but
it is still too early to determine
the final effects, Gates said.
Older, stsgnated ssge stands ap
pear to be the most vulnerable.
However, he cautions, range
owners, managors and users
need to be ready to act to take
4 '
full advantage of the altuallon.jof all the packers from the plo-
which is much like having large
areas of the range chemically
treated to kill sagebrush.
Gates urges that where sage
has been killed, range managers
take a serious look at the pos
sibilities of seeding the area
with adapted forage species,
primarily crested whoatgrass.
t o
many years as an instructor at
the local packing school. She
thinks there have been some
2,200 students taught how to
pack at the school since it was
first started 25 years ago. Like
Pankcy, Velma has retired from
the industry, she says she en-
joyed every minute of it. Stu
dents In high school and cot
lege have been able to earn
money which enabled them to
help with the expenses of their
education. Young housewives
helped meet household needs
with their pay checks from the
pear harvest,
Florence Drake of Phoenix
said she learned to pack in an
orchard packing house minus
all the modern conveniences. In
1921 she was hired by the Bear
Creek Orchards and continued
to pack there for 27 years. She
says the sizing in those early
days was the problem. A pack'
er had to be almost an artist in
order to work. It was nothing
lo see several unfinished boxes
sitting around on the floor with
only one layer in the box. The
packer packed a few pears in
one then the other. Only the
exact size could be used In each
individual box because of the
weight required by the manage
ment, The spray dope was wiped
from the pears with the gloves
worn by the sorters. After
packing the gloves were wash
ed by the men and hung up to
dry for use again the following
day. The hours were long, 12
through the week, five on Satur
day, and during the peak of the
season all day Sunday.
At Rogue River
The present packing super
visor for the Rogue River Or
chards is Mrs. Jess (Vera) Cum
mings. She has been an em
ployee of the company for 23
years. Beginning as a packer,
she worked for Elmer Adams
who retired a few years ago.
She has never packed for any
other shipper, and la ol this date
the oldest employee. .
Lloyd Caton, the packing su
perintendent for the Myron
Root company began his em
ployment with the firm back in
1933 as a packer. In 1937 he
was hired on a permanent ba
sis. His promotion to superin
tendent soon followed. Once
there were three generations of
one family packing for the
company in the same season.
Nora Baker and Ethel Hocker
smith were two of the original
packers. Both have since re
tired from packing.
In 1938 the Myron Root com'
pany purchased a sizing ma
chine from the Food Machi
nery company. That machine is
still in use at the plant. Other
than the addition or new tubs
and a few minor repairs it is
the same,
The first sizing machine
brought to the valley was In
1917, It was set up lor the Par
sons and Barwell Fruit com
pany and was manufactured by
the Cutler Manufacturing com
pany of Portland. This parti
cular type of machine was de
vised for apples, and according
to Raymond Reter, It wasn't
successful in sizing pears. The
Cutler machine sited by
weight,
The first successful diver
gent slier was brought to the
valley in 1928 and was devised
by Floyd (Cookie) Cook.
Happy day for the packers-
no more picking, waiting for
me correct size. The only
worry after that was the
weight of the box after it was
packed.
Jim Semple, packing super
intendent for the Nye and Nau
mes company, was once a
packer himself. He began at
the Newberry company In
1938. A student in high school
at that time most of his earn
ings went towards his educa
tion. After a few years as
fruit Inspector for the state
,'lm was hired by the Nye and
Naumcs company. Jim be
lieves that Mrs. Dora Blan
ched, a packer, has been with
the firm longer than any of
the other employees.
However, the packing fore
man Manual (Red) Llebman of
that company, is one of the vet
eran packers of the valley
pear Industry.
Mrs. Mabel Penland, the
packing superintendent for the
Modoc orchards, la also a for
mer packer. However, she be
gan packing In California in
the apples and oranges In 1929.
For over 20 years she has been
with the firm. She Is also the
supervisor for the local pear
packing school. Marjorle Tear
son has the record tor the long'
est time In the packing opera'
lions at Modoc.
George Anderson, luperUv
tendent for the the Gorden
Green company said their vet-
eran packers are A. C. Puckett
and Mr. and Mrs. Harry
Rasmussen. The plant, for
merly known as Stagecoach
Orchards, la now In operation
In the old Modoc packing
house on Fir at.
This Is not a complete list
neer dayof the Industry,
only a few, but of the hundreds
of persons employed In the
pear harvest all tem to .hues
a certain project In mind. The
wages earned by the house
wives, high schnol and college
students are S(ent right here
in the valley. (
MEDFORD
s - fit'
i " 1 f lr ll
h fi mm
CORN INSPECTED Experimental crop of corn planted as part
of an irrigation and crop research project financed by Pacific
Power & Light and conducted by Oregon State university special
ists on the Glenn L. Jackson farm in Linn county was inspected
Tuesday by Dr. Dan Evans, left, OSU soils physicist, and Glenn
Jackson, Medford, owner of the farm east of Albany. Five-year
program seeks to learn ways of raising higher-value crops on
so-called "wet soils" of western Oregon, to add to agricultural
economy of Oregon.
NEW ROOTSTOCK The F12-1 rootstocK which are bacterial
canker tolerant and are being used to propagate new cherry
varieties are being grown behind the office of the Southern Ore
gon branch experiment station on Hanley rd. These were shown
to approximately 30 farmers and visitors touring the station last
week.
DHIA Shows Gains
In Milk Production
Dairy cows have been pro-1
ducing about three per cent
more milk, on the averago, than
they produced the year before
each year since 1950 according!
to Earle Jossy, county extension
agent.
Each year since 1950 dairy
cattle in the United States have
increased the amount of milk
produced per head by three por
cent. This amounts to a 36 per
cent increase in production por
cow in the 12-year period. The
number of cows kept for milk
has decreased each of those
years so the total milk pro-i
uced has increased only slightly
One reason for increased pro
ducing efficiency of individual
cows is the Increased use by
dairymen of the dairy herd im
provement records. Cows in
herds on the D.H.I.A. program
average well above the national
average for production of milk
and butterfat.
The Dairy Hord Improvement
association in Jackson County
Medford Area
Gets New Vet
Salem Three veterinarians
with the meat Inspection serv
ices of the Oregon Department
of Agriculture will shift their
locations.
Dr. Ernest Watkins, who has
been at Eugene and with the
department since Novemb e r,
1961, will go to Medford the
first of September to serve the
Southwest Oregon area former
ly served by Dr. Charles Lukor.
Dr. Luker resigned to take a
position with the screw worm
control program In Texas.
Filling the position at Eugene
will be Dr. W. R. Joneschild,
who joined the department in
April, 1962, and has been at Al
bany. The Albany post will go to
Dr. Richard H. Jurdin. He has
been working out of McMlnn
villa since joining the depart
ment In May. For the present
the McMlnnville position will re
main vacant, with the work done
by men out of the Salem office
and a temporary employer.
MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
is made up of a group of dairy
farmers who bond together to
hire and pay a man to weigh
the milk from their cows once
each month. Each cow's milk
is tested for butterfat content
and a record of production pro
vided for the herd owner.
Record Valuable
This record is valuable. It
points out the low producing
cows which may be eliminated
from the herd. It points out the
high producing cows and fami
lies of cows from which replace
ment heifers can be kept. It is
useful in determining an effi
cient feeding program. It also
tells the dairyman how his herd
compares with the other herds
in tho area.
Twenty-two herds are active
in the Jarkson County associa
tion. In June 1399 cow records
were prepared. The Jackson
County association was one of
the first in Oregon to have all
records processed on IBM cal
culators. This service is avail
able through Washington State
university and provides a very
complete and accurate record.
Agate Dairy of Central Point
has the honor of being the top
producing herd for June, the
average production per cow be
ing 1554 lbs. of milk and 54 lbs.
of butterfat for the thirty day
period. Following In order of
production for June are herds
owned by Jake Vander Stoel,
Jackson ville; John O'Brien,
Jacksonville; Edgeoaks Dairy,
Eagle Point; and Bob Burk.
Eagle Point.
The top row fr the month
produced 16.551 Iks. of milk and
563 lbs. of butterM in 305 days.
She Is ownc y Don Gercn.
Eagle Point.
STOCKMEN
FEED PELLETS
Your coarse or unpalatable
roughage will make bast
tor a modern balanced ration
that you can (tad with little
labor and no wastage. Tht
incraaitd meal or milk pro
duced will girt you mail
mum mums on small cash
Investment.
MORTON
MIUINO CO.
S00 Rstt lane, Medford
Dairy Foods
Drop in 1962;
Cheese Up
Salem Oregon plants man
ufacturing dairy products used
less whole milk in 1962 than in
1961 but nationwide there was a
slight increase in the amount of
whole milk used in manufac
tured dairy products.
Totals supplied the Oregon de
partment of agriculture by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
showed an estimated 64 billion
pounds of milk used nationally
in manufacturing dairy prod
ucts. This was an increase of
one per cent above 1961.
Oregon's 491,616.000 pounds of
milk used were three per cent
below the 1961 use.
In Oregon the butter plants
used 44 per cent of the total
manufacturing milk and Amer
ican cheese plants 33 per cent.
Other manufactured dairy prod
ucts used the remainder.
Butter Drops
Oregon butter production in
1962 dropped seven per cent be
low 1961 and cheese production
that year showed a two per cent
decline from the previous year.
On the other hand ice cream
production was two per cent
above the 1961 figure.
Total buttre production for Or
egon in 1962 was 11,546,000
pounds, compared with 12,423,
000 in 1961. The 1962 figure for
cheese production was 20,008,000
pounds, while the previous year
it was 20,320,000 pounds. Ice
cream production reached the
5,679,000 gallon mark in 1962.
Nationally the production of
Italian cheese, cream cheese
and other than Cheddar types of
whole milk American cheese
was at a record high in 1962.
Also topping all previous rec
ords in 1962 were creamed cot
tage cheese, ice milk, Mcllorine
type frozen desserts, nonfat dry
milk for human food, dry whey
and plain condensed skimmed
milk.
OREGONIAN NAMED
Salem Paul Rowell, chief
of the Agricultural Development
Division of the Oregon Depart
ment of Agriculture, has been
appointed chairman of a three
man task force to make a study
of marketing and transportation
matters that might need the at
tention of the Western Associa
tion of State Departments of
Agriculture.
(Gimimg (CdD(Dip
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SHARES CANDY Julienne Essen, 3, shares ter Oaks, Calif., and a Los Angeles county
her candy with a yearling from her father s fair exhibitor, holds the animal. (UPI)
Hereford ranch. Her dad, Jene Essen of Char-
Care of Berries
Follows Harvest
By DON BERRY
County Agent
Care and training of trailing
berries such as boysenberries,
blackberries and loganberries
should be continued even after
harvest.
Training the canes during Au
gust will give a six to eight
week period for the new canes
to "harden off" on the wires be
fore cold weather occurs. Al
though canes which are on the
ground are not as exposed and
therefore are less subject to
winter injury than the canes put
up on the wires many growers
prefer to put the canes up after
harvest.
Cleaning out all of the old
canes and burning them will
help to reduce the amount of
leaf and cane spot disease in the
field next year. Canes which
have been put up on the wires
in the fall may be sprayed with
a bordeaux or fixed copper
spray in the fall to help prevent
disease. Also, chemical weed
control is easier to apply on
canes which are already on
wires.
Washington ( UPI ) Moham
med Zahir Shah, ruler of Af
ghanistan, arrives in the United
States Wednesday on a 12-day
gct-acquainlcd visit to promote
friendship for his mountain kingdom.
GRANGE 14
5Jt CENTRAL POINT jMW
dnirapge
-iimf(J
f Y'l IS
Negro Student, White Man Wed
New York (UPI) The first
Negro girl admitted to the Uni
versity of Georgia married a
white Southern student at the
university last spring, it was
disclosed today.
Charlayne Hunter, whose ar
rival on the Georgia camplus
two years ago touched off riot
ing, was reported to have se
cretly wed Walter Stovall, son
of a Douglas, Ga., mill ex
ecutive. The couple expect a baby in
December, according to the
New York Times, which pub
lished an interview with them
today.
Miss Hunter, 21, and her "5-year-old
husband are living in
a one-room apartment in Green
wich Village. A journalism ma
jor at the university, she moved
to New York after graduation
and became an editorial assis
THIBENZOLE DRENCH
Sheep and Goaf Wormer
NOW AT NEW LOW PRICES
Pre- fob
Was paid Port'd
Plairic Pack (drenches 33 ewes) per pack 6.35 5.00 4.35
Container 19 packs! per container 50.00 38.95 38.00
Case ot 4 Containers per container 49.00 37.54 37.00
LAPGs STOCK IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
(Containers may be used for mixing drench)
PACIFIC WOOL GROWERS
734 N.W. 14th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97209 CA 7-2631
REMEMBER . . .
You don't have to be a MEMBER
to trade here and SAVE.
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421 A Street
ASHLAND
Phone 482-2143
11 Jo
tant on the New Yorker maga
zine. Stovall worked for the At
1 lanta Journal during the sum
I mer, and arrived in New York
j Friday.
"This is the end of the
world, waiter quotea nis la
ther George Stovall, as saying
when he learned of the mar
riage. In Atlanta, Mrs. Althea Hun
ter, Charlayne's mother, con
firmed her daughter was mar
ried but gave no details.
WOULD BAR MARTELLI
London (UPI) Britain an
nounced Monday night it has
asked the European Atomic
Agency not to renew the em
ployment of Italian scientist Dr.
Giuseppe Martelli, who was
tried and found innocent of
charges of preparing to spy for
Russia.
(