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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1957)
PAGE FOUR HERALD AND NEWS, KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1957 County Agfent Reports Farm News BHefed From The County Agent Iladio Programs By J. D. VERTREES The year 1957 will be remem bered as Ihe "mouse year" in the Klamath Basin. During this full, mouse damage and resulting crop loss has been greater than many old-timers can remember for many years. Damage from loss of stands in alfalfa, clover, and pastures in the Basin will be large this winter. There will be loss in potato stor age in cellars, and grain in farm storage. These losses will occur if the mouse population is not re duced by disease, winter kill, bait ing programs, and predators. Potato "losses are already esti mated at an extreme of SO per cent in one or two cases, to be tween five and 10 per cent in many fields. Some degree of loss exists in about every field in the potato area. ' Grain losses occurred in many fields with clover damage also widespread. ' As winter approaches, mice are moving into potato cellars and hay stacks. These mice will work in these shelters all winter unless controlled. Damage can occur in farm grain storage, also. The meadow mouse, the main culprit in this area, has from 5 to 8 lilters per year. Each litter contains from four to 10 mice. These newborn mice mature in about six weeks and arc also pro ducing young. The offspring from one pair of mice will run into the thousands in one year's time if no controlling factors are present. Winter usually doesn't slow mouse activity much. Under a good protective cover of snow, mice will do great damage. In alfalfa, clover, and pastures, mice eat off the crowns and down the tap roots, killing large areas in fields. In the winter of 1B49-50. serious losses occurred in Fort Klamath pastures, from this cause. Nature occasionally builds up an "explosion" of a species, as has occurred with the mice. When this happens, it is often followed close ly with a natural control. Disease, weather conditions, and predators can be expected to greatly reduce this outbreak. Baiting still remains the best practice to be used by farm folks. Oat groats treated with strych nine remains the popular old standby. Good control follows proper use of this baiL Another bait, advocated by the Federal j Fish and Wildlife Service, is zinc phosphide. This poison is distri buted on wneat. Bom Dans are ef fective when used properly. Tn nncir1niillfy rmr frtnt ftf kill compared to cost; safety to appli cator, saieiy 10 game uirus anu domestic animals; and effective nncs in vstriniiK situations: Doison nr',in hnile am ctill the most de pendable, several cnemicais nave been tried by air ana grouna ap plication. Results have varied. Ef fect on wildlife has been ques tioned. Poison grain bait should be ap plied in cellars before storing po tatoes. Serious losses will be pre vented. Similar baiting around granaries and hay storage is rec ommended. C,...rt AuirlAnfa chrtWC that Soil sulphur application to clover and alfalfa fields will chase the mice out of the area. Concentrated bait nn than ha Hnne nt field edge. Sulphur will probably help the aitaiia a lot, wo. Chick And Poult Disease Studied The newest developments in the fight against chronic respiratory disease in chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys were discussed at a recent meeting of represent atives of a number of states' co operating with the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture in a coordinat ed research program for the in vestigation of these diseases. Closely controlled experiments by members of this group of research workers, indicate that .the practice of injecting laying hens with anti biotics to produce non-infected chicks is not a sure-fire method of - V -, i . i .f .1 U . A, THREE OF A KIND. Something to be proud of are these triplet heifer calves: Faith, Hope and Charity, shown with their owner Raymond Palmer of Flemington, Missouri. The calves, now seven months old, are an animal rarity. Author ities point out that triplet heifers occur once in 832,000 cattle births and that for all three to survive is even rarer. ALL-STAR RULES Under rules governing the selec tion of players for the All-star squads, every major league base ball club must be represented by at least one man. The eight play ers voted by the fans (exclusive of the pitchers) must play at least three innings unless forced out by injuries. Queen Victoria gave" birth to nine children. State Expands Meat Program controlling the spread of the chron ic respiratory disease. In a number of trials, treated hens produced infected chicks, and non-treated hens produced healthy chicks. Keeping chicks in small num bers and segregation helped pro duce disease-free flocks, the tests showed. Tests by the group showed that only by the use of large quan tities of drugs can the disease producing bacteria in affected birds be reduced. Hypodermic injection appears to be a more effective method of treatment than the use of medicated Jeed or water. In vestigations are continuing on dos ages and methods of administer ing antibiotics in the treatment of affected individual birds and af fected flocks. An experimental, rapid blood test The new full-time meat inspec tion Drouram is now operating in slaughter plants in Lane and Doug las counties, the State Department of Agriculture reports. Sausage kitchens not connected with slaugh ter establishments will be entered as soon as possible. This is Ihe second area in which operations have been set up. In spectors are at work in four plants in Douglas and five in Lane. Two additional plants are candidates for exemption under the complete cus tom kill rules and a third is not operating at this time. Two veterinary meat inspectors. Dr. R. L. Burnett and Dr. Ray Mast, and six lay inspectors from the pilot crew are in these two counties to assist in getting the program started and in training new appointees. Dr. G. F. Reid, formerly in prac tice at Albany, has joined the state staff and is stationed at Eugene temporarily. Three practitioners from Douglas Counly will be as- for the diagnosis of chronic res piratory disease produced promis ing results, but more research is needed to develop improved or new testing techniques. The blood test determines the status of pleuro-pneumonia-like organisms. These organisms have been identified as the cause of chron;c respiratory disease by researchers in the federal-state coordinated program and certain other scientists interested i the problem. Ford Trucks Last Longer on the FARM See your Farm Truck Headquarters BALSIGER MOTOR CO. Mela l bp. Ph. TU 4-1121 signed later to plants near their homes, according to Dr. Rolla C. Sexauer, assistant state veterinar ian in charge of field operations. New lay inspectors assigned to the Lane-Douglas area are Garold Cone. Roseburg; Charles Doane, Carl Barnes, Claude Crandall and Ivan MeKibbins, Eugene. The three latter lived in Salem ociore joining the inspection staff. j The two veterinary anu six jay inspectors of the pilot crew will ...A nn attar tho nrndraiil is Well established in this area. They are used as the training cadre in each area; when the program is in oper ation statewide they will draw per manent assignments. Areas soon to oe entered, oepari- m.nl nffirinlc nnw nl:in. will be the Linn-Benton district and the northwestern Oregon coastal dis trict. Under the program, all animals arA incnrrtpH hpfnre And after slaughter to determine wholesome ness for human consumption. TESTING TOUCHSTONE A touchstone is an ancient de vice for testing metals, especially precious ones. It is a black stone on which a metal, such as gold, can be rubbed, leaving a streak. The color of this streak will in dicate the amount of other metal alloyed with the gold. Currin's ML. Headquarters For Veterinarian Supplies and Medicines Everything lor Animal Health! CURRIN'S for Druas Ph. TU 2-347S?th ft Main 9 If PARISIAN MARKETING PROBLEM. Pondering the mass of humanity buying and selling in. Paris' famed market place of "Les Halles" is French economist Daniel Barrere. French farmers have great difficulty getting their produce through the maie of traffic to the market and even though it is a popular sight for tourists Barrere thinks that it should be moved to one of the outlying districts. WE HAVE A COMPLETE LINE OF 5 5 lab r ij Simplof Soilbuilders Ph. TU 2-1438, K. Falls Ph. 607 - Molin Want Ad Placed By Police Traps Boy Extortionist , ll.iUy. NrrJ SMf. Pfl.f FOI1H . A 14-year-old Barber ton, O., clulboy's plot to extort J500,- 0()0 Irom movie star Roy Rop ers was foiled when police fol lowed the young blackmailer's irmrut lions to place a coded ! Classified Ad in the Akron Beacon Journal, caught him as (ike ransom pa merit j delivered. 9-29 7fmKS, u.S. Mf, Here In The Klamath Basin Want Ads Work Wonders hn. HERALD & NEWS
