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