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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1958)
SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 1958 HERALD AND NEWS, KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON PAGE 5 D County Agfent Reports Farm News Briefed From The County Agent Iladio Programs By RAY 0. PETERSON Although grass is plentiful on most ranches this season, most stockmen are usually looking for ways ot improving or increasing their pasture production. Most stockmen have dry range land that could grow two to four times as much grass as it now produces. There are several ways of get ting more grass: Buy more land, plow and seed to alfalfa-grass mixtures; burn brush and reseed spray sage brush; plow land and. grow rye hay for one or two years and reseed to alfalfa and grass, or just burn brush. A few weeks ago the possibili ties of spraying brush were dis cussed in this column. Some other methods will be discussed in this article, but first-how about the value of range improvement. E. R. Jackman, Oregon State College range specialist, has made some careful studies of the different methods mentioned and has esti mated the amount of extra feed that could be secured by the ex penditure of $1,000 for each of these approaches. If a stockman used $1,000 to buy additional land (if he could get it), he would have an extra 14 ton of dry feed equivalent per year. The same amount spent for plowing and re seeding the land already owned would bring in 20 ton of extra feed, burning and resceding 62 more tons, spraying 67; plowing and growing rye hay for two years, 75 tons and for burning only 250 extra tons of feed. In " other words the same money spent for improving range lands will bring more feed per year than it spent for additional land It would, of course, require a large acreage of burned over sage brush land to get the extra grass shown above. The figures are based On a cost of 50 cents per acre for burning: There are risks burning that must be consid ered in adopting this method of range improvement. Each year there are accidental burns that should be taken advantage of by either proper management or re- seedmg. A burn will leave me most ideal seedbed for resceding with a drill. No further soil prep aration is necessary. Resceding dry land with nomad alfalfa and crested, intermediate, pubescent or whitmare wheat grasses has proven that forage pro duction can be increased greatly in this area. Glenn Dehlinger, Lester Porterfield and Lee Ilolli day have sccdings established sev eral years ago that demonstrate the improvement that can be se cured by resceding these lands in this way. Nomad alfalfa is a creeping type of plant that spreads some what like a strawberry plant. "It stands heavy pasturing because the stems run underground ana develop roots that will start new plants if cut oil from uie original plant. This alfalfa was first discovered on a ranch between Worden and Keno and is now being used for range improvement over all the western states. We have a new bulletin on range improvement in the county agent's office that is available to anyone interested. Osjddooh yiotsA lit THE BRUSH RABBIT - , ON PALOS VERDES In the early 1920s, the Palos Verdes Hills of Los Angeles County were an open expanse of rolling terrain. Very little grass and still less brush covered their Bareness The occasional wild rains following long dry periods cut sharp ravines down the slopes. Sparse growth of scrubby sagebrush made its. last stand on the sides oi we guuies. Wildlife was limited by the un favorable habitat. The common ground squirrel and tiny brush rabbit consliiuiea most oi me ani mal life present. I was sitting, one warm day, nn tint edee of one of the ravines. It was not more than 25 feet deep and was dotted by scattered sage on its slopes. Its bottom was cut by a dry creek bed which formed sharp sides not more than .ioM inrhes deeD. It was certainly an unfavorable looking area for even such a small creature as the .brush rabbit to how out. Pmm the slones bevond the ra vine, a rabbit hunter, weighted ilh a twelve gauge shot gun, camy my way. As he neared the edge, 'a small rabbit darted from in front of him and into the shelter of the ravine. - I exDectcd to hear the explosion of the big 12 gauge and to see pieces of "fur" and flesh fly apart! But the little fellow reached the wash at the bottom and displayed the native cunning that keeps his rnr jilivp. My position was unknown to the rabbit. His full attention was on eluding the hunter who had taken a position, gun ready, on the very edge opposite mc. Perhaps 40 feet down the ravine, the small fellow rimnnvd into the creek wash and, hugging closely the side next the hunter, began a slow sneak up stream until directly below him. At this point, he crawled out of the creek bed and went directly p the slope. A few short yards separated him from sudden deala, I sat in amazement as the drama unfolded. Ten feet below the poised gun a small sagebrush grew and at its base a hole showed. This was the little fellow's goal, and into it he slipped with a flick of his round, white tail. Prom mv nosition every move of both hunter and hunted was plain lv visible. It seemed such an end ing was not possible, but such arc the ways ot nature. Oil And Chemicals Slow Fly Breeding Thp mixture of dieset oil and cresvlic aeid will inhibit fly breed me for one ween, inis is oaseu on tests made in the San Gabriel Valley . . . according to Los An geles County Farm Adviser E. E, Shpnhnrd. , The mixture used for the test was one gallon of cresylic acid to 14 gallons of diesel oil. The total cost of the mixture was $2.51. It was applied to the dropping area nt Mr. birds and reduced the fly larvae count to nothing in five days. After eight days, however, larvae began developing again. 'ill V t$St r vs. HAPPENS EVERY SPRING BOISE, Idaho Ifl Warden L. E. Clapp says the population . of the Idaho State Penitentiary shows a marked decline every spring and summer. The reason, he explains, is that paroles are only given to prisoners when they have an outside job waiting for them and more jobs are available in the spring and summer monins. Job - Rated DODGE - Power House Farm TRUCKS Cunningham & Rickey Motors - So. 7th & Commercial SEEDS AND ALU Gregg Cubbage, 1 1 -year-old water-' melon eater of Leesburgh, Florida, took first place in the watermelon eating contest there. Gregg put away the 35 pound watermelon in two minutes flat. He said if ne hadn't eaten lunch he'd have done even better. Summer Hearing Planned For Spud Grade Discussion ANATOMICAL SECRETARIES GREEN BAY, Wis. 11 To help case the burden of secretaries working in local industrial plants, the vocational scnool iniuaieo a series of 20 lectures on anatomy and related vocabulary to help them prepare insurance claims for illness and accident reports. OCEAN-LOVING FRUIT Lemon-producing districts gen erally are one to 40 miles away from an ocean since lemons do not thrive in inland desert regions, ac cording to the kncyulopedia un tannic. The Oregon Department of Ag riculture will call a hearing later this summer to consider bringing state potato grades in line with the newly announced revisions in federal grades. - At the same time, according to Plant Division Chief Frank ,Mc Kennon, the department hopes to cover revisions in standards lor fruits, including prunes, now com ing under federal cbanges. The federal revisions on potato standards will become effective July 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced. A release from Washington gives these details of the federal Chang For U.S. No. 1, U.S. Commer cial and U.S. No. 2 grades the revisions consist in modifying def initions of damage and serious damage by certain factors The U.S. Extra No. 1 grade is dropped and this grade and the former U.S. fancy grade will no longer exist. The revised federal standards provide for a new U.S. fancy grade which is similar to the former U.S. Extra No. 1 grade except for these differences: Higher requirements lor ma turity, shane and cleanness. 2. An increase in tne minimum diameter from one and seven eighths to two inches, unless oth erwise siiecified. 3. A change from the tolerance of six per cent lor external de fects and five ner cent for inter nal defects to a total tolerance ot fiveper cent for both internal and external detects. 4. A reduction in the restricted tolerance for southern bacterial wilt, ring rot or late blight from three Der cent to two per cent, also a reduclion in the tolerance for soft rot, wet breakdown, or frozen potatoes from one per cent to one ha f of one per cent. Other federal changes in the standards include switching the Size B classification from a range of one and one half to two inches to a range of one and one half to two and one quarter inches ana adding a Size C classification with range- of from one to one and one half inches. The tolerance for oversize is reduced from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. The scoring of defects in all grades will be based solely upon the extent to which the individual potato is affected. The federal standards no longer provide for considering the general appearance of the potatoes in the lot in de termining damage. The revised federal standards are significant to Oregon's large com mercial potato industry because Oregon standards have tradition ally conformed to tne federal ones. CEDAR CLOSET NOT COSTLY Anv homeowner can enjoy the advantages of a moth-safe cedar closet at less than the cost of re placing one good suit. Aromatic red cedar closet lining, available at lumber dealers, can be applied richt over the walls, ceiling, floor and door of any existing closet Five or six bundles, each covering about 32 square feet, are sufficient for the average closet. Currin's to Headquarters For Veterinarian . Supplies and Medicines Everything for Animal Health! CURRIN'S for Drugs Ph. TU 2-3475 9th ft Male Hum sMpnn ? Willi 14 UVf sj Authorized parts, sales and service for all 'Jeep' vehicles BASIN MOTORS 424 So. 6th TU 4-7778 JB FITTINGS rHEJ Wl HAVi TH1M VpA ALL CI STOCK J-J (uffiV BLACK AND GALVANIZEDlg; VVLI ,MMED,ATE DELIVERY g. (& f?4 f) ' 'sssimwattiiit mifMONi i.i4jr KUM A I H f A 11$, Oil 0 JL
