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