m. 10
Palmer, Alaska
September 18, 1947 Ho.33
niRimusKA produce on
DISPLAY 111 SEATTLE
The following letter was received by the
Katanuska Valley Farmers’ Cooperating
Association this week.
Gentlemen:
I was happily surprised and tremendously
pleased to have the pleasure of seeing the
gorgeous window display at Frederick and
Kelsons in Seattle last week end.
I trust someone photographed and has fur
nished you with a picture of the window
display, showing the prize-winning agri
cultural products of our ever famous
If atanuska Valley.
Frederick and Nelsons should be voted a
"thank you" for their time anS spac<^ in
making this display available in Seattle
as it is publicity which money cannot b^iy.
file above expression for your information.
Sincerely,
C.D. Anderson
Mr. Anderson is a Nome Representative in
the Alaska Territorial Legislature.
The I!atanu3ka Valley Cooperating Associa
tion does not take the Credit for sending
this display to Seattle; hut no have been
informed that Art Marfeh, Manager of the
Matanuska Valley Fair, sent this display
to Seattle.
CO-OP nOTES
TIT I TAT MARKET asks .-.that all those rho
have meat stored in the Co-op lockers,
kindly come'in and tag or label the same
immediately. After October 1’, all meat nil
be inventoried as'Co-op'meat.
W.W. Beck, Butcher
POTATO FRICES
According to the S eattle Jobbers Frice
List, re leam that Yakima Gem Fotato
prices have increased 10{£ a hundred each
reck recently. This should indicate'high
er prices later in the season. Prices are
dom at the present time due to outside
potato shipments and the number of local
peddlers in the market.
( V - j + ^ p-r •-> . p * m
TERM WHITE QimmED
SOiL COnSERVfiTIOTI PLflflS
TO CHflfRBER QF COOIfllERCE
The Matanuska Valley Chamber of Commerce
entertained as guest speaker at Nodn
Luncheon on Wednesday of this week, Mr.
Terry Uhite, from the Northwest Regional
Soil Conservation Office; Mr. TJhite is
an "old'timer” in Alaska, having worked
with Mr. M.D. Snodgrass in the Experiment
Station at Fairbanks and again at Kodiak.
In 1925 he came to the Matanuska Valley
and was with the Experiment Station here
for awhile.
Twenty-six persons listened to Mr. Uhite
briefly outline the need for Soil Conser
vation throughout the nation and point
out the tentative plans for Soil Conser
vation in Alaska, Mr. Vhito pointed out
the wasteful use of la nd in the United
States when land was plentiful. Farmers
wore out one piece of land, abandoned it
and moved farther west to new land. This
practice has 'gone on for hundreds of
years until the situation became so ser
ious that'the government became greatly
concerned. The Agricultural Department
began research work and proved that the
soil would not woar out if properly used.
Once this knowledge was gained the wrob
lem of stabilizing soil fertility has
been attacked by the department and is
a major problem today.
Mr. frhito explained the techniques em
ployed by the Soil Conservation program
sot up by the Agriculture Department.
The first step was obviously to improve
tho methods of faming and to do this
the government must work frith tho farmers.
Reading matter could easily be distri
buted, but is far from a satisfactory
method of reaching everyone. On the
1 other hand close contact with individual
farmers is also a big task. This problem
is being solved by getting farmers to
form their own groups for the purpose of
finding'their own problems. After: ^his
is done, Soil Conservation Agents can
work with the farmers through represent
atives selected by these groups. States
have legalized those groups, and Alaska
now has a Soil Conservation law.
The first step taken in this program is
to.make an inventory of the soilr needs