25 Percent of Local
Farms Changed Hands
In Past Two Years
Farmers could keep their land
in the family, through father-son
business agreements and at the
same time help stabilize Alaska’s
farm population, Agricultural
Economist Hugh A. Johnson said
in a new bulletin now available
in the local Extension Service of
fice.
More than 25 percent‘ of full
time farms in the Matanuska Val
ley have changed hands during
the past two years, Johnson said.
In the bulletin, the economist out
lines ways this can be avoided
and how workable business agree
ments can be developed. t
Johnson is head of the Depart
ment of Agricultural Economics
at the University of Alaska which
cooperates with the Agricultural
Extenson Service and the U. S.
Department of Agriculture. His
bulletin is titled, “Family Farm
Agreements for Alaska," and is
available without charge to per
sons interested in this problem.
Grade 7-A High
On Honor Roll
Forty-nine Palmer students
made the honor roll for the fifth,
six-week period ending April 3.
The senior class, with seven out
of 26 earning the required grades,
led with the highest percentage
inthe Senior High School. Junior
High School grade 7-a was high,
with 11 out of 31 students mak
ing the honor roll.
Students whose names appear
ed on the roll are as follows:
Grade 7-a: Jeanne Brunner, Ruth
Henry, Dorothv Lentz. Sally
Reed, Leanne Westgate, Betty Jo
Wilson, James Fogg, Johnny
Maze, Colin Mick, Bert Verrall
and William Wimmer. Grade 7-b:
Sharon Schoming, Bradley Inman
and Ronald Shook. Grade 8-a:
Derain Curtis and Jerry McKech
nie. Grade 8-b: Rosann Branton,
Stephan Colberg and Larry Trow->
bridge.
Grade 9-a: Judiv Bryant, Nor
man Staden and Jerene Stephan.
Grade 9-b: Marie Bennett, Carol
Berry, Barbara Hudgins and
Jennetta Lindsey. Grade 10-a:
Jear. Burke, Carol Colberg, Carol
Wood. D°vid McKenzie and Tom
.Yerbic. Grade 10-b: Howard Es
snrlger, Jane Kneff and Carl Zab
orac.
G.ade 11-a: Dorothy Hoffman,
Ralph Kircher, Bennie Ross and
Neola Sandvik. Grade 11-b: Sher
ri Ball. Janice Barry, Donna Har
ris and Alma Roark. Grade 12:
Mary Colberg, Margaret Cope,
Dick Geiwitz Robert Hartman,
Gerry Kindgren, Mary Ada Lee
and Mary Ann Mears.
BOYS' CLUB
TO PLAN HIKE
St. John Berchman boys’ club
of St. Michaels’ Catholic Church
will meet in the church basement
Saturday afternoon, April 25 at
CONSERVATION
NOTES
By Lew E. Hanks
We have a bad example of
water erosion starting in the Val
ley.
The spring runoff is causing the
formation of a bad gully at the
east end of the airport runway,
where drainage ditches end at
the river bank with no provision
to get the water down the hill.
As a conequence a gully has
formed over 100 feet long and 30
to 50 feet wide; deep enough to
bury a house, in places. It’s some
thing to see.. It also is going to
get bigger, wider and deeper un
less it is stopped. It’s going to
cost some money to stop it. It
will eventually cost us several
hundred feet of runway if it isn’t
stopped.
A gully such as this can only be
cured by sloping it back, making
provision to carry the water to
the bottom and covering the raw
slopes with trees and grass. That
is going to take some time and
materials. It can’t be done by
dumping a bunch of junk in it.
That has been tried too often be
fore with dismal results.
We have been fortunate here, in
that water erosion is not too much
of a problem. I’ve seen thousands
of acres devastated in places in
the tates by gullies. The threat
is always with us though. All it
takes is a loose top soil, a careless
dug drainage ditch and the dam
age is started.
Our wind erosion damage is
not as spectacular as gullies are
threat to our farmland. Erosion
but it also is an ever present
is an enemy always to step for
ward. We’ve always got to watch
it.
12:30 p.m. Plans will be made for
a hike sometime during the
month of May.
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Prints or Plains
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Palmer
Airmen See
Aviation Film
Several persons interested in
flying and members of the Matan
uska Airmen Association attend
ed the club’s regular meeting
held April 16 in the Co-Op club
room. Representatives of the CAA
were present and showed a film
on flying.
Anyone interested in joining
the association is invited to at
tend a meeting or contact a
member. Requirements include
an airman’s certificate. Any who
do not hold a certificate who
wish to join may do so by re
questing a certificate and passing
physical examination.
All members of the association
are eligible to jo.n the flying club
recently organized by the associa
tion. The club has purchased a
plane and members have worked
the past few days readying it for
flight. Members said this week
they expect to have the painting
done and the plane in the air by
the end of the week. One instruc
tor has been assured for the mem
bership with a good possibility of
additional instructors. Only mem
bers of the flying club, which re
cently filed incorporation papers,
will be eligible to use the club
plane. Members announced that
if the membership is large
enough, another plane will be
purchased during the summer.
PALMER OES FETED
AT ANCHORAGE
Several local members of the
Order of Eastern Star were
guests of the Anchorage chapter
at a potluck dinner held April
20, in the First Presbyterian
Church in Anchorage.
The dinner was followed by an
innitation program presented by
the Palmer Chapter.
PALMER CHOSEN FOR
1954 AGRICULTURAL
EXTENSION CONFERENCE
Palmer will be host for the 1954
Agricultural Extension service
conference, Marylou Rideout, dis
trict home demonstration agent
said after her return from the
University of Alaska where this
year’s conference was held March
24 through 27.
Among guest speakers at the
conference were Dale Belcher of
the Alaska Native Service, Jun
eau; Many Zaghaib, University
Dean of Women; Mrs. Dorothy
Jean Thompspn. anthropologist of
Fairbanks; John Baker, Univer
sity Instructor of radio and public
speaking; Jim Douthit Fairbanks
Daily News-Miner photographer,
and June Sproul, second Alaskan
International Farm Youth Ex
change delegate.
J. W. Scheel of the Oregon
State Extension Service led dis
cussion groups about extension
policies and techniques as well as
giving several talks.
Presiding were Dr. Allan Mick,
Dean of Agriculture and Director
of Extension; Lynn O. Hollist, As
sociate Director of Extension and
Mrs. Lydia Fohn-Hansen, Home
Demonstration Leader. .
Agricultural and farm housing
problems of the territory were
discussed by district agents with
men from the Alaska Agricultur
al Experiment Station .some of
whom also serve as Extension
specialists, including Richard An
drews, C. Ivan Branton, Harlow
Hodgson, Wiliam Sweetman and
Richard Washburn. District agri
cultural agents attending the con
ference included Richard Blue
of Palmer. Also attending was
Home demonstration Agent,
Marylou Rideout.
Complete Plans for
Breeding Ground Survey
Plans for the annual water
fowl breeding ground surveys to
be conducted in Alaska, United
States and Canada this spring and
summer by the Fish and Wildlife
Service in cooperation with the
Canadian Wildlife Service, Pro
vincial Wildlife workers, State
fish and game departments,
Ducks Unlimited and the Wild
life Management Institute were
announced this week by Secre
tary of Interior Douglas McKay.
Plans call for collection of in
formation that will serve as a
basis for Canadian and U. S. of
icials in the drafting of appropri
ate regulations for the 1953-54
season.
Because full coverage of the
continent’s vast breeding grounds
is not practical, the Service and
agencies will use sampling meth
ods statistically designed to bring
ORDER YOUR JEWELRY
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JEWELRY REPAIRS
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We Make
JEWELRY REPAIRING
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forth the information needed.
Aerial and ground surveys are
planned. As large a sample as
possible of young waterfowl will
be banded during the breeding
season in order that returns lat
er on may indicate hunting pres
sures, mortality rates and the dis
tribution of birds to the several
flyways.
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS
TREASURE CHEST
GIBSONS BABY BOOKS
to record those precious
memories
Hand Knitted
SOAKERS. BOOTIES AND
MITTENS.
TERRY CLOTH BIBS, and
CLOTH BOOKS
An Interesting Shop in Which
To Browse
COME
AND BRING YOUR
Musical Instrument
TO YOUR
YOUTH FOR CHRIST
RALLY
Saturday, April 25
AT THE
Church of God
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