Farm Forum—
(Continued from page 1)
Recent fertilizer developments in
the Pacific Northwest oil centers
have reduced fertilizer costs to
Alaskan farmers bf $15 a ton.
When you have a fertilizer indus
try of your own production costs
will go down as your marketing
opportunities go up.”
'‘Pasture, Forage, apd Cereal
Production and Management", a
panel discussion with Grayson
Murphy, district agricultural
agent as chairman, was occupied
with technical problems. Panelists
included Don Breedon and I. M.
C. Anderson of Anchorage, and
Leonard Moffitt and Robert Webb
of Palmer.
Mrs. Joe Kendler, Sr., pioneer
farm homemaker of Juneau pre
sided over a second panel, ‘'Better
Farm Living”. Material on green
houses, landscaping with native
plants, food preservation, and in
terior decoration was presented.
“Farmers are proving every
year,” stated Mrs. Lydia Fohn
Hansen, associate director for
home demonstranon worK, mat
a good living is possible on Al
askan farms. It is up to farm
wives to make it a good life.”
“Dairy and Beef Production",
a morning panel discussion,
brought dairymen, beef ranchers,
creamery operators, meat distrib
ution and marketing people to
gether. Led by I. M. C. Anderson,
long time agricultural administra- <
tor in the Territory, panelists in
cluded Jack Flint, James Hurley
and L. M. DePriest of Palmer,
and George Jackson and Harry
Suggett of Anchorage.
Praises Research
Dr. Ernest N. Patty, University
of Alaska president, addressed a
combined Alaska Farm Forum
Matanuska Valley Chamber of
Commerce luncheon, attended by
90 people.
‘‘More money per capita,” stated
Dr. Patty, “is spent on farmers in
the Matanuska Valley than pos
sibly any place else in America.
This is as it should be. It is
through constant basic research
that we will be able to solve Al
aska’s food production problems.
“I can remember when ‘Alas
kan agriculture’ consisted largely
gardens growing out of sod
roofed cabins”, he recalled. “To
day dairy herds in Alaska pro
duce more milk per cow than in
Wisconsin. We have a splendid
farm potential in Alaska.”
“Potatoes and Hoot Crop Pro
duction”, an afternoon panel, saw
Max Sherrod, Matanuska Valley
grower, as chairman. Panelists
were Irwin Evenson of Spenard,
Lawrence Lancashire of Kenai,
Clyde Sherman of Fairbanks, and
George McNeese and Harold Ste
phan of Palmer.
John Nash, local poultryman,
was chairman for a panel discus
sion on “Poultry Production.”
Panelists included Stewart Dur
raat, general manager of the Ma
tanuska Valley Farmers Cooperat
ing Association, Mrs. Carol Step
han, and Mrs. Richard Washburn.
"Great Expectations", theme of
the evening session, had as its
chairman Elmer Rasmuson, An
chorage banker. “Farm income
will be more important to Alaska
than all the defense money that
has been put into the territory",
he said. An increased proportion
of his bank's loans will go to agri
cultural communities in the fu
ture, he stated. However, he ad
ded, outside capital is needed and
ma^ivau^ axiu. iiujl uc aouamcu w*
it. London financed the develop
ment of New York; New York fi
nanced the American west and
Alaska must look to the States
for investment capital.
“New Crops-New Tools” was
the subject of Dr. Allan H. Mick,
director of Extension for Alaska.
Dr. Mick expressed the pleasure
of the Extension Service at hav
ing its 25th anniversary recogniz
ed with an Alaska-wide farm
forum.
“Alaska”, he said, “can grow
about half of an individual’s food
requirements. The remainder—
coffee, sugar, citrus fruits, etc.,
must be imported. We can expand
our production by ten before we
reach capacity production. In the
past five years cropland has in
creased by a little less than half,
but total production has more
than doubled. Our farmers are
good farmers,” he said.
Citing recent accomplishments
of scientists at the Alaskan Agri
cultural Experiment Station, Dr.
Mick said that protein is grown
more efficiently in Alaska than in
Kansas or Georgia. In Alaska one
pound of nitrogen fertilizer pro
duces four and one half pounds
of crude protein; in Kansas or
Georgia only three and three
quarter pounds.
Dr. Mick ihen announced a new
M
Alaskan grain, a wheat to be nam»
ed for George W. Gasser, pioneer
ing agronomist who made the first
cross of the Swedish Diamond
variety with Khogot, a Siberian
strain. Gasser, Dr. Mick stated,
has many 'firsts' to his credit:
first professor of agriculture at
the Univeristy of Alaska; first Ex
periment Station director; first
dean of agriculture; first com
missioner of agriculture. "It is
right that Gasser wheat should
bear his name. It is a fine wheat,
with high resistance to lodging
and shattering, good seed quality,
and a yield of 36 bushels to the
acre."
James W. Wilson, commissioner
of agriculture, spoke on “New
Markets-New Money”. The great
est new market lies in expanding
the markets we now have, Wil
son declared. “We must grow
and market more potatoes, let
tuce, cabbage, milk, feeds. We
must discover better varieties—
a lettuce variety that would add
just one week onto each end of
the growing season would bring
in an additional $20,000 a year.”
A meat industry is a practical
. -til uitrwmg cuiu uidii"
ing industry is also possible and
will give farmers a market for
their high malting Edda barley.
Freezing and canning industries
and the growing of sugar beets
are bright spots on the economic
horizon. We need, he stressed,
more market research, more ex
perimentation, more money, more
roads.
A morning session, “We Go to
Market, featured two of Alaska's
leading customers—Colonel Ar
thus C. Bass, GMC, purchaser for
Alaska's military forces, and
Larry Carr, president of Carr's
Food Centers.
The Army, Col. Bass stated, is
not subsidizing Alaskan agricul
ture. The Army pays stateside
prices plus freight for Alaska
grown produce. “We wish we
could buy more from you and we
will when you grow more. We
buy 20 percent of our food re
quirements in Alaska now, and
we would buy it all here if you
could grow it all. We have al
most reached that goal on pota
toes.”
Larry Carr urged cooperative
packaging, distributing and mar
keting, whether through existing
farmers cooperatives or other
groups of producers. This, he said,
will insure an even supply to
merchants, reduce the number of
;
Semi-Annual
5»oe Clearance
Nunn-Bush Shoes v
\ Regular $2000 fe $24.00 V
now $12.80
1 Group Hens House Slippers
& Loafer Sox
Values to $7.50
now $1.98
Mens Heavy Duty Work Shoes
Regularly to $22.95
now $10-00
LOTS OF SMALL SIZES >
local lables few merchants have
room to display, and insure a
fairer price for all. Alaskan farm
ers and distributors need a public
relations program for much more
Alaska-grown produce could be
sold if close-to-the-source adver
tising reached consumers.
Obstacles Discussed
Thursday afternoon’s session,
“Where Do We Go from Here?”
was led by George Jackson,
president of Anchorage Chamber
of Commerce. It was a discussion
of obstacles to agricultural ex
pansion and recommendations
from farmers to alleviate such
handicaps. Repeatedly the need
for long term, low interest loans
came into the discussion. The
need for research in more effici
ent land clearing methods and
help in financing major land
clearing was reiterated. Kenai
Peninsula farmers urged revision
of land laws to permit larger
holdings by beef cattlemen.
It was pointed out by several
spokesmen that it takes three or
four homesteaders’ failures before
the land is sufficiently developed
ior a suDsequeni nomesieauer 10
make a success of farming. “We
should conserve our human re
sources better,” stated Jules, Hom
er homesteader. “Surely men are
as important as topsoil.”
M. D. Snodgrass, Matanuska
Valley pioneer legislator and agri
cultural administrator, urged re
study of freight rates.
The closing session featured an
illustrated lecture, “Soil, Civiliza
tion, and Health”, by Dr. George
D. Scarseth. Illustrated by color
ed slides of the world’s agricul
tural regions, Dr. Scarseth’s thesis
continued to be ‘good soil makes
good crops makes good markets'.
There was unanimous senti
ment to continue Farm Forums ®n
an annual basis with next year's
meeting place to be decided at a
later date. *
COURT NEWS
*T^dT?ibson entered a plea of
guilty to a charge of driving a
vehicle with only one headlight
when he appeared in U. S. Com
missior.er’s Court on January 24.
He was found guilty of the
charge, brought by the Territorial
Police, and fined $15.
A thirty-day suspended sen
tence was imposed in City Mag
istrate’s Court on February 16 on
A1 Hagen for failure to file retail
sales tax returns and failure to
make out retail sales tax returns
collected from tax payers. He en
tered a plea of guilty and was
found guilty as charged.
CUB SCOUT MEETING
SiT FOR FEBRUARY 27
There will be a Cub Scout
pack meeting Sunday afternoon,
February 27, in the basement at
St. John’s Lutheran Church from
3:00 to 0:00 p.m.
In observance of the Boy Scout
birthday, Cub Scouts will hold
their Blue and Gold banquet at
that time. Dinner will be pot luck
style. Entertainment during the
afternoon will include a showing
of Fish and Wildlife films, com
munity singing and a speaker.
All parents and interested per
sons are invited to attend the
meeting.
Select Your Dress New for
Purple Bubble Ball
NEW FORMALSAND COCKTAIL DRESSES
JEWELRY -1/2 price
Large Size DRESSES and SKIRTS V2 price
While Sale Lasts
Marie's Style Shop
Moore's Garage
GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR
CRANKSHAFT GRINDING
REBORE SERVICE
Phone I3Y2I
Palmer, Alaska
Nalley's Mayonnaise QTs 65c
5DuEpBptcK Tomatoes no. v/2 uns 33c
Rosedale Peas ».■«».m 2 lM 35c
Swift's Prem l2.„i. 2 85c
Heinz Ketchup i«„z. 2 f„ 55c
MARY ELLEN'S ~"
Strawberry Jam » M. 69c
FIRCREST
Grapefruit Sections w 2 45c
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY PORK ITEMS
U. S. SELECT
Loin Pork (hops
LB.
59c
RATH BONELESS
Canned Picnic Ham
LB.
79c
U. S. SELECT BONELESS
Pork Shoulder Roast
LB.
65c
Koslosky's Dept. Store
Your One Stop Shopping Center
STORE HOURS
SUNDAYS WEEKDAYS
10 m 6 10 til 8