VALLEY
SETTLER
.Published ovary Friday at Palmer, Al
aska, by the Matanuska Valley Farmers
Cooporating Association for the purpose
of giving news of the Association's work,
problems, accomplishment, and news of lo
cal and general interest.
Bv L, H, Allen
Subscription ratesi $1.00 per year
" by mail 1,75 ’• *’
Single cooyj_10
Apple processors have been permitted
by the Office of Price Administration to
increase their minimum priceB for canned
apples, applesauce, apple juice, cider
and dried apples to cover the increase
in raw fruit prices and other costs.
Pork for Russia, bacon for Britain,
roasts for fighting men - and steaks for
defense workers - that is why Americans
face meat rationing and meatless days.
The number of bicycles which may bo
manufactured a month has b--»en reduced by
the Itc.r Production Board to 10,000 as
compared with 50,000 a month permitted
during July and August, Production i3
centered in two plants, one in Westfall,
Hass., the other in Dayton, 0.,thus per
mitting the remainder of the industry to
produce war weapons.
The New Yorker sayst The President ur
ges all owners of oil-burning furnaces to
convert them to coal. Otherwise, he
cannot promise to drop in next winter for
a fire-side chat.
Now rbcord.s for membership, baptisms
anc contributions were established last
year by the Presbyterian Church in the
United States. The annual report made
public by the Rev. Dr. William Barrow
Pugh, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian
General Assembly, shows membership reach
ed 2,040,492 in the church yoar ended
March 31, 1942, the peak mark for 236
years of organized Presbyterianism in
this country.
A net increase*of 27, 245 members for
the year wa's reported by the Rev. Mr.
Pugh. Infant baptisms totaled 47,521,
highest in the history of the church.
A nine-year record for contributions
was broken, with the 8,674 churches giv
ing a total of $44,758,104, or $2,557,661
more than the previous year.
A meeting of the Civic Center'Homemak
ers club was held at the home of the pres
ident of the club, Mrs. L. C. Stock, on
Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Lydia Fohn
Hunsen, Home Demonstration loader,was
present and with Miss lice Steohenson, dis
trict Home Demonstration Agjnt, interest
ingly discussed "Clothing Suitable for the
Individual." The club will meet again on
October 7th with Mr#.-Ralph Goodrich.
Vegetubl :s, even after harv- st, are
living plant parts which require oxygen,
give off carbon dioxidi and other products
of respiration, or generate heat, states
Harold Rice, Extension Agent. Ripening
and othe-r changes in composition continue
and th>. rate of activity, which Yuries
greatly with different Vegetables, in
creases rapidly as the temperature rises.
Under favorable conditions, many vegetables
may be kept for long periods of time with
out serious loss in quality. The import
ant fact is to remember in constructing
and making storages, th dr temperature,
humidity, and ventilation. Adaptation of
variety, suitable degree of maturity, free
dom from disease, and cur" in handling arc
important in assuring good keeping.
Tamperatur-s as close to 32 degrees F.
as cun be maintained without freezing are
generally recommended for storage of most
vegetables. The temperatures above 35
degrees arc likely to result in rapid de
terioration. The amount of moisture or
humidity is very important. Root crops,
such as potatoes and turnips, and cole
crops, such us cabbage, require relatively
high humidity, approximately 90 to .95 per
cent to preserve their plumpness and to
avoid shrinkage,
Exc a civ-' moistur" caus-s more- rapid
decay; hence, humidity should never be
p-nuitt d to rice so high that moisture
will cond.ns' upon the vegetables or drip
from the c iling, -Excessive humidity,
may fc; decreased by incraoing ventilation
when temperatures permit or by th' expos
ure of calcium chloride to absorb vn ex
cess moisture. Excessive ventilation re
sults in vdlting and shrinking. Inadequate
ventilation is characterized by wilting
and "decaying of 1-afy vegetables, the early
sprouting of root crop3, development of
black heart in potato .a.
Loss*.a. in storage oft :n. ur . duo to di
sol.s-s which have d‘.Vv.lop<-d in the fi-ld.
When such infections cjrv known .to bo in
the fi .Id end are also known to b- a com
mon source of trouble in storag;., the safer
reaction would b>. to discard the diaces d
potatoes in the fi Id or oth r crops b-for.
storing th-ra. Too much cr.ro c-..nuot be
taken in handling crops to be stored.