\ CONSERVATION
NOTES
By LEW E. HANKS
Well, our 1951 Fair is now his-■
tory. I beli ve our fairs do more
than any one thing to show the
people cf Alaska, as well as vi»- (
tors, that agriculture in the Mata- ,
nuska Valley is a leasable basic
type of enterprise and contributes ]
a lot to the basic economy of the \
territory. ',
There is a feeling among many, l
Cven locally, that farming isn't 1
much of a business here. They
feel that somebody sort of keeps {
it going, perhaps just to prove ,
that agriculture can be carried \
on in Alaska. That just isn't so. j
No farmer is in business here for r
his health.
Farming can be as profitable
as any other line of enterprise.
It takes a lot of money, time and
labor to get a farm rolling but
once you get out on top it's the
best life in the world. Good farm
/nanagement really pays off here.
The basis of a good management
is a good crop rotation. You can’t
raise potatoes year after year on
the same piece. You can’t raise
cats and peas or pasture grass on
the same ^iece year after year
either, and do it efficiently.
The basic good of a crop rota
tion is to return humus to the soil
and thus build up fertility. You
need the humus to make your
fertilizer work more efficiently.
’V'hat rotation must include either
a grass cr green manure crop in
it to restore that humus. Of the
two, the grass crop for either hay
or pasture is best. Plowing under
a green manure crop leaves the
soil open to the winter wind.
That’s bad.
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If you do work in a green ma
VIPs Visit
Expt. Station
A short round of golf at the
fiew Fort Richardson golf course
resulted in a tour of the Alaska
Experiment Station headquart
ers and project work at the Mat- •
inuska Experiment Station
jy Secretary of the Army
rrank Pace. Jr.; General J. Law
on Collins. Chief of Staff; and
dajor General Julian R. Cunning- ;
iam. commanding geneial. USA-|
IAL.
Surprised at finding such an;
xcellent golf course in Alaska— ;
md one which was just begun’
his year, the visitors were told
>y Cunningham about the plan-' '
ung assistance given by mem- ■
ters of the Alaska Experiment 1
itation staff. 1
The visitors wanted to learn !
lore about the Experiment Sta
ion in Alaska. Being who they
.•ere, their wish was his com
land, so the commanding gen- 1
r a 1, USARAL. straightway 1
honed Don Irwin to make sure
t v. as ail right. , *
Irwin said sure, and an hour 1
nd a half later he was whisked f
ut to Matanuska Station in the r
ommand car to show the V. I. P.s £
/hat the Experiment Station is <
oing in Alaska. i
ure crop, be sure the field is
.•ell protected by windbreaks and
tubble strips. That way you can
old your topsoil. You need it and
our neighbors wife doesn’t want
:, especially in her house.
Never shoot at a flat, hard sur
ace, or the surface of water.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember?
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Toil's Service Station
We have the New...
GATES AIR-FLOAT
"COLD ROBBER" TIRES, all sizes
— also —
Sates Tubes and Batteries
In Down Town Palmer, Alaska
Competition Keen In
Homemakers' Exhibits
Four Valley Homemakers clubs
won substantial prizes in a keen '
competition of booth exhibits en* j
tered by ten clubs.
The Riverbend Homemakers
won the first prize of $50 with'
their clever miniature of the |
Farmers’ Market complete with j
miniature vegetables and tiny
■natch stick rhubarb. The exhib
t dramatized the fact that club
members had sent four 4-H’ers to
'amp through sales of produce
md gift items at the market.
The booth dedicated to "The
Vife of the Homesteader” design
d and executed by the Knik
domemakers won the second
jrize of $30. This booth showing
he interior of a small one-room
•abin with kitchen stove, table,
)eds, a line of diapers and an out
louse complete with catalog in
he rear was admired by every
me for its humorous but stark
ealism.
The third prize of $20 was split !
letween the Cheechako Home
nakers and the Palmasilla Club
or booths featuring balanced
neals from All Alaskan Products
md demonstrating the Benefits
if a Homemakers Club, respect
vely.
Other clubs had worked equal
y hard on booths which might
asily have placed had homemak
rs not worked so hard this year
o outdo each other. "Home
Veaving to Make a Home Beauti
ul”, “Lost-What to Do?”, "Prob
ems in Home Decorating”, home
naking "Down through the
NORTHERN
NEON
-CORP.
SIGNS
Trucks, Cars Lettered
Manufacturers of
Neon Signs, Marquees,
Store Fronts and Tube
Lighting
540 Barrow - Dial 43734
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Good Food and Hospitality Are Yours
to Enjoy at—
Room
Your Favorite Steaks, Chops, Sea Foodsand Appetizing Drinks
All Preparedthe Way You Like Them.
VALLEY VISITORS WILL ALWAYS FIND A HEARTY WELCOME
DIAL 49371 • H ST. BETWEEN 41h & 5th •
SANDS1 TELEPHONE
HEARING SCHEDULED
FOR SEPTEMBER 19
Hearing lor the Matanuska Val- I
Jey Telephone Co., Inc. original
ly scheduled for August 29 v. ill
be heard at the September 19
meeting of City Council which
convenes at 7:30 p. m.
Last w’eek. Maynard R Sands,
who had been asked to present
his plans for an improved tele
phone service, was called to the
States on an emergency involv
ing the death of his father. Mrs.
Years”, "Useless to Useful”, and
"Let's Have a Homemade
Christmas" were all ably portray- I
ed in a competition which made j
an excellent contribution to the ;
1951 Fair.
Mrs. Lydia Fohn-Hansen who;
is in charge of Home Demonstra
tion Work in the University of
Alaska Extension Service pro
gram remarked that entries all
showed so much imagination and
artistic execution that the job of
judging was a difficult one.
PALMER
SHOE REPAIR
located near
Valley Theatre
Sands appeared b re the Coun
cil bating the ft is and figures
had been assembled by her hus
band. but the felt that he could
do a better y b of presenting
them.
LET US HANDLE YOUR
UPHOLSTERING NEEDS
USED FURNITURE BOUGHT
AND SOLD
G. A. KRISE
Basemen! Palmer Drug
r
...
HOMESTYLE COOKING AWAY FROM HOME
HOME-MADE PIES
THE FRONTIER CAFE
MAURINE AND EVELYN
GOODRICH MACHINE WORKS
Welding and Machine Work
Located in the ARRC Shop Bldg.
behind Fair Grounds
Phone 20Y1
Palmer
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When you feel like relaxing—
Drop in and try our fine foods,
Served the way you like them ! !
FINE WINES AND LIQUORS
<j -o'-"o^o* 'o'-o' vo^vj_ f
'S!
COCKTAILS
jrS.
ALPINE INN
Mile 61, Glenn Highway Phone l-J-31
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