The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
Q arm a n d nANCH F I ULLETIN Vol. 17, No. 7 July 15, 1962 DUST SACKS FOR H O R N FLY C O N TR O L Beef cattle rubbing against suspended dust sacks were kept relatively free of horn flies for a period of 3 months during the summer in tests conducted by the Mississippi Agri cultural Experiment Station in 1961. A self-treating dust station (with a base of 102 inches by 70 inches and a height of 82 inches) was used in the experiment. Two sacks of insecticidal dusts, which were hung 2 to 3 feet apart and suspended from the roof beams of the structure, served as a self-treat ment device for the cattle. The insecticidal materials were an 85 percent Sevin wettable powder and a 5 percent malathion dust. Two dust stations were located in each pasture, and a burlap feed sack was used for dispensing the dust. The sacks initially were filled with 15 pounds of dust each and were refilled to this weight as the insecticide was depleted. Shorthorn cattle were used in the tests with Sevin, and Herefords were placed in the pastures with malathion dust stations. According to the experiment station, the reduction in the number of horn flies when the animals had access to the 85 percent Sevin dust sacks was very encouraging. The degree of horn fly control in the herd using the sacks filled with the malathion dust was considerably less than when Sevin was used. A marked increase in the number of horn flies on the herd exposed to malathion dust necessitated direct dusting of the cattle. Since the animals receiving the malathion dust used the sacks less often than did cattle receiving the Sevin FEDERAL RESERVE DALLAS, dust, indications are that the pungent odor of the malathion may have deterred the ani mals from more frequent rubbing on these sacks. The 85 percent formulation of Sevin was changed to a 5 percent formulation in the latter part of the Mississippi study. Fly control remained adequate after this change; how ever, toward the end of the summer, the 5 percent formulation was not as effective as the more concentrated Sevin dust. The Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station says that the following five factors in the 1961 study undoubtedly helped in obtain ing very satisfactory control of horn flies from the use of 85 percent Sevin. 1. The Shorthorn herd under observation had used a dust station the previous season; consequently, the animals had become ac customed to the dust sacks. 2. Sevin dust escaped freely from the thick ness of only one sack. During the 1960 sea son, two sacks were used, one within the other, to suspend the dust. 3. Two stations, or a total of four sacks of dust, were used for each herd in 1961 as compared with one station, or two sacks of dust, in the preceding year. 4. Placement of dust stations in certain key locations, such as under trees where the cattle frequently congregate when not feeding, was also a factor in the frequent use of the stations. Fly control probably would be inadequate if BANK T E XAS OF DALLAS the stations were placed in pastures containing a large number of trees. other cotton by-products or low-grade cotton to make serviceable cotton bagging. 5. Shorthorn breed cattle were used as the According to the USDA, the pilot program test herd. Fly control might have been less is expected to encourage the use of low-quality effective if Black Angus had been used, since fibers in providing good protective covering they attract more flies than do Shorthorn and improving the appearance and market ability of American cotton. During the pro cattle. gram’s operation, studies will be made to Although no count was made of houseflies determine the practicability and economic fea on the herds using dust sacks, only a small sibility of this bagging. number of these insects were noted as com pared with the number of houseflies on a con Under the experimental program, a pay trol herd without access to a dust station. ment of $1 per bale will be made for the The Mississippi studies show that, disre use of all-cotton bagging for a maximum of garding the initial construction cost, dust sta 100,000 bales. Payment will be from funds tions permit a very economical and trouble- provided by Section 32 of Public Law 320. free system of horn fly control on beef animals during the summer months. Prospective New American Crop Ironweed, an exotic plant whose seeds con tain a valuable industrial oil, may become a new farm crop for the United States. Studies by Agricultural Research Service chemists have shown that ironweed (Vernonia anthelmintica) seeds contain 25 percent oil, of which more than 70 percent is epoxy fatty acids. These epoxy fatty acids — which are now made synthetically — are used in plastics, paints, and other industrial products. This wild plant tally in Nebraska, These plantings widely adapted to United States. has been grown experimen North Carolina, and Texas. indicate that ironweed is the climate and soils of the Cotton Bagging for Cotton Bales The United States D epart ment of Agriculture recently announced a pilot program to divert low-quality cotton and cotton by-products into bag ging m aterial for covering cotton bales. The raw mate rial for the bagging will be derived mainly from the short fibers which are removed from cotton by lint cleaners dur ing ginning. Much of this lint is now burned at the gins; however, it can be combined with Missiles for Fighting Forest Fires The Forest Service may be on the verge of a major breakthrough in forest fire fighting if the radio-controlled glide bomb missile now being developed measures up to expectations, reports the United States Department of Agri culture. The missile, which will carry fire retardant chemicals, is expected to be ready for testing this year. The new missile will be launched from an airplane and guided to a fire by radio. It will be rigged to drop its 100-gallon fire retardant load before hitting the ground. Foresters ex pect that they can release the missile from a plane flying as high as 3,000 feet, which would be above turbulence from the fire and usually above the smoke. According to the USDA, this new method of fire control would supplement and, in time, might replace direct bombing of fires with airtankers. Tanker operations are sometimes dangerous, since the planes must fly at low altitudes over rought terrain and through smoke. Moreover, airtankers cannot be used at night or during strong winds. Progress Against Insecticide-Resistant Insects Chemicals that overcome the resistance of some insects to malathion have been found by United States Department of Agriculture scien tists. This discovery is an important step in finding ways of overcoming insect resistance to insecticides. to reduce heat reflection, and use of fans or sprays will increase the comfort of the birds. In laboratory experiments at Corvallis, Ore An extra feeding or stirring of the feed in gon, malathion-resistant houseflies and mosqui the troughs each day will encourage consump toes were killed when treated with malathion tion by the birds. The higher feed usage not combined with a synergist (a nontoxic only will increase calcium intake but also will chemical that boosts or restores toxicity to an help to maintain egg production at a maximum level. insecticide). USDA entomologists are conducting re search to find out how organophosphate insecti cides such as malathion and parathion kill insects, how insects develop resistance to these insecticides, and how to overcome such resistance. Dr. Quisenberry points out that these prac tices of keeping the calcium level high and providing cool housing are the best known and most widely used techniques for maintaining shell strength of eggs in the summer and ob taining the maximum rate of lay of the birds. Maintenance of Eggshell Quality Pinkdeal Tomatoes for East Texas Maintenance of eggshell quality during the summer is a problem faced by Texas poultrymen. Changes in feeding and management practices are necessary if eggshells are to be kept thick and strong, says Dr. J. H. Quisenberry, Head of the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A. & M. College. A new tomato variety has been developed for east Texas. Pinkdeal is a crackresistant tomato variety that is adapted for spring, summer, and fall produc tion. The fruits resist cat facing, puffing, and sun burning, according to the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The birds reduce their feed consumption during hot weather, resulting in a lower cal cium supply for the eggshells. The fowls must be provided with supplementary oystershell or the calcium content of their ration must be raised, says Dr. Quisenberry. An increasing number of poultrymen are changing to a complete ration, thereby elimi nating the extra labor required for supple mentary feeding of oystershell. Moreover, when oystershell is distributed over the feed, some birds — particularly those in laying cages — eat too much shell. During cool months, most poultrymen use a complete ration with 2.25 percent calcium, but this amount should be increased to 2.75 to 3.00 percent during the summer. Since calcium absorption and metabolism of the birds may be lowered during hot weather, management changes that result in cooler poultry houses and, therefore, more comfortable birds generally reduce the summer eggshell problem. Painting the poultry house roof white, opening up the side walls for ventilation, planting grass around the house Plants of the Pinkdeal variety are inde terminate in growth. They have dark-green leaves, bear early, and are prolific. The fruits are smooth and globe-shaped and become pro gressively and uniformly whitish green, slightly yellow, pink, and finally red as they mature. Many of the tomatoes start to turn pink first on their sides, which makes them easy to recognize for picking. The fruits ripen with bright red flesh and have a delicious flavor. In the pink stage of maturity, they are sufficiently firm for handling by customary methods. Fruits attain good size; many weigh up to 5 ounces. Pinkdeal tomatoes are resistant to fruit cracking under conditions which cause severe cracking of old commercial varieties in east Texas. The cracks that do develop generally are shallow and do not substantially reduce the market value of the tomatoes. Pinkdeal plants set good crops of tomatoes in east Texas during the summer, when com mon varieties are almost fruitless. The Pinkdeal tomato has proved to be a good producing variety at Jacksonville, Texas. In addition, it ranked second in the 1960 Southern Tomato Exchange Program tests at 36 locations in 16 states and Puerto Rico and was fourth in the 1961 tests. Pinkdeal is well adapted to the sandy loam and red soils of east Texas and performed well at Stephenville and Iowa Park; however, the variety did poorly in south Texas tests. For east Texas production, seed should be planted about February 1, May 1, and July 1 to yield fruit from June until November. The USDA experiments were conducted on Amarillo fine sandy loam soil at Big Spring, Texas. In compacted untilled plots where soil strength measurements were 400 pounds per square inch or higher, root growth was severely restricted. Growth was satisfactory in uncom pacted soil with strength measurements of 250 pounds per square inch or lower. In compacted tilled plots, with strength measurements be tween 250 and 400 pounds per square inch, roots failed to penetrate the compacted layer when the soil was dry but developed normally when it was wet. The Pinkdeal tomato is moderately resistant to Fusarium wilt. Consequently, a long rota tion should be used in order to avoid loss from this disease. Pinkdeal tomato seed for commercial grow ers is expected to be available from local seed stores in 1963. Compacted Soil Hampers Root Penetration Layers of compacted soil just below the tillage depth restrict or halt plant root growth by interfering with root penetration — not by restricting air or moisture supply to the roots — according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Scientists previously thought that poor aera tion or reduced water transmission rates in compacted soil might be a cause of restricted growth when roots reach these layers. How ever, the air and water supplies in compacted layers were adequate in experiments con ducted by soil scientists with the USDA’s Agri cultural Research Service. The scientists found that root growth was hindered only when lay ers of soil had so much resistance to penetra tion (strength) that roots could not force a passage through 2- to 8-inch compacted layers. Passage of machinery across cultivated fields and repeated tillage at the same depth are causes of compacted soil layers. These layers are known variously as plowpans, hardpans, tillage pans, pressure pans, or claypans. Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater: Soil Fertility Studies for Improved Wheat Production in Eastern Oklahoma, 19571960, Bulletin B-594, by O. H. Brensing and J. Q. Lynd. Effects of a Liquid Urea-Ethyl AlcoholPhosphoric Acid-Molasses-Mineral-Mix on Feeder Lambs, Technical Bulletin T-94, by David R. Pratt and Milton W. England. Quantitative Relationships in the Cotton Economy with Implications for Economic Policy, Technical Bulletin T-95, by Leo V. Blakley. Storageability under Laboratory Conditions of Seed of Blue Grama, Side-Oats Grama, and Smooth Bromegrass, Technical Bul letin T-97, by Robert M. Ahring. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station: Incomes of Migratory Agricultural Workers, Bulletin 950, by William H. Metzler and Frederic O. Sargent. Residual Toxicities of Insecticides to Cotton Insects, Bulletin 951, by B. G. Hightower and J. C. Gaines. Copies of these bulletins may be obtained by request to the experiment stations.
@FedFRASER