Calag Archive

The now-famous Red Bluff Bull Sale was organized by a group of progressive cattlemen and their livestock farm advisor, Don Smith, in 1942. The basic purpose was to upgrade the beef cattle in Tehama County through a marketing and production improvement project. Within a few years the sale gained attention throughout the West, and purebred breeders from eight states are now among the consignors each year. Bulls sold at Red Bluff are purchased by buyers from several of the western states, as well as California cattlemen. At first only Hereford bulls were sold, but by 1950 Angus and Shorthorns were included and it is now called a three-breed sale.

Early weaning results in lower lamb weaning weights and grades. However, the differences are not large and might be compensated for by the increased total weight of lamb produced per acre by increasing the number of ewes on the ranch. Better use of pastures by the weanlings while ewes are carried on less desirable range land is possible with early weaning.

A new insect species, Eurytoma tumoris, has been found damaging pines grown for Christmas trees in Santa Cruz County. The trees are disfigured by galling or gouting of terminal and lateral growth and by shot-like holes made by the adult insects as they emerge from the galls. Damage so far has not been widespread, however, and has not been seen outside the county.

The Fuerte avocado often turns black as the fruit nears the ready-to-eat stage in certain years. Some losses from this dark discoloration occur at the retail stand while other fruit purchased at the store discolors and softens at home and the housewife often throws the fruit away. This situation has curtailed consumer demands for the avocado especially in markets farther away from California, where this black discoloration is present to an even greater degree.

Tests show that wheat and barley can withstand higher concentrations of 2,4-D when an iron additive is included in the spray solution—indicating the possibility of obtaining increased growth of cereals over a broader range of 2,4-D concentrations and increased efficiency of broad-leaved weed control.

Studies in San Bernardino County showed that 95 to 100% of slips grown from sweet potato roots that were heavily infested with root-knot nematodes also became contaminated. A simple, effective treatment consisting of dry heat—first, at 60° to 100° F for six to eight hours, then at 108° to 110°F for 24 hours—successfully killed nematodes and nematode eggs inside infested roots.

The United States is world leader in both production and consumption of canned fruits, in total and per capita. U.S. exports of canned fruit have increased sharply both in quantity and dollar value during the past decade. More than 12% of total US. canned deciduous fruit sales now occur in the export markets (table l). Furthermore, U.S. exports of canned fruit are “dollar sales”—moving without direct government price support or subsidy.

Oxygen is essential for nutrient uptake by plant roots, but little information has been available concerning the influence of soil oxygen on the nutrient concentrations in citrus. The study reported here involved sweet orange seedlings (Citrus sinensis var. Bessie). Nutrient concentrations in the tops and roots of the citrus seedlings were used as criterion to show effects of different soil-oxygen diffusion rates on citrus plants.

Angus bulls generally produced smaller but meatier and higher-conditioned animals with more palatable meat than did Hereford bulls in these limited comparisons of crossbreds with each of the breeds separately (using four presumably representative bulls of each breed).