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Show tf ym n ihji ml'i- 9 p' 'Hybrid Oaks From Little Acorns Grow' By MAXINE MARTZ Deseret News Staff Writer People keep telling Dr. Walter P. Cot-taOnly God can make a tree, but he replies, Im God's little bumblebee, and goes right on hybridizing oak. He has been cross - pollinating many kinds of oak, particularly our native Gambel oak and the Turbinella oak which grows in southern Utah and Arizona, ever since he retired from the University of Utah as professor of botany in 1962. m One of the most exciting things to come out of the eight-yea- r project is a confirmed cross between a white and a black oak, something which does not occur in nature between the two subgen- era. or to prevent it from reaching the female if a foreign pollen is being introduced. For their first experiment, Cottam and Drobnick traveled to Utahs Dixie where both the oak species are present in order to use Turbinella for the female parent. There they carefully stripped selected branches of Turbinella of all its pollen, applied the Gambel pollen and then tied paper sacks over the branches for protection. Applying the pollen is fairly simple if there ,, plenty of it. Just place it in the paper sack, tie it on the branch and shake it around, but if theres only a small supply of pollen, Cottam will take a small paint brush and apply it sparingly to the female flowers. This v. :v A AJry is chancy business and the It is believed to be the first time such researcher may not know until he gets a ar. acorn whether he got a a cross has been made in America, al- seedling-frothough it has been reported in Russia. cross or not. Some of the natural pollan Cottam has two of the seedlings, now may have sneaked in first. After about two weeks, the paper four years old. The female parent is Tur- birieha, a white oak, and the male parent sacks are replaced with nylon sacks to is a Texas Post Oak, a black oak. further protect the acorns during development and catch them when they fall. .Dr. John M. Tucker, professor of y and research specialist from the The acorns are then planted ir. large at Davis, cans and covered only lightly, as in naUniversity of California believe cross when the he saw ture, and carefully tended during their U'Qjrldnt the seedlings two years ago, but the de- early development in greenhouses at the him university. veloping characterics convinced After creating their first hybrids in during a visit here last month. Theres botanical history, he told Cottam. 1962, Cottam said, We got to thinking if this thing would consort with Gambel, Working with Cottam on the oak is Rudy Drobnick, biologist, with maybe it also would with many other project the Utah Fish and Game Department, kinds of oak. Now weve produced about 50 new creations from these various comwho started it all when he discovered a stand, or clone, of natural oak hybrids binations. in the Salt Lake Valley in 1954. They have received pollen from all it will keep for a seaThe pair spent the next eight years over the country doing research and writing a paper son under refrigeration and have raised explaining how these clones came about. approximately 2,000 trees with a great They concluded that during a period of range of characteristics. draught about 7,500 years ag? when the Approximately 100 have been planted mean temperature was four degrees on the grounds of the Veterans Adminishigher than at present the Turbinella oak tration Hospital, 100 on Fort Douglas had advanced into northern Utah, grounds and about 59 on the University crossed with the Gambel, and then the campus. Others have been planted on Turbinella died out in the north when the private property around the valley and temperature cooled again, but the hybrids hundreds of seedlings are still in cans in remained. greenhouses at the university. Cottam and Drobnick then decided to But there'll be no more planting on see if they could create the same hybrid the campus. Officials have placed a ban under controlled conditions. on placing anything under six feet tall. But there is more to cross - pollinatHere weve got things now that are ing oak than a simple test tube experireally great and we cant plant them, ment in a laboratory. Cottam said. Some of these hybrids show great promise. Now if anyone The researchers must work with living trees and this gets complicated. The wants to see them they will have to go off campus. oak produce both male and female flowers and the researcher, first of all, must He has also had his problems with know what to look for. Then he must grounds crews spraying with 2, 4 D two know when the male is about to shed its years in a row to kill dandelions and rupollen and be there at the critical time to ining some of his trees that were The lower leaves on the trees. coiject it, either to use on another tree, . ; bf f y ' second-generatio- MERRY-GO-ROUN- D l-rr- H I v j, r;;J ' 8 I Hi , ? - w 1 4 i , v t. gsatiftW) Dr. Walter P. Cottam's hybrid oak, -- 'rlfC (i p A a cross between a white and black oak, may make botanical history. curled up and the acorns came out and aborted. These were the second generation we had been waiting eight years for, he said. , But Cottam has been fighting for greenhouses and space and money for his research project for years and he Isnt likely to quit now. All of his time spent on - Millions of tax dolWASHINGTON lars intended for the nation's poor have wound up in the coffers of Volt Information Sciences, a firm with a shabby perfor mance. record and a fla-gra- disregard government regulations. Thanks to an inside track, the c o m p a n y has almost pocketed far ' $30 million in pov- i erty money since 1965. Volts government contracts, taken at face value, ad:Led up to $18,540,147 at the end of June, 1969. But the true figure, counting all the extras, was actually $25,210,043. Then, with one shake of the money tree, the firm picked up. contracts for an adidtional $3.5 million on June 30, 1969. This is the traditional Christmas Day for contractors. Government agencies, rather than be caught with an embarrassing surplus of funds on the last day of the fiscal year, look frantically for a place to spend whats left. Otherwise, Congress might conclude that the agencies could get along on less money the following year. The Office of Economic Opportunity actually awarded Volt nine separate contracts on the same June 30th a y;ear ago. jhe full study is extremely complicatworthy of ed, with plots and Shakespeare. Here, however, are some of, the highlights: Billing itself as a sendee organization engaged in all phases of mans; coma claim almost munication with man" as vague, as some of its government contracts. Volt has set up shop directly aqross the street from OEO headquarters in Washington. Until recent months, the firm was so ubiquituous that, in the words of one insider. It was difficult to tell who worked for Volt and who worked for the government. 3 " One Volt representative, Jack Knapp is more familiar around OEO than are most of the agencys executives. He has wined and dined government officials SO' expensively that he has been nicknamed Credit Card Jack. ' A VISTA executive told this column: Volt people were given floor space and government desks, and worked with government paper and pencil. OEO people instructed and supervised them just as if they were regular government the oak has been without pay and the only hinds received during the entire eight years has been a research grant of $2,500. The project was One of purely scientific research to begin with, but when the scientists saw some of the beautiful creations they were getting they began think- - top-lev- t U t NU' You may write to have been assigned to the same programs they handled for OEO.. Lester Abrahamson, for example, was a VISTA training executive before he became a contract administrator for Volt. In 1969, OEO hired another firm, Fry Consultants, Inc., to evaluate Volts performance on one technical assistance contract. The findings: Volt has not fully met the contract specifications for training and orienting specialists. Only a limited number of the training conferences which were contractually required have been conducted . . . The contractor has failed to establish minimum training requirements for its rpecialists and has taken little initiative to obtain clarification from OEO . . . By the end of the contract year, Feb. 15, 1969, actual administrative costs will exceed original estimates by $310,000 to $340,000 0 per cent . . . Since Veit was awarded the . . . contract largely because it was the low bidder, the actual cost experience raises7 serious questions about the validity of Volts initial cost estimates and OEOs acceptance of them. At a meeting of top OEO officials, at which Volt's performance was discussed, a participant told this column there was general agreement that the firm had been doing a poor job. Yet as late as June 22, 1970, OEO awarded Volt three new contracts. 80-9- 0 Salt Lake City, Utah 841 IQ Ride With Police? Idea Of Merit I understand i"s possible tor private citizens to ride the beat with Phoenix police. Whv cant this be done in S.L.? C.B., Salt Lake City. MU5ICAL WHIRL By HAROLD LUNDSTROM Deseret News Music Editor At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Xerox Corporation, a shareholder questioned Xerox philanthropic program. Evelyn Y. Davis: Xerox contributions have been a prime example of donations made in the directors T h ese contributions are fully disclosed on page 20 of the proxy statement. ... all The largest recipients weic of which have Xerox directors on their boards. I realize management is but they are uninformed about these donations . . g, . It is about time the company goes back to making money for the shareholders, the companys true owners Peter McColough, president of Xerox: I would like to say that, as far as the directors and the management of this company are concerned, we could not disagree with you any more than we do. ... It seems to me this is the worst time in our country's history to show that cor- - porations are only concerned about profit and have no concern for the problems of society. I think that would be suicidal. A good part of our educational grants up until now have been in the city of Rochester which was the home of Xerox for many years. The grants did go, in large measure, to the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. Each year they educate several thousand Xerox employees, on the job and on the campus. We would have a very hard time existing in Rochester without these institutions and others. Also, Xerox has many thousands of people who have gone through education-- ' al institutions, and they realize tuition does not cover 100 percent of the costs of those institutions. Xerox should not be in the position where other people support our college students, while we reap the benefits. It seems very clear to me that corporations are no different from individuals. I dont think any of us want to go through life just taking things. No park, no university, no hospital could exist without someone having made some effort and perhaps some contribution and we want to put something back. This means very much at Xerox. I can tell you, in all honesty, that the people we have attracted over the years would not come to us if we were only profit-minde- Of course, profit is important, but they saw something beyond just making money for a corporation, for themselves, or for shareholders. They wanted a broader life in which they could contribute to our society and help solve some of the things that plague us so deeply here in the United States. W'ithout these people, we would not have had the success in our business over the past 10 or 15 years that we have had. These people are basic to our success. I can say, very frankly, that I would not be interested in a company whose only interest is to makl; money. We want to make good profits for our shareholders, and we will do very well in that regard, but we want to serve society, too. I think the answer, Mrs. Davis, is that you can sell your stock or try to throw us out, but we are not going to change. Park Utah Board Of Regents Good Name By LAVOR K. CHAFFIN THEY'RE YOUR SCHOOLS Deseret News Education Editor When the Utah Legislature convenes in January it will face the usual host of education problems most of which are but at f financial, least one which isn't. has been the case in every leg-- i s lative session As since World War II, both the public schools and higher will e d u c ation demand money. more Higher education, pointing tc continued rising college enrollments, will argue for priority consideration on that basis. The public schools, which may have an actual enrollment decrease for the 137.1-7school year, also will ask' for more money mostly for teacher salaries. (The public school people estimate that it will take $2 million in new mcney simply to finance length-of-tervic- e increments for teachers.) There will be pressures from both the public schools and higher education for additional funds for vocational education. Both the Utah Technical College at Frovo (UTCP) and the Utah Technical College at Salt Lake (UTCSL) will ask for funds to construct new facilities. If vocational education really important, they will argue, money for new facilities is imperative. The UTCP would like to begin construction on its new campus site in Orem. Its present constricted campus in Provo cannot serve enrollment pressure and there is no room for expansion, it will argue. At UTCSL, backers will for additional funds to continue construction at the new Redwood Road campus so that the "downtown campus at the 4th South and 6th East can be closed. One needed piece of higher education legislation wont require money. Thats a name change for the Utah State Board of Higher Education. Its simply too easy to confuse this board with the' much older State Board of Education. There ought to be much more difference between the two names. As is usual with such a long name, the Utah State Board of Higher Education often is shortened. Its variously the USBHE, called the college board, or simply the higher board. The latter designation is offensive to members of the State Board of Education who do not like the implication that their beard is the lower boaid. One name which has been suggested, and which would seem to be a good choice, is Utah Board of Regents. This change would accomplish several desired objectives. It would resolve the identification problem and avoid the current confusion woth the public school board. It also would be a shorter name. Finally it would be much more distincThe tive. The board would become Regents and individual members would be Regents. The name also has historical significance as it has been associated with Utah higher education as the designation of the governing board of. the University of Utah. When the bill creating the single board for higher education was being considered, the name Regents likely was ruled out because of its University of Utah identity. Sufficient time now has elapsed that this no longer should be a major concern. (The U. of U. local board now is an Institutional Council.) If this change were io be made by the Legislature we then would have the Utah System of Higher Education (USHEj and the Utah Board of Regents as the govsystem. The erning body for executive officer for both the system and the board would continue to be called as Commissioner of Higher Education at present. Although it may seem a small matter, such a name change is needed, it would clear up current confusion and contribute to more positive identification of one of the states most important agencies. that . frtr thong, 4 " City. O The repair firm assures us that only the damage caused by its being stolen was repaired. This includes front end, alignment; right 'window replacement; left rear view mirror replacement;' repairs of vents, and straightening of the rear bumper. The other things you men- -' tion, if they need fixing, are apparently between you and the dealer. Incidentally, it was implied you may think this was a new vehicle, but its used. Better do some talking with the dealer. Rather 'Unfeeling' Policy- My question has to do with an application to he a stew ardess for an airline. I first applied last spring and sent them two applications and three letters of inquiry. But Ive heard nothing. lam wondering what is going on and why they dont answer my letters or applications -R.C., Sait Lake City. j The personnel dept, for this airline at San Franciscos International Airport told us they do not acknowledge applica- -' tions unless they decide they want to interview you. You are supposed to assume that because you have not heard they have rejected you. Since this seems to be a rather "sloppy and unfeeling policy, we asked to whom you could write. And if youd get an answer, if you did. We were tnld yes. So weve sent you his get name, etc. If you dont get a reply back to us. Wed like to have words with them about the common 2 Box 1257 You Can Try To Throw Us Gut, sub-plo- employes. ..This is a direct violatmn of government regulations. The firm's on VISTA was so strong, raid this .official, that few service, however minor, could be obtained enrspt through Volt. If a newspaper subscription was needed, it was ordered by Volt. If personnel were needed, Volt hired them. Volt has made it a practice to hire I OEO executives, many of whom 4S The Citizen Observer Program there surface. is an idea that has a great deal of So far, he said, no genetics students merit say S.L. police officials, but vn- have shown any interest in carrying cn one that cannot presently ba the oak project. Who wants to wait fortunately They say we do not at to he write a implemented. said. paper? eight years But he softened this. Weve got it right this time, have a proper base to function to the point where they could take It up from regarding the liability of the city. A and do something in one year for a maswould be necessary. In ters thesis, he said. There are many legal opinion it would be necessary to have to still tremendously interesting things someone responsible for the proper probe studied." A student couldnt do much better gramming and this takes manpower than to choose to work with Cottam. He which we are very short of at present." is a superb teacher, keen observer, ex- But have hope they say they'll file it , acting scientist, ardent conservationist for possible future use when funds and and concerned ecologist. manpower can do justice to the pro-- ., He was named Eminent Ecologist for 1960 by the Ecological Society of Amerigram. In our neighboring city we under-i- , " Con Motors the American received stand that 300 citizen observers per ca, servaiion Award in 1963 and was named month learn about the police departMan of the Year in Conservation in 1957, ment's operation by riding with officers!. 1 by Utah State University. Minimum age is 14. Boys and girls 14 and He was a member of the Salt Lake 15 must be accompanied by a jarent. A City Shade Tree Commission for 20 years waiver of liability must be signed. There of the establish and helped University Utah campus as a state arboretum, are a few other rules to what appears to' planting many of the trees with his own be a very good way to develop the rehands. spect for the boys in blue to which they During his 31 years at the university, are entitled and in some places dont get! thousands of students followed him up and down our mountains in his Spring Flowers of the Wasatch class. Most of Talk To Dealer them, recaling those days, will declare, We bought a motor home from a S.L Best class I ever had! dealer on Sept. 15. It had been stolen an, damaged by some kids. But repairs were paid for by the dealers insurance company. Our problem is that a number of things dont now work and need fixing. We cant get any action from either of,, the companies involved. Can you get us an itemized, detailed report of what the M.F.B.," insurance company paid for? Firm Picks Up Money But We Are Not Going To Change' Intended For Poverty By JACK ANDERSON 1 n, ' i v' t 1 Wednesday, October 21, 1970 n back-crosse- bot-na- WASHINGTON ing about the possibility of developing a tree they could patent. However, to patent a tree you must be able to grow it asexually, that is, by taking a branch and rooting it. Cottam explained that this is the ony way to get a tree with the same characteristics every time. The characteristics vary widely if they are grown from acorns. Oak have a bad reputation for asexual reproduction, he added. Now they graft them onto some other oak, but it doesnt work ve-- y well because the graft is so weak. So thats a problem to be worked out in future experiments. Oak produce acorns in four to six years so the research team : ' ready has hybrids and is working on the third generation. Some of the hybrids have pollinated themselves, creating a large progeny of that particular variable. On others, Cottam and Drobnick have introduced pollen and from a third tree, getting seme of the they have hybrids, using pollen from either the male or female parent, or both. Looking at all the possibilities, Cottam, now 76 years old, says, I was a darn fool for starting this. I cant finish it. We have a lot more crosses we want to try. We havent even scratched the A WSERET NEWS rights of people. We Tried, Bu- tMy complaint Is about a table and chair I bought at a S.L. store. Price was marked on a sale at $5.98. I questioned the clerk twice to make sure of the price. I paid cash. I asked them to send H out to my daughters house for her little girls birthday. It didnt come, so when I d went down, they said the table was and the price should have been $25.03. All Ihey would do was to give ns a cash credit. We dont want this. I need to have some response before my grandMrs. daughters birthday is over. . Il.W.J., Salt Lake City. mis-marke- All settled, maam and we cant claim credit. They had handled before we got to them. They told us the original price tag was disfigured and the new sales clerk thought it was $5.98. It was an honest mistake, they feel, but they compromised and set the price at $15.98. Hope your GD has a happy day. We just wanted you to know we did try and think w'ed have come up with solution, too. (Edilor'i Note: We'll sorry the numbrr ef calls and Itie volume of mail make it impossible to answer every oueion. Please, no medical or Iteal questions. Don't send stamps or sell addressed envelopes at answers can only be q.ven m this column. Only questions of general interest will be answered and tete phpne calls can be accepted only on the Give your names phene at the hours prescribed. not tor publicaliea address and teiphone number tout to help Do lt Man help you.) |