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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1911)
EX&E TWO MEDEORD MATT) TRIBUTE, MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, A PRIX 30, 1911. Frost Fighting in the Rogiie River Valley rem lkm $ V K- Sf.Sk, 'r&t V (Continued from Pbo J.) In so nn to competo with tlio I'nolflo sotlth nro very ilry, ntld tho rohtlve hu midity l often much lower during tho period In which tho wlndH conic from conBt product. A certain iindorotiuiillnjr Ul0 H01Jtl) Jf Uu, wndH c(nUnU0 lo ow between tho oil compnnles oxlflts nnd, bCHldoH, tho frelKht chnrKcs would brlnjf tho prlco up to n point whero Its ubo would bo prohibitive. . Dlitlllato CJood ruel. Tlio dlstlllato usl Inst yenr, ns has been mentioned before, Is n perfect fuel. It burns readily, leaves but very llttlo deposit, fl(ii does not tend to product) so much ibot. This Is whnt 1h called tho l2SdeKreb tout. Its cost to tho grow ers lis very much nhnvo that of crudo oil, nnd, therero, was not used this year, i.-tf dlHtlllatti urihI this year )h known ns "slop" distillate, nnd, although It wns supposed to test, 23 doRroes, it hns liofcn found to torit about 20 degrees or por haps n llttlo more. This slop dlstlllato proVed to bn very little, If niiy better inari tho crudo oil, slnco soma of It con talnod water, and besides It tended to produco a great deal of noot. Tho amount of residuum left In tlio pots wns In man? cases nearly euunl to that left by tho crudo nil. Ilotli tho crudo oil nnd tho slop distillate will eventually bo replaced by a better fuol Wo will cither uso n 'distillate, such ns tlio 28 ilegrco test, or tho lighter parufflnn oils of tho east, Tho cost of tho crude oil laid down Is about 4 1-2 cents por gallon, and Mint of tho slop dlstlllatu C 1-4 cents per gal lon. The 28-dcgroo test distillate last year cost tho growers approximately 'J cents n gallon. Tho greatest element of cost .in obtaining thorn crude prod from tho northwest or westerly quarters frosts rarely occur because theso winds tend to ralso tho dew point, or In other words, bring In nlr with n Inrger per centage of wntor vapor present. While the water vapor content of tho atinos phoro Is high, damaging frosts cannot occur. It Is only when tho dow point temperaturo approaches the freezing point or Is below it thnt wo niny expect a serious freeze. As ft rule, It Is only on tho valley floor that serious Injury may bo caused by low temperatures dur ing tho blooming period or somu time thereafter, JSvon on tho valley floor where thuro may bu some slight oleva tlon, no frosts occur when serious Injury may rosult only n fow feet below. The hillsides surrounding tho valley usually escape frost altogether, and tho average variation lu temperaturo In favor of tho lnnds lying above the Valley floor Is from S to 0 degrees. Therefore, even though n heavy frost may occur on tho valley floor, the teinperntiiro may ikk go to freezing on the uplands. During tho past season somo records wero made by observing temperatures on nnd nenr tho ground, as woll ns on tho roof of the Onrnett-Cbrey building. Whllo tempera tures ranged as low ns 23 to 2 ft degrees on tho ground and four feet nbovo It, tlui temperaturo on the toof was from 32 to 3B degrees. Thoro Is, therefore, at times, a difference of 12 degiees or moro between the temperaturo on tho ground and at n height of BO feet above uots Is the. high freight charge Crudo when taken on tho vnlloy floor. Under oil nt the wolls in California Is worth"""" conditions, thorofoCff wo are quite scarcely 2 cents n gallon, anil thox dis tillates, which nro reflnory products, do not cost moro than twlco that figure Effect of ruel Oils on Pollination. There Is another Important factor which has not been taken Into account In regard to fuels which glvo off large amounts of oily soot, us In tho ensa of crudo oil nnd slop distillates. A heavy deposit of soot with Its ntteudnut smell hns n tendency to keep away from tho orchard our beneficial insect visitors, numely, tho noncy beo mid other wild species of bees which offoct tho cross pollUiatfon of our Helf-Hterllo varieties. Anyone who hns observed closely will noto that bees do not cars to visit blos soms that are heavily coated with oily soot. It does not nlwnys happen thnt orchard heating is necessary when tho trees nro In full bloom hut such wns tho enso this yenr. In soma orchards whuro eflrlng wns practiced rather ear ly it was notlconblo that Insect visitors wero rnlher rare. In self-fortllo varlo tics this would not bo so serious, slnco n certain amount nf self-pollination would tnkii-plucc without tho aid of in sect agencies. However, in u vnrloty llko tho Wlntor Nolls pear, which Is on tlroly self-sterllo, ihoro Is noed of cross pollination nnd nothing should bu donu to keep insect visitors nwny. Wood Is Bffectlvo. With some of tho fruit growers wood hns beott used for several years. This Is particularly true of tho doro, Huudull, Urou'u, Allen nnd Potter ami Qoold or chards, nnd soveiut other smaller or chards. Thnt wood has been effective lu pre venting frost Injury even when tho tern pcrnttiro may run very low Is proven by nn examination of tho orchards wheru wood wwi prnpfcrjy ijsed. For instnncc, tho Ooro orchard, v'hleh was protected by burning old rails, does not show un injured fruit, even on tho lowest branches. In connection with tho wood Mr, Ooro lined a small amount of crude oil, Vjdilch he throw upon tho wooil flros rnngcu uiong inn easi hkio or mo or clmrd bo as to produco a dense smudge iiiMt before sunrise. This same practice wns carried out lu the llrowu orchard, in the Hollywood orchnid, owned by A. " Allen, wood was also used for Its ' "itlng effect, ami tho dense smudge i 8 produced by adding to tho wood h iiunntttlos of stable mnnuro. An r I'liinadoii of tho orchnrds shows that a method worked very woll. In tho tell nnd Iluckeyo orchards tho snmo eme of using wood nnd manure wns ; .I'd out nnd excellent results weio t lined. ir. nume vry small orchnrds. sawdust i Hlmvlngs put Into Im'Ke !Mipr mmchh I hi'Hii-uted with crude oil ill no proved .t i ) lolte efrcothu. .Tlit fires burn ed fr..m Mix to SBVfii hours, giving off a C"isiil0rHhlo ummint of hunt nnd u von di n sniudgo. Methods of riffhtlng-. The methods of lighting tho dlffoient fuels lire nut difficult. With crude oil nnd jIlBtlllutu it small amount or gusn lino )ir gtfrosene squirted from an oil ran onto (ho sUrfhee or tho oils wuh i.imlf Ignited by n torch. In most chh4 the norelum wero hoiuu-mndo uffnlis, but were none the less wr lewible. A iniui could onslly light the pots us fust ns ho could walk. The cover on tho pots wns quickly tin own off, a fow droits of ltoroseno or kimoIIiih splllwl on tho sur face of tho oil nnd tho torch quickly applied; this was the work of but it moment and scarcely iihhIm1 n slop on tho pnrt of tho operator, lu tinier to lgnlto wood, it Is uewHWtry to lillw It In n partloulnr way. This Is shown by noting tlio piles of wood lu the ilorw orchard, ns shown in tho Illustration Fliiu mateilal Is not nhsulutrly iuhs nary If "tlio wood is dry. A liiimnt can nnd a torch uro nil that Is ntHKted. ,A sinnll amount of kuromme splllml on tho wood, which Is piled "ilnviMaU" fih .Jon, und tho tortdi applied to it will paslly start It. Uuring the pust pennon of frosts nomo difficulty was oxpwrl oncctl In llglitlng tho wood on hi count of tho fuct thnt during tho wtwk jrimi tlioru Imd been heavy pwclpiutlon ninountlng to nbout 1.27 Inches. How ovor' this oxlgenoy wns nvorooms by ubIiih- kindllntr nd n llttlo moro Ur ueno mid somo crudo oil. In using wood tho particular thing to keep In mind is thut It should be dry. Frost condition!, nro almost ccrtnln to follow n heavy rain, and this wuh particularly true dur ing this m'nson. wwtlitr Ooadltloua rroducinif Spring; Trot 1b tlia XofM River Valley. In tho sprliii; it l found thnt during tho day, that Ih between sunrlso nnd sunset, thU wind hlowH mostly from nortliply juartor. Thoso winds nro, ns a rule, not molsturo laden, tho rcju. tlvo humidity belnjf often n low mi 25 per cent at tenperuro ,v. . . KrooK Fabronhult. During the ilh when fiot nro likely to occur Ilia winds die down liltogother nr clmiiBo to ft aouthorly quarter. The wlnda from thu t snfo In saying thnt thoro may bu llttlo danger to tho crops on tho higher lands surrounding tho innln floor of tho Val ley. Unusual Condition. During tho Week Included between April 10 'and 17 of this year quite nn unusual condition prevailed. Owing to tho henvy precipitation followed by a rather cold wave, there was practically no difference In the temperatures re corded on tho valley floor anil tho sur rounding higher ground. Tho minimum temperatures recorded on tho mornings of April 11, 12 nnd 13 rnnged between :i 1-2 nml 31 1-2 degrees throughout tho district genorally. Theso tompomturos In most cases did not continue over n Very long porlotl of tlmo, nnd wero not necessarily damaging. On tho morning of tho 11th and 12th, very llttlo firing wns necessary, and oven on tho 13th there wero only a few spots which re quired heating for n short tlmo. Tho maximum dally temperatures for the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th wero, respec tively, r7, DO, 47 and 48 degrees, tfioro foro there was very llttlo Insolation and tho uplands could gain but llttlo from any licit t rising from tho vnlloy floor. However, tho temporutures on tho 13th nnd' 14lh roso to 67 nnd 07 degrees, re spoctlvoly. On the mornings of tho 14th nnd l&th the lowest temperaturo record ed ut the government shutter wns 2G de grees. This tomporntuiii was not tho lowest obsorved In tho valley slncu somo of tho lowest spots gnvo temperatures from 3 to 4 degrees lower. Tlio nights preceding thu mornings of tho Uth nnd l&th worn clear, hence radiation of nil the. heat absorbed during tho day was very rn)ld. Tho hillsides recorded tem peratures fully 8 to It) degrees higher ami tho only filiate necessary was on tho vnlloy floor. Records Kept, lly referring to tho thermograph reo ord for tho week beginning April 10, some very Important facts may bo learn ed, it will bo particularly noted that tho low temperatures such ns would pro duce Injury to fruit crops really contin ued for u very Short time, Tho curves Instead of being broad and flat for the mornings of April 14th nnd 15th, are very sharp and the exact length of tlmo over which any tcmpcqituro prevailed cnu easily be mude out by noting the tlmo co-ordinates. On tho morning of April 14th It will ho noted that tint curve Is so sharp ns to utmost retrace Itself for 3 or 4 degrees, showing thnt tho lowest temperntiiio could not have last ed more than IR minutes. Another fact which may bo made out by studying thu curves Is tho oxnet time when it became iieeessHry to stnrt tlio fires. As it rule, the ou-hardlstn are Instructed not to let the teinpemnno in n peur orchard lu full bloom or sotting fruit go below 29 de grees. KuppoBlng tho flies wero lighted wlisn tlui temperature readied 30 de gree, una win easily read the tlmo from th chuit when It became necessary to light the flros. One can also unto tho other end of tho curve nnd road tlio time when It was no longer nocessury to maintain the fires and nimuUes, llesltles the fronts which occurred be ginning with April 10th, other light frosts, which did no mutcilal damage and for which It was scarcely necos- wiry to flie, ououriod on April 7th. 17th If th and 10th. A lory few spots had tumpcrHtiires which ranged below 29 tie greon for so shoit n tlmo that no dam age could he done. On the 2Uth it tern pwroturn of 117 1-2 wns lecordud at Med ford, but In Home plnctM It ranged about one degree lower for u short time. Fir ing wuh gonerully for three hours. In every cane, the low tomperutuies weic accurately forecasted In sufficient time lu ndvnnao to give the glower tlmo to have every tiling lu readiness. Doubles the evening forecast, which gnvo not only tho temperature which might bo expected bofuie inonilliK. but also the time whwu It would hcoomw necessary to fire, tentative morning forecasts were also gheu. Tho system of local fiost forecasting is one thut has been worked out by tho writer and hns proven entire ly reliable for tho fonr years it has been In use. How the rorecait Are Made. Weather forecasting Is In every souse science. Home would have us bulluve that weather bureau men uro endowed with wlutt might bu cu11m1 a great deal of foresight, uccompanlrtl with tho hap py fseulty of being utile to iniike fro luviitly slutiwd guesses. This Is not the A weather forecaster tnkes Into aceount every possible factor which may govern weather conditions, nnd by cartful analysts, also taking Into ac count hundreds of observations thut have iieni ii.ade lu the past, makes up wlwt Is aiKsl a furtuH.N, which la his Judgment Inini d upon observation, will he tho sort of wt-ather ry likely to occur. Un- fl'i-toiiiitih, the forecaster does not ul wus iim. at hand such data as may be most in-ej. d fU his work. Often weath er lunditioua ut somo distant atutlou, such nn bnrometic pressure, tempera ture:, wind dln'ctlou nnd velocity, nro not obtainable', in fact, rtcVcral stntlons tuny fall to report duo to tho breaking down of telegraphic or telephonic com munication. Tho forecaster1 on tho- Pa cific nlopo is very much hampered be cause there nro no stations west of him. All weather moves from west to cast, and except for Home observations which inuy be telegraphed from tho Chinese const, Jnnan, tho Philippines, Hawaii nnd the Aleutian Islnnds nil trace of storms or other weather conditions lu lost nnd can only bo picked up when they rench the Pacific coast. As soon ns tho Pacific coast stations record wenthor conditions, it Is vory easy for all districts east to mako vory accurate forecasts. For Instnnce, tho Florida orango growers may bo notified from five days to ft week In advance of a dangerous freeze. Tho Pnelifc coast may have somo service In tho future by getting tho weather from tho many steamers which now carry wireless', but since theso ships movo through the weather, tho data obtained from them Is not of tho greatest value. A forecaster desires to know not only tho typo of Weather, that is to say, tho weather fac tors, hut ho must also know tho rate of change which theso factors nro under going. For tho buromotor, It Is not ho Important for him to know ut which point It stands nt tho tlrno of observa tion, hut tho rnto it Is rising or falling. Uy this ho may havo somo knowledge as to how tho wenthor Is moving. Making- of forecasts. In limiting" up local forecasts, such nn frost forecasts, tho factors taken Into neeount uro tho maximum tomporaturo nnd its duration, direction nnd velocity of tho prevailing winds thu barometor nnd Its fluctuations or trend, tho tem peraturo of tho dew point, cbndltlon of tho sky, whether clear, cloudy dr clear ing, nnd the weather conditions so far as obtainable to tho northwest nnd west of tho key Htntlon from which tho fore casts are to bo sent. After getting nil this data, tho forecaster sendii out such wnrnlngH us In his Judgment will bo helpful to tho community served by tlio forecast. In a district sltunted as Is tho Itoguu Illvor valley, frost forecasting Is perhaps less difficult than In nn open plains country. Tho Itoguo Illvor val ley Is surrounded on all sides by moun tains ranging from 4000 to r00U feet nbovo sea level, nnd with many peaks much higher. It Is thurofore, a vnlloy rarely visited by high winds. During periods of frost It Is usually calm, and In the sovoral years during which careful observations havo been made, tho great est movement of tho nlr recorded during u spring frost has been from ono to threo miles per hour. This vory fact mnkes it very easy to hold tho heat nnd smoke In tho orchards. Contrast this with tho severe freezes which havo oc curred In the Knnko Hlvcr country, in tho noise vnlloy nnd othor districts wheru wind velocities ranging from 20 to 38 miles per hour wore recordod when the thermometer utood at IB degrees or moro holow tlio freezing point. The fruit growers of tho Hoguo Illvor val ley llttlo realize the wonderful climatic iissets thoy nro so fortunate to have. It can bo truly statod that the only reason for losing a crop by frost Is caro lessnosS or neglect. How the Qrowers Heat and Smudge the Orchards. Tho work of planning tho frost fight ing campaign really begins the previous fall, If crude oil or dlstlllato Is tho fuel to bo used tho puts must bo pur chased so its to he on tho ground not later thnn tho Inst weok of March, even thougn frosts do not usually occur be fore the first Week of April. Tho fuel oil Is also ordered In tank cars of C000 to 8000 gallons each nnd upon delivery uro emptied into large storage tanks on tho ruuehes. These tanks mo usually of concrete und nro placed upon an eleva tion so that the work of unloading the delivery wagons, nn well ns the subse quent filling of tho tank wagons for de livery to thu pots In tho orchard. Is ef fected by gravity. Pumping crudo oil Is ruthi' nn Impossible task, or, nt best, n difficult one, especially when it Is cold. Distillate Is easier to handle, hut the gravity method of handling It Is much quicker mid saves n lot of work. The method of filling tho pots Is usual ly by means of n. large hose attached to u gate valve on the dollvery tank. An other method Is to use large buckets with which to fill tho pots. When this method ts used, tho hose. U dispensed with nnd only n Inrgo gnto valvo or mo lasses gate is used. Hlv men working eight hours can easily flit 3000 pots. The number of pots to ho used por ncrv will vary within wide limits. lmgu spreading trcoH with the fruit borne not lower than four freet from tho ground may easily be protected from the most serious frcoie wo have experienced dur ing the past four years by using OB to 70 pots per nere. However, It Is to be understood thnt thu sides or outside rows should bo reinforced by at least two rows of pots. This Is especially true of the South and east sides of our orchards, since It Is fro in these quar ters that the slight air movement comes during the periods of low temperatures, However, It is u good plan to reinforce nil sides so us to meet any emergency. During the past season AS pots burning slop distillate saved the Potter and tloold pear orchard when tho temper,! ture outside of thu orchard registered by a tested thermometer. 22 degrees. Tho lesults In this orchard nre so clear out that there la no mistaking the effective lions of systematic orchard heating, A few pear trees of the s-iiue x.irlety stand ing nbout ten rods outside of the heated urea lost their mtlre crop. Number of Pots, As stated before, the iiumticr of pats to be used will depend upon tlio geog raphical position of the orchard. Its ele vation, and the slxo nnd helgut of the crop bearing poitlon of thu tree. In a young orchard, of perhaps 4 to 8 years of age. It will take two or three times as many pots ns In the rase of un old orchard with spreading limbs iilmont touching each other und effectively trap ping the bent. A perfect knowledge of the frost posalhllltUa of any particular tract will guide ono as to tho amount of protcctlun iiHceseary. It would be Hufn to say thai fiom 1&0 to 200 pots will lie needed In very joung orchard situated lu what are known us "cold spots." Kvery orehardlat knows, or should know, where to find these spots. When wood la the fuel to be used, It should be secured early und must be dry. Moat of the firing done by wood has been with old rails which nro well seasoned and hum without difficulty.! coming season, but with the heavy losses In tho many districts throughout Cordwood has nlso been used to ft some- tho south, tho middle west and the Pa- what less extent, but, nevertheless, with clflo northwest, wo feel perfectly safe ontiro Bausraeiion. Wood In very clumsy and much In tho way ami tliero Is no doubt that Its uso will bo abandon'- od In tho nenr future. Home growers, hnwover, nro of tho opinion thnt wood Is the best fuel, nnd it is qlllto probable thnt for Hinnll tracts Itn use will be continued. Ther6 is really no difficulty In handling It If properly placed, but for lnrRo trnfts I would) rather think its ute to bo qulto out 6f tho question. Tlio element of time consumed In placing It, as well oh tho spneo which it takes up In the orchard, thus Interfering with cul tivntlon, both mitigate against ltn use. The number of wood fires necessn'ry for large trees may bo nil tho way from 2d to CO. The fires should not bo lar.'o. slnco largo fires tend to produco con vectlvo ulr currents und may' bo more harmful to tho orchnrd as u wholo than tho same number of smnll fires. This season one nttemnt ut using wooil In a young orchard iHd not provo very sue cessful, because tho flros wero not nu merous enough, In most orchnrds It wus found that tho tompernturo could be raised six to ten degrees. Which Are Good. Jlnnuro, sawdust, 'rubbish, etc. are used mainly to crcnlo u mnudgo nnd nro of prnctlcnlly no value lu raising tho temperature. In using wood, these mil terluls am often qulto on niltlltional help In holding tho bent generated by tho burning wooil. It often happens that the tempornturo cannot be kept nbovo the (lunger polntj if this happens toward morning tho smutlgo Is benoflclnl In pro tecting the frozon blossoms nnd fruit irom tho morning. sun, which would tend to thaw them too rapidly. It is not tho freezing of tho fruit that causes tho In jury; it Is the thawing. Hlossoms niny bo frozen solid for several hours, nnd, If thawed out very slowly, they ur,o not Injured. Freezing causes tho water to bo abstracted from tho coll protoplasm. Tho protoplasm has taken this water up from tho soli very slowly. If the wntor which hns been nbstrncted from It can bo tuturned,very slowly, tho coll will recover Its former activities. No matter what fuel Is to be used, a plentiful supply should bo distributed In tho Orchards. F.ven If f0 pots -will do tho work, It Is better to hnvo 100 or more for each ncro even in nn orchnrd of old trees. Tho biuiio mny bo said of wood. It Is only necessary to light ns many flros ns will keep thu tempornturo nbovo tho danger point. It Is ns groat a mlstnko to light too mnny fires ns It Is to light too fow for the renson thnt burning unnecessary fuel may cause u shortage nt n tlmowhen lack of fuot would moan n total loss. Onco tho tem peraturo goes very much below tho dan ger point, it Is hnrd to ralso it mid if this huppens vory near sunrlso n smudgo donso enough to protect tho frozen blos soms mny bo hnrd to secure, or to keep hanging over the orchards. It Is best to tnko no chances. o" Thormometers Needed. Good thermometers should not bo over looked, and no fowe,r. Uinn two or threo per ncro, for tho best results, should bo used. Theso Instruments should not bo the very cheap kind, although it is not udvlsed that thoy should bo vory expensive. All thormometers should be tested anil tho correction for tho differ ent points on the scnln carefully marked so us to bo easily read. A thermometer with Its correction Is Just ns good ns ono thnt reads absolutely true. As n matter of fact, tho vory best tiiermoin etciH nro not perfection, and must hnvo corrections made for different parts of tho scule. For tho oroliardlst It Is usu ally sufficient to know within nt least half u degree of tho correct temperature reading, slnco ho is quite certnin to keep on the safe sldu nt all times. Resides tho thermometcrH In tho field. the frost ulnrm thermometer, which is designed to awaken ono when a certain temperature hns been reached, inny be more or less advisable. Of course nil n frost nlnrm thermomuter can do Is to Indicate thut n certain temperature bus been reached. It Is usually made to ring at say 33 or 32 degrees mid does not necessarily liullcato that dangerous tern peratnres will follow. During tho past, tlio local forecasting million linn Indl Pitted vory nearly tho hour when it would be necessary to fire as well as forecasting tho possible temperaturo so that with this In mind thoso who had no frost alarm thcrnionuiter got along pretty well with it good nlnrm clock. It would Imi n serious mistake to begin lighting up without knowing whether or not tho temperature would go below the danger point; tills Is where tho local forecaster's work Is of grout est valuo. Work of the V. S. Weather Bureau. During periods uf tlaitgeroua frosts, the local stutlon kept constant wntch of the weather day nnd night. F.ven nftcr tho forecast! were given out, the office called up the growers throughout the entire dlstrlut advising thorn of any change as well us Instructing them In the mutter of firing. This was u most necessary piece of work, because it was known that tho amount of fuol on baud was not inrgo onougii to warrant any isnste. .Most of tho orchurdlaU waited for the wonl "fire." which was flashed over the telephone wires when It wu evident that tho thermometer would soon drop below the danger point. During the week beginning with April 10th the local office did not close Its door for a single hour, but kept In constant touch with every Interested orchnrdlst. How- ever, tho local office would havo been powerless hud It not been for the effi ciency of the operators of tlio Puolfle telephone mid telegraph service. The growers cannot lm too thankful to the young ladles who manipulated the swltuhlxuird through tho long nights of anxiety. Mr. Uurhtor the local manager of thu company, also doaerve the praise due him for his part In iiiulntulnlng such valuable service. It Is quite prob able that many subscriber often heard the words, "the Hue Is busy." but If they did they must have known thnt other anxious orohardlsts wre getting a Hue on tho weather from tho weather man. During the entire season wo have not heard of a single error and certainly none that cuused anyone to lose Ills croji. What Orchard Heatlce; Has Saved tho Valley. At this time it la difficult to say wtiat the gross value of the several or chard fruit crops saved will total. Wi have no way of isttlinatlug whnt thu In snylng thnt tho ruling prices will be much higher. This will bo particularly truo of tho stone fruits and tho pears. When tho largo orchards nnd tho njnnller ones which wero saved by firing have been cnrofnlly inspected it is qulto safe to nay that for tho entire district, with Its pears, penches, apples nnd other fruits, n gross amount not far from n half million dollars mny bo estimated ns Knfo at' thin tlmo. llut tho most Inter esting pnrt of It nil is, what did It cost tlio growers to save their crops7 Let us taka as nn lnstanco ono of the com mercial orchards using fuol pots with tho highest prico fuel, namely, slop dis tillate. This orchard used CC pots to the ucre, which equipment cost npproxlmnte ly 1 10. Tho fuel pots may bo consider ed an nn usset ami n safe cstimnto would bo $1 por ncro as interest and deprecia tion per year on tho potB. Tho cost of firing threo times with tho slop dlHtll lnto wnn nbout $12. Added, to this the nctual cost of labor por ncro for filling nnd lighting will being tho totnl cost of snvlng tho crop to about $1G. Now sup pose the crop worth only JfiOO un ncrc, wo will soo thut tho Insurance ugalnst irost has beon rather cheap, nftcr nil. Tho rnto Is Just threo per cent. Hut wo havo used tho highest priced fuel; therefore, with wood or crudo nil, thu cost for this year will bo below thaj amount. It must bo remenibored that during mnny seasons only u single firing may bo necessary, making tho cost ono thlrd as much; mid, ugaln, wo havo sea sons when no damaging frosts occur nt nil. In making tho above calculation wo hnvo not taken Into account boiiic of tho orchards that for several years hnvo jiruuuccu more xnan fiuuu per ncrc. These, of uourse, nro old orchards, nnd aro In tholr prime. Everybody knows whnt tho Ooro orchard ban done, and It In nlso well known thut Mr. Goro has saved his crop by firing for tho past four or flvo years. The only thing that Can bo said Is: "Whatever man has dono man may do." Hut It Is not nlorio tho snvlng of this year's crop thnt Is importnnt. Tho ex perience gnlned by many growors who have heated their orchards for tho Jlrst time, un well us thoso of us who nro well ncqunlnted with tho methods In use. Is worth, not thousands of dollars, but millions of dollnrs to this vnlloy. What ovfcr mistakes havo been mndo by Home growers who fulled to fully equip their orchnrds, or nt least, did not under fltand thoroughly their peculiar local conditions, will bo avoided nnother yenr. Much vnlunblo data bus bcon secured which will make It much easier to In struct growers in future orohurd heat ing. Practical Sng-ffeitlons. WhoroVt'r it Is found necessary to protoct orchnrds from frost injury ench fruit grower should provldo himself early In advance of the sedson for firing not only with fuul, pots or other boat ing apparatus, but should nlso provldo hlmswlf with n sufficient number of thermometers. It Is nlso. advised that each fruit grower should havo u good maximum-minimum thormometer. A dow point apparatus or psychromoter for determining the dow point tempera turo. accompanied with tables, would nlso bo n vnlunblo part of tho equip ment. The dew point apparatus Is sim ply two fairly good tluirmometers fixed together with ono of the bulbs covered Avlth linen. A string tied Into tho rings, of sufficient length to whirl tho Instru ment, complutes it. In usmg the In strument, wot tho covered bulb nnd whirl rapidly so thnt evaporation will take placo from tho wet mirfneo. When the mercury lu tho wet bulb thermom eter ennnot bo lowered any further, It should bt read simultaneously with the dry bulb thermometer. The readings lire referred to tables which glvo tho dew point temperaturo. Tho dow point tem pornturo when found Is usually In close ngrcement with the minimum tempera turo tho following morning providing the sky remains clenr und there is no wind. This Is truo during only a part of tho year. An oneroid barometer Is nlso n valua ble. Instrument, lly carefully noting the movement of this Instrument ono may readily learn to predict, with moro or less certainty, the kind of wenthor to bo expected. With the pressuro high tho chances are that frost may bo ex pected, nnd tho rovorso when the prcs niiii) la low. In muklng readings with nil meteoro logical Instruments, there should bo n set tlmo for observation. Itundoin read IngH taken ut odd times nro of vory little value. A careful iccord, neatly kept will surely repay the observer many times for his trouble. It would be n very flno practlco for ench grower to be able to tell what his maximum and minimum temperatures. Imrometer, wind direction and estimate of velocity, dew point temperatures nnd rainfall for ench day In the yenr, This data would not only be vnlunblo to himself, but to the dlstrlut us u whole. Lastly, whenever It Is possible, get the weather from the nearest United Stutes weather buivnti station. The local ob server is usually bettor equipped to tell what weather conditions nro likely to be expected and whut emergencies arc to be provided for than anyone else. He is nlso able to toll whnt temperatures nro Injurious to the several kinds of fiults through thu season. Injurious temperatures uro not the ttnmo for nil nrletlos; nor are they the same for any ono variety during different stages of Its growth. Tables have been published by this office giving nil this data, mid It la hoped that every orchnrdlst has filed n copy In some convenient place The writer appreciates more than mo one else the rumarkable work that has been dona by the orchardtsts In protect tug the present year's fruit crop. It was truly a wonderful sight on the morn lugs of April 13th. 14th und !Uth to s.s the entire vulloy lighted up with thou sands uf fires, which for n while glisten ed In the stilly night like so many cnnip flroa of u protecting unity. As dawn ap proached these flros wore hidden by a dense pall of smoke, which covered the entire vulley. It was like the smoke of battle, wblolu when It cleared aunt guve rlsu to joyous feeling, for Jack Frost, the enemy, had been routed and the atluy was saved. , c 'ONSIDER well before you buy vegetables, ThinK for a moment of how they are bought and kept. Vegetables should be fresh and moist with the appearance of having just come from where nature grew them. That is, when they are well kept the way we keep them. This is the reason why all our vegetables look, as if they had just arrived with all that delicious, fresh, natural flavor you like so well. And we take good care that not a moment is lost in their delivery to you. Send a trial order. Our rent is low, our run ning expense is low; our cost of delivery is low in price, but as good as the best. Doesn't it stand to reason that we can Sell goods for less? Allen Grocery Co. 32 AND 34 SOUTH CENTRAL AVENUE REMEMBER errm-tn t H ME FOR SALE IN TALENT, JACKSON CO., ORE. A newly incorporated town a fine home of eighteen acres. Level, fertile alfalfa and fruit land, irrigat ed. One block from postoff ice, on the main road and extends to Bear creek. Has two acres bearing New towns, 11 years old; 12 acres Bartlett and D'Anjou pears; 2 acres alfalfa. All is fine garden land. Pure water from the mountains; healty; churches; schools, and literary societies. No saloons or drmik enness it is a dry town. It is midway between the thriving cities of Medford and Ashland. - PRICE Sll.OOO $fii)00 cash, four years' time at (J per cent on balance. Will discount $300 for cash. Team, wagon and farm ; implements go with the place. L. N. JUDD EXCLUSIVE AGENT TALENT. OREGON !l rwfMww 'The Show That's WiH Exhibit at MEDFORD TUESDAY BbHHHHBBM DiHerenfl MAY 2d -ONE DAY ONLY- TWO PERFORMANCES AT 2 AND 8 P. M. A. G. BARNES BIG 3 RING VvILD ANIM -:-CIRCUS-:- 200 ANIMAL ACTORS 200 PERFORMING ANIMALS RUSSIAN BEARS RIDING ARABIAN STALLIONS M Groups of Savage Beasts A in Salutation 21 nuvo no way or tNtiimutiiti; wimi tnu cultlly critical rullni; prlcva for fruit Mill bo tturiiif Mij "look too J, buy! Look at Ilia JverlUd real estate with coblly critical oc and If It still Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Leopards, Pumar Diuercan .Dears- jtui in uig steei arenas under the direction of famous male and female trainers HEARDS OF ELEPHANTS ARTIC SEA LIONS High School Horses, Dogs, Ponies, Monkeys, Baboons, and a host of Sensational Acts - All under monster Tents in 3 BIG STEEL ARENAS TWO MILITARY BANDS. Free Street Parade at 10:30 A. M. j Rain or Shine-Medford, Tuesday May 2nd ? f Yl