EX&E TWO
MEDEORD MATT) TRIBUTE, MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, A PRIX 30, 1911.
Frost Fighting in the Rogiie River Valley
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(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
?
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