TWELVE MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIE UN
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HEATING QUALITIES SHOWN The graphs above show the
relative heating qualities of fuels used in experiments in
orchard heating, described in the accompanying article. Tem
peratures are shown on the vertical axes of the graphs, times
on the horizontal axes. The fuels used included slabwood and
PRESTO-LOGS BURNED Shown here is the type of can
heater used in the experiments in wood-burning to heat or
chards, now under way. The five-gallon cans, with air holes
punched around the bottom, contain four of the Presto-Logs,
two of which are shown at right. They "are lighted with the
use of igniting oil, and will burn for two hours without at
tention, throwing out heat comparable to that put out by
oil burners.
PIMM! wm
IIST IF 1
Can wood products be used to
protect fruit orchards during
the frost season?
A series of experiments de
signed to answer this question
has been conducted here this
winter, and is still continuing.
While no startling conclusions
can yet be drawn from the ex
periments, the results show
promise of success.
The story of the experiments,
which have taken place at the
Southern Oregon Branch Exper
iment station off Kings highway
south of Medford, is a story of
voluntary cooperation from
hundreds of men and organiza
tions, each contributing some
thing to the project.
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3 West Sixth Street
Medford, Oregon
.
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A.M.
On three nights so far this
winter, fires have been lighted
in the station's orchards to test
the relative heating qualities of
oil, which is now generally used
for heating; slabwood, easily ob
tainable from' local mills, and
Presto-Logs, which are made of
pressed sawdust.
Preliminary results indicate
that- orchards can be protected
from frost by use of the, wood
products. Whether this is prac
tical or economical is yet to be
definitely settled.
The experiments were origin
ated with three thoughts in
mind:
1. Burning wood products
throw off smoke which is far
less thick and dirty than that
from oil flames;
2. Use of wood products
would create a good market for
now-useless or marginal wood
products - which are produced
locally, and
3. Costs of using wood may
turn out to be considerably less,
both as to capital outlay for
heaters and for actual operating
expenses.
Temperatures Recorded
The burning trials were made
on - nights when the tempera
tures fell below freezing. Orch
ards were spotted with thermo
meters at regular intervals, and
two balloons were raised over
the orchard, equipped with ther
mocouples to record tempera
tures in the upper air.
One segment of the orchard
had regular, return-stack (or
"smokeless") heaters. Another
had slabwood bound in bundles,
and a third location was heated
with Presto-Logs, arranged four
together in five-gallon cans. Lo
cation patterns of all three were
identical. ,.
The wood fuels gave as 'good
protection against frost as did
the oil heaters, the researchers
found. Several different meth
ods of burning and arranging
the heat sources were used.
The slabwood and edgings
were strapped into 50-pound
bundles about 20 inches long,
set on end on the ground and
ignited with the aid of oil. The
Presto-Logs were burned in the
cans, after being started with
oil. The cans had perforations
in the bottom to provide a sud-
ply of air.
Heat Roughly Equiralent
The slabs and pressed loes
furnished heat roughly equiva
lent to that . of an oil burner
using about two gallons during
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Sunday. February 27. 19S3
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edging bundles, the same materials in heaters, Presto-Logs in
cans, and regular return-stack oil heaters. This experiment
was conducted the night of Jan. 29. The solid lines show tem
peratures outside the heated areas, the dotted lines the tem
peratures in the heated sections.
SLABWOOD, EDGINGS USED Slabwood and edgings also
were used in the experiments. Some were tied in bundles, and
others were placed in can heaters, as shown above. The ex
periments are designed to eliminate oil as a heating agent
and to make use of , local products. Results so far as incon
clusive but promising.
the two-hour burning periods,
Some 4,000 acres of orchard
in the Rogue valley are now
heated for frost protection. In
a typical season about 1,200,000
gallons of oil are needed, at a
cost of some $175,000. Another
4,000 acres would be heated if
costs were lower.
Wood to do a comparable job
of heating would total some 10,
000 tons a season. An ample sup
ply is available, since sawmills
in the area daily produce about
1,000 tons of slabs and edgings
and 1,000 tons of sawdust and
shavings.
Potential New Industry
The Presto-Logs are now im
ported, but if they prove sue
cessful ,they could be manufac
tured here under license, thus
providing a small new industry
for the valley.
Protection from frost has long
been one of the major problems
of orchardists in the area. Re
search on the methods began
with the planting of the first
orchards," more than 50 years
ago. At first, straw, slabwood
and practically anything else
burnable, including manure,
were used to heat the orchards,
and in the cold days of early
spring many residents of Med
ford turned out to, help heat the
orchards. .
Later, oil came to be the
standard heating agent, usually
being burned in low, partly
open pots. In recent years, as the
population grew, 'complaints
from residents about the smoke
usually known as "smudge"
grew to proportions where the
orchardists have started looking
for other methods.
Return-Stack Heater
One with promise is the re
turn stack heater .which, sends
the smoke back through the
combustion chamber, ieburning
it and eliminating most of the
undesirable elements in the
smoke. But these heaters are
considerably more expensive
than the regular pots, and buy
ing enough for several acres re
quires a major capital invest
ment. It was the search for alterna
tive methods, offering the pos
sibility of less smoke, smaller
cost and benefits to other local
business, that motivated the cur
rent experiments.
Orchardists : know that heat
ing is an absolute necessity for
their business. Some years dam
age would be small, but in the
Medford area alone in 1954
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damage totaled an estimated
$5,000,000 despite widespread
orchard heating. If lower-cost
and unobjectionable methods
can be found, heating . could be
extended to "marginal" orch
ards which need heat only once
every few years, thus eliminat
ing the chance of a freeze dis
aster such as that last year.
Some Other Acreage
During the comine season.
heating operations will be con
ducted at the station with the
wood products. In addition,
there is a strong possibility that
some commercial acreage will
oe neatea with Presto-Logs this
spring.
The experiments are; strictly
a cooperative endeavor. They
are sponsored iointlv bv thp
Forest Products laboratory at
uregon Jstate college, Corvallis,
the Jackson County Fruit Grow
ers league and the Rogue Valley
Traffic association.
But many other agencies,
companies and individuals have
joined in to help. Some of these
include the Medford weather
bureau, the Southern Oregon
Branch Experiment station
where the tests are performed,
the extension service, the South
ern Oregon Conservation and
lree Farm association and two
of its members, Mogan and Ross
Lumber companies, and others.
Dr. John Higdon, horticultur
ist at the experiment station,
has been working actively on
the project, which is under the
overall direction of Stanley Cor-
der, of the Forest Products lab
oratory. A number of local
orchardists, merchants and in
terested individuals have aided
with the work, as have several
of the major oil companies.
One of the problems remain
ing to be solved is a method of
water-proofing the Presto-Logs
so they can be stored under
damp conditions without going
to pieces.
But the maior . nroblem re
mains the figuring of ways and
means of doine the job. and
figuring if costs will be low
er-oueh tomake the use of the
wood products feasible.
In 1896 two Americans
George Harbo and Frank Sam-
uelson rowed across the At
lantic ocean in an 18-foot open
boat. They used only oars
no sails, no' motor. Their 3.200-
mile row took them 62 days.
mIEEvITS
'iiSaday LW Ecpiipiiinieiflrt Spots
istairt .. Copco. Um JmAks
Fault-Locator Use
Eliminates Trips
By Checking Crews
A "radar-like" piece of equip
ment that spots trouble miles
away is being used by Califor
nia Oregon Power company to
search out line trouble on its
system in southern Oregon and
northern California.
Known as a line fault locator,
the - equipment has been used
successfully by Copco since
about 1947.
Using it, an operator can look
at a small screen located in one
of eight towns in this area, and
can tell what may be wrong with
a power line up to 50 or more
mile3 away.
Can Pinpoint Trouble
For example, it is possible to
tell if a line, 40 miles away, is
grounded or open. Better yet, an
experienced operator can pin
point the site of the trouble
within a comparatively few feet.
Obviously, the saving in time,
manpower and equipment, which
this equipment makes possible,
is extremely valuable to Copco.
W. H. Fisher, electrical en
gineer for the company, declares
that location of one fault on
transmission lines in mountain
ous country pays for the equip
ment by saving time and the cost
of patrolling and sectionalizing.
Before the equipment was in
stalled, it was necessary, when
trouble developed, to send out
crews through all kinds of wea
ther. One crew would start from
one end and one from the other.
They would call in from time
to time, sometimes hiking for
miles just to reach a phone, un
til the trouble was located. Then,
it might be necessary to send
back for more men and equip
ment. Sometimes, especially in win
ter weather, by the time one
break had been found, another
would occur.
Like TV Set
The things a fault finder ope
rator can determine about trans
mission line trouble, just by
looking at a screen that looks
much like a television set on the
blink, are hard for the layman
to believe.
For example, on one occasion
during a storm an operator at
Grants Pass was watching his
screen. He saw a sudden flash,
immediately put the point of his
pencil on it, and then did some
rapid calculations.
He called a crew, and told
New Paint Company Here To Manufacture
Products From Materials of This Area
The formulation of a fire-re
sistant roof coating from south
ern Oregon minerals and the
manufacture of this and other
types of paints, will get under
way within a week or 10 days
at tie new locally-owned firm,
Med cord Paint Manufacturing
corporation, 906 North Riverside
ave., officers have announced.
Members of the firm have been
carrying on research and experi
mentation for some months on
the roof coating. Named Asbes-
tex, it is made from aluminum,
ground asbestos, synthetic rub
ber and several fire-proof chemi
cals that when mixed, result in
a roof coating which is the most
fire-resistant possible to produce,
Robert L. Taylor, the president,
said.
Local Minerals
The Medford Paint corpora
tion is affiliated with the Bow
ers Chemical company near
Grants Pass, which, Taylor said,
owns large deposits of minerals
from which are manufactured
naint niements and oaint colors.
These include iron oxides, raw
and burnt umbers and siennas,
ground asbestos, barium sul
phate, antimony trioxide, chrom
ium orange and chrome green,
colored talcs and magnesum sili
cates.
This affiliation will enable
the Medford firm to purchase
naint moments and colors . at a
discount and a part of the pro
ceeds will be invested in the
paint corporation.
North of Grants Pass
The ore deposits of the Bow
ers Dlant and the manufacturing
plant are located about 40 miles
northwest of Grants Pass. D. W.
Bowers, a chemist and geolo
gist of nearly 50 years experi
ence, claims that it would take
him more than a thousand years
years to market all of the chrome
and paint pigments and colors
he can manufacture from his ore
deposits.
Bowers and his sons. Calvin
V. Bowers, an experienced mill
wrisht. and E. L. Bowers. Ropup
River, experienced salesman and :
operator, are all investors in the
paint corporation, and are mem- j
bers of the board of Hirpctor
The members of the board now
are seekmg an experienced busi
ness executive to join the cor
poration as office manager to
OPERATOR AT WORK A Copco employee is shown above,
working with a line fault finder. The larger piece of equipment,
at right, includes the oscilloscope, or screen, on which approxi
mately 50 miles of power transmission lines can be checked for
trouble. (Copco photo)
LINE GROUNDED Shown above is a fault locator screen set
up on the line between Dixonville and Days Creek, in Douglas
county. On the line, across the face of the screen, Dixonville is
located at the extreme left. The large up and down break in the
white line shows that there is a grounded line between the two
communities, about 1 miles from Days Creek. The smaller up
and down break in the white line, nearer the right side of the
screen, is a reflection of the impulse to the grounded line. (Copco
photo). - .
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them that a power line had torn
loose from an insulator, and was
swinging in the wind, coming
in contact with another line. The
trouble, be said, was on the line
between Grants Pass and Cres
cent City, Calif., and he told
them exactly where be thought
it was located.
When the crew arrived on the
scene, they found the trouble
was exactly, what he said it
would be, and it was within a
quarter of a mile of where the
operator had expected. -Saw
Second Break
On another, occasion, an ope
rator had discovered trouble and
a crew had been dispatched. The
operator resumed watching the
screen and saw another break
develop behind the- crew. He
called them by radio, they split
the crew, and both breaks were
complete the five-man board of
directors.
At a meeting of the present
board last week they voted to,
release for public sale $10,000
worth of their 6 per cent pre
ferred shares of capital stock
at $100 per share. The proceeds
from this stock sale will be used
in building a fire-proof addition
to their building at 906 North
Riverside ave., and in purchase
of new machinery, the officers
said. This will enable them even
tually to give employment to
a number of Medford men and
women.
DINE OUT
THIS WEEK!
DONT
Red Streak Cafe
Rogue Valley Country Club
Busy Bee Cafe
Holiday Inn Coffee Shop
Steak House Cafe
Maury's Corner
Eaton's, Dinner House
Trailways Cafe
Hotel Medford
Lulu's Cafe
El Rogue Cafe
Other restaurants or cafes wishing to cooptrata and ba Included' en our future ads Call Med
ford 2-8212. Ad paid by Milk Producers League and Jackson County Pomona Grange.
repaired in short order.
In tests conducted last week on
the line between Medford and
Grants Pass, an operator pin
pointed trouble set up for the
test within six 'one hundredths
of a mile.
A . fault finder consists , of a
pulse generator, oscilloscope, and
various other .. equipment. The
pulse generator sends an im
pulse along the line being tested,
and when the Impulse runs into
an. open or grounded line, or
other trouble, the impulse is re
flected backhand shows up on a
line on the oscilloscope, or
screen. The principal is much
like that of radar, or sonar.
Shows 50 Miles
The screen shows aDDroxi-
mately 50 miles of power lihe,!
and can be changed to show five-
mile sections of the line. The
larger the change in the line
The Asbestex paint, Taylor
said, will withstand the severest
weather and temperature
changes without checking or
blistering, and will adhere tena
ciously to all grades of composi
tion shingles and roll roofings,
all kinds of builtup and metal
roofs, or to concrete and block
construction. This makes it ideal
for all industrial buildings and
roofs of schools and other pub
lic buildings, he said.
Heat Resistant
Asbestex also is heat resistant,
deflecting sun heat from walls
and roofs, thus cooling interiors
at least as much at 15 degrees, j
Whether you choose a hamburger, plump and juicy . . .
or golden brown, tender, fried chicken, you'll find it
cooked at its delicious best at your favorite restaurant.
For real enjoyment make a date with yourself and your
family to eat out this week!
FORGET TO ASK FOR
Big Y Super Market
Kim's Restaurant
Top Notch Cafe
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop
Al White's Rogue Restaurant
Groceteria
Hotel Jackson
Brown's Cafe
Winter Cafe
Whistle Stop Cafe
Tiny Pup Answers
Medford Woman's
Small-Home Need
(Pietur on Pag 1)
Mrs. Walter McMahan, . 243
Beatty st., has the answer for
any home owner who desires a
small dog for a small place.
She has a six-weeks-old pup
py, which weighs all of four
ounces and will fit nicely into
the palm of a person's hand or
a teacup. '
Appropriately called "Little
Bit," the dog stems from pedi
greed parents, a chihuahua
father and manchester mother,
both small-breed dogs.
Tiniest of Four
Little Bit is by far the tiniest
of four In the parents' first lit
ter. However, she was not the
smallest of the group at birth.
One other was smaller, but sines
then has surpassed Little Bit in
growth.
Tha tiny pup's quarter-pint
size is a mystery to its masters.
who have pampered her "just
like a baby," including 2 a.m.
feedings from a bottle the first
few weeks. It was necessary to
feed the dog separately other
wise the larger animals would
eat all its food. The dog now
eats from a dish,-and has "a
good appetite for its size."
Is Cold-Blooded
Being so tiny and thin-skinned
leaves Littla Bit very cold-blooded,
so she spends most of her
time nestled under an oil heater
or huddled with her three broth
ers and sisters. When left alone
to walk, she is somewhat shaky,
lacking the strength of her hus
kier relations.
At the. present, Little Bit is
6V2 inches long and 5Vi inches
in girth. It is doubtful that the
pup will reach normal chihua
hua size, about five to six
pounds. '
However, Mrs. McMahan said
all four babies "looked like
mice" when born. Little Bit has
at last grown to rat size.
shown on the screen, the larger
the trouble. If the change, or
"pip" is above the line, it means
an open circuit, and if it is below
me line, 11 means a suon cir
cuit. . :
Squares, similar to those on
graph paper, on the screen., al
low the operator to determine
the distance of the trouble from
the site of the fault locator. - :
Locators are set up in Rose-
hnrrt fT-T-a n f o Pace ' PavA Tuni.
tion, Prospect, Yreka, Copco,
Klamath Falls, and Alturas, and
they can be moved about in a
truck if necessary. Fisher ex
plains that no locators have been
set up in Medford, because the
Prospect and Copco units can
"look into the Medford area."
Taylor said." It is non-oxidizing,
hon-combustible, water and cor
rosion resistant and will not sup
port mould or fungus growth?.
This roof coating will reduce re
placement costs 50 per cent, ac
cording to the president.
The new corporation's factory
also will manufacture a line of
fire-resistant paints and enamels
for both outside and inside of
homes, and industrial and other
public buildings, thus materially
assisting in the work of fire pre
vention. . '
E. W. DeSpain is temporary
secretary of the firm and Taylor
also is temporary treasurer.
"The Pick-Up That
Never Lets You
Down"
AT NO
EXTRA COST!