Fruit Industry Project Is Designed To Preserve Historic Past
Features
Sports
A Review of Orchard Heating
Medford,
IIM'RIBUNE
SECTION MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 1963 PAGES 1 to 8
By EVA HAMILTON
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
Do you have an old smudge pot (that's what they
were in 1910) behind the barn?
If so, don't throw it away. And don't view it with
disdain. It may be a museum piece. For - there's a
project under way to collect items of historical value
relating to the development of the fruit industry in the
Rogue River valley.
Those early contraptions for orchard heating, as frost
protection is called today, are an integral part of that
development. That's why they are wanted by the Fruit
Growers League of Jackson county and the Jackson
county extension service, co-sponsors of the project.
The project is designed to preserve for posterity the
exciting early history of the industry which exerted a
strong influence over the character of the Rogue valley
as it ia today.
Museum Home Ii Planned
When completed, the collection will be given a home
In the Jacksonville Museum.
The fruit industry still has an impact upon southern
Oregon economy. But, as the population grows, there are
many people who do not know the stories of those early
day struggles, experienced by growers and shippers be
tween blossom time and shipment of fruit; nor the lures
used to draw "the best class of people" to the valley of
the Rogue. They haven't even heard of the big freeze
of 1024.
Members of the Fruit Growers League have voiced
the fear that if they do not capture the story today it
will be too late.
Emphasis On Photographs
In launching the project, particular emphasis will be
placed on photographs of orchards and packing houses
or equipment used prior to the year 1910, Don Root,
president of the Fruit Growers League, and C. B. Cordy,
Jackson county horticultural agent, explained. They are
being assisted in the research by Seth Bullis, who came
to the valley in 1913.
Needed are personal photographs of individuals in
volved in pioneer orchard operations, newspaper and
trade journal articles, fair trophies, pamphlets, promo
tional literature and letters or personal sales records.
A selection committee will be designated to accept
(he material and assist in identification of materials con
tributed. In addition, a committee will arrange for inter
views with persons who recall significant events.
Chairman of Committee
W. B. Barnum, Jr., is chairman of the public relations
committee of the Fruit Growers League, which sent out
the appeal for contributions to the museum project.
Many souvenirs of the early "Fruit Bloom" have al
ready come in and with their perusal the history of that
stimulating period, filled with promises, unfolds. There
is a story in practically every item. But since this is the
season when fruit buds tremble on the limb and orchard
ists read thermometers and shudder, a review of orchard
heating is given precedence over other phases of or
charding.,, "Protection against frost injury is by no means a new
thing" to quote P. J. O'Hara, pathologist and special
meteorological observer, Medford, Ore., Nov. 1, 1911.
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ThnKp two nniHpntifipH vnnnir hladps are snrvevinc or charH developments from what BDDCars tn hn the Font.
hills road. The caption of the picture reads: "In productive ncss and in picturesque beauty, this valley is not surpassed
by any other of similar area."
"The protection of plants and fruits from frost injury
dates back perhaps more than 2,000 years. It is known
that the Romans practiced heating and smudging as a
protection against frost injury; this fact is vouched for
by Pliny, who recommended the practice. A French
agriculturist in the 16th century recommended the use
of wet straw and half-rotten manures to produce a heavy
smoke. In the latter part of the 18th century the practice
of smudging was compulsory tn parts of Germany, and
,. failure to comply resulted in prosecution before an offi
cer of the law." -;.
Looking back to the early 1900s when "everyone was
young and everyone seemed gay," even on a smudging
parly; the local fruit growers find that the first orchard
heating in the Rogue valley was probably done by burn
ing manure. (What a shock to organic gardeners to
learn that valuable commodity just went up in smoke).
Those who complain, and loudly, about orchard heat
ing today Should have been here then. They are unaware
of the progress that has been made throughout the years.
II has been a step by step Improvement program with
each step taken after extensive study and experimenta
tion. Manure was burned, according to O'Hara, "to pro
duce a dense smudge."
The object, apparently, was to produce lliis dense
smudge just before sunrise. The word "smudging," an
anathema to orchardists in recent years, was freely used
then. For smudging was exactly what they did.
"In the Hollywood orchard, owned by A. C. Allen,
wood also was used for its heating effect, and the dense
smudge was produced by adding quantities of stable
manure to the wood fires," the booklet reports. "An
examination of the fruit shows that the method worked
very well."
Protected By Burning Ralls
Moving to the next step in orchard heating (still '
called smudging at this date) the booklet sets forth that
J. G. Gore's orchard, protected by burning old rails,
showed few injured fruits. "In connection with the wood,
Gore used a small amount of crude oil, which he threw
upon the wood fires along the east side of the orchard
so as to produce a dense smudge just before sunrise."
Other orchards using this same process were Ran
dell, Brown and Pooter and Goold.
The burning of wood for crop protection was followed
by the adoption of coal. The Ideal coal heater, designed
to hold 25 to 30 pounds of coal, was found to be very
satisfactory from a heat standpoint but difficult to pre
pare and fire.
Briquets supplanted coal and the lard-pail oil burner
appeared on the scene as Pathologist O'Hara claimed
"The protection of orchards from frost injury is not an
experiment in Rogue River valley. A perusal of the
records in the office of the pathologist will show that
the experimental stage in practical orchard heating has
passed."
Sliding Lid Burner
The sliding lid burner brought dispatch of the lard-pall-slylcd
item, and oil was being accepted as the best
fuel for orchard heating. Years went by but experimenta
tion did not stop, contrary to O'Hara prediction in 1911.
Out of it came the seventh attempt for something more
efficient, less costly and more acceptable by a more com
plaining public. It was the lazy, flame burner with a
stack. It was adopted.
Its successor is the return stack burner in vogue
today. Orchardists have agreed to retire 20 per cent of
the open heaters in favor of approved types each year
until there are no open burners left in orchard heating
in the Rogue. valley.
Pres-To-Logs are burned in a number of orchards in
five gallon buckets. The Investment is low since the
buckets arc cheap. Just any old bucket willdo, and the
logs throw out an Intense heat.
Wind Machines Tried
Wind machines have been tried out here for a number
of years. There are four now in the valley. They have
been found satisfactory in California, but the difference
in air inversions here limits their protective scope. They
are used In conjunction with heaters.
Jackson county was the first fruit district to have an
organized frost protection program, officially started tn
1918, Cordy recalled in reviewing the history. Activities
pointing toward frost prediction, however, started when
O'Hara was pathologist as early as 1909.
The progressive spirit which dominated the industry
then, lives on and if there are improvements to be made,
they will be tried here. "The experimental stage Js not
past."
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In the Snowy Butte Orchard at Central Point these "Fresno pots" shown in the
picture were placed between Winter Nells rows in a manner "not to interfere with
cultivation."
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This orchard was owned by the late J. G. Gore of Medford. Using old rails for heat
ing, he saved his crop, valued at S1.000 per acre, for four years in succession, ac
cording to the report in Better Fruit. 1911 publication.
This is the heater most recently adopted for the pro
tection of fruit buds against frost. It is definitely a healer,
not a smudge pot, and has been widely approved for effec
tiveness and lowering of smoke irritation.
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This photo shows the Hollywood orchard with the manure burning to create the
desired smudge. Straw and rubbish were used with the manure to start the flames
which ignited the manure.
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These coal heaters were used In the Phlpps orchard In 1910. The county agent's office
has received one, which will be added to the Jacksonville Museum exhibit.
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