Show keeping U p I 1 cien e sc n er v e 0 science service service orchards gassed to produce improved crops regularly weather eather will not nor count say methods Aleth devisers devi sers washington fruit trees are made to produce regular crops and on time too rr regardless ee gard less of the previous winter weather it is claimed in a patent just granted here to daniel glenn and marston H kimball california researchers of the united states department of agriculture and assigned d to henry A wallace as secretary of agriculture this Is accomplished the inventors reveal by literally gas attacking the trees with a hydrocarbon gas there are thousands ot of acres ot of walnuts peaches and other deciduous fruits including apples pears apricots plums prunes cherries and bush berries now planted in M areas where in certain years winter weather conditions are unfavorable to the forr formation nation of flowers the setting of fruit and the production of a crop state the invent inventors ois this condition results in failure of trees to produce regular chopi crops occasioning casio ning heavy losses and often seriously crippling the industry will produce uniformity in fruiting such fruit trees as lemon and avocado also exhibit marked alternate bearing tendencies say the inventors the result is a heavy production one year followed by lighter producing the next with attendant cultural and marketing difficulties which produce economic losses the process used by the inventors to stimulate growth and produce uniformity in fruiting is this about two weeks before the normal or desired leafing start of the growth cycle or blooming time for the variety of trees being treated the trees are enclosed in tents or covers then gas is released inside the tent until the proportion of gas to the atmosphere Is 1 I part of to parts of air the temperature during treatment is kept between 60 and degrees fahrenheit the length of treatment I 1 is s from one to two hours gas and other chemical treatments have been used in the past to stimulate opening of cut flowers production of roots on cuttings etc but this is the first time whole trees have been gassed to make them blossom at the desired time |