Show protecting THE FRUITS FROM THE LUTE LATE FROST through the courtesy of 01 the grand junction fruit growers association we are in pos possession sessio a odthe statistics given herein from the year 1897 to 1908 the above association shipped out of the grand valley from their numerous warehouses cars of fruit this association asso clation handles about 75 per cent ot of the fruit produced in the entire valley from this we estimate the entire production tor for the valley during this period at cars A car ot fruit will average about boxes of fruit so that we have shipped approximately boxes the following table which the above association has been kind enough to furnish us will possibly be of inter interest 0 to o the readers T I 1 cars net amount year shipped paid growers 1897 1898 sa 1639 1699 54 1800 1901 1902 1903 1904 1078 1905 1906 t 1017 1907 total land values it can readily be seen from the production that land values would rapid rapidly increase not an orchard in the valley older than twenty five years with the large proportion of those now producing being you young ng trees and hundreds of acres comi coming ig into bearing each year land values have been steadily climbing upwards year after year bearing orchards that could have been purchased in 1897 for a small sum will now bring from to 2503 2500 per acre good orchard land isato to be had at from to per acre in its virgin state As more mora land was brought under irrigation and more water distributed over this valley the climatic conditions changed year after year in 1887 it was considered cons dered a peach growing district but since 1900 more apples and pears have been planted in order to avoid the damage done to the early bloom of peaches pea clies by frost but since 1906 the last full crop harvested by the growers rowers the apples and pears have also suffered from frost first experiment in orchard heating in the early spring of 1907 three of the growers made the first attempt of 01 preventing the loss of their fruit by frost orchard heating had been done in the california orange groves for several years in these orange groves however it had not been necessary to raise the temperature but a degree or so and even it if more was necessary the temperature would not get so low to start with and of course was much more easily handled chefe three rowers growers secured sonie sheet iron ilick ets from california a arid lid nothing being at hand to burn it in these pots but kerosene that was used kerosene cost them 13 15 cents per gallon these growers successfully fought five fire nights of frost and were successful ta saving their crops they succeeded in keeping the tempera temperature tur e in I 1 their orchards around the freezing point 32 degrees F which however is perfectly safe for fruit of this kind the danger point is 28 degrees F and below the lesson of 1907 was very valuable to these growers the jact fact that the crops could be saved from frost had a very good effect on laud values for had bad this not been done these values would have dropped considerably during that season and since during the summer and fall of 1908 and all during the winter every gro grower w er thru out cut the valley was testing heaters with the beginning of march 1909 the orchards were with at least twenty five different makes or designs of heating apparatus some burning oil some coal kerosene was entirely too expensive so crude oil was shipped in to take its place this oil must be haul ed a long iong distance from the eastern side of the while coal lies as at our very dooryard and can call be secured at very reasonable prices crude oil was obtained at 4 ia cents per gallon but in using oil tile the storage expense is quite an item coal being easily and cheaply stored a larger per cent of the growers provided themselves with coal pots coal sells for from 2 to 4 per ton owing to quality and kind experience of past season the prospects never looked better for a bountiful crop with no frosts than last spring up until april the weather was delightful few expected that smudging would be necessary however on the of april a storm from the northwest pacific coast struck us bringing freezing temperature pera ture the valley during the night of the was one vast ore fire at sun dp the following morning the sun was partially obscured by the smoky haze from the many fires during the night during the season it was cessar light the pots on five nights but they well paid for themselves had there been no smudging near grand junction last spring the output would have hava been less than 1907 and the value less sir mr fletcher Fletch cr of the grand junction fruit growers association in an interview the first of june said that this years crop will easily run from to cats cais the oil smudge gi pot the pots used for heating the orchards are locally known as smudge pots three or four varieties of oil pots are used the first brought to the valley very much resembles a ten tell pound lard buckets bucket only made of sheet iron with air vents of about one half inch in diameter cut at the top another resembles an all ash tish pan from a range with a sliding cover to which is attached an apron with the latter pot the fire surface can be regulated by sliding the cover and any desired fire surface from five to square inches obtained the former pot is known ae as the fresno pot and the latter alomal invention known as the hamilton pot another oil pot known as the plank pat has a square base for oil this is covered from the center of the cover a hole is cut large enough tor for a pipe of about six inches in height and diameter inserted for or draft the fresno and the plank pots will raise the temperature pera ture from 8 to 12 degrees while it is claimed for the hamilton pot that it will increase the temperature from 15 to 17 degrees if burned without the top one line hundred ot ol the former pots are used to the acre and they burn about a quart of crude oil per pel hour fifty of the latter are necessary and 40 inches heating beating surface will give adolt the same heat furnished by the other pots and burn about the same amount of oil it if this latter i pot is burned wide open it will consume one gallon of oil per hour only in extreme cases would it be necessary to do this coal smudge pots the coal pot it is claimed is much cheaper to burn and far cheaper to store supplies for than the oil pot there are more than a dozen different patterns which were used th bhoj ej pal past s t season and we shall not go into detail as regards to all of them one of them much used will burn about three hours with a charge of twenty pounds of coal wire baskets I 1 have 1 ave also been used for coal burners in same d art an iron bucket or bas i beef used for this purpose the greatest objection to the use of coal 1 Is tho the cumbersome work of refilling re filling the pors pois as this details much labor prepare for heating the fall before other fruit countries should take warning from the experience of the grand junction fruit growers the time to prepare for the spring frosts is the fall and winter before it is too late it you wait until the frosts are upon you again it if frost only visits your district once in years it I 1 is 9 a cheap insurance of your crop I 1 it t will only cost you biorn 13 15 to 20 per acre for your orchards whether oil or coal is used either material will do the work use which ever you have most convenient at hand if you wish to get the best results experiment with them during tile the fall and winter months smudging is not a complicated work somewhat irksome irk but simple one grower in the valley mr W 1 I haines owning an orchard of 93 95 acres this year smudged SO 80 acres his pots oil pots of the hamilton variety cost him asoo he secured gallons of crude oil at a cost of 3 5 cents per gallon at his cisterns which figures 1230 1250 his bis oil cisterns or reservoirs oil tanks and other necessary supplies needed for smudging as large a tract as this brought his expenses up to 1000 it was necessary for him to smudge seven nights jn which time lie be burned gal ions of oil leaving him gallons of oil in stock the pots oil cisterns tanks etc will stand for ten years without any additional expense figuring first cost at 2750 and dividing it by ten makes a cost per year of to this adds add for oil each year and for extra labor brings the yearly cost up to about this makes a cost of about 10 or 11 per acre for smudging with oil mr haines will harvest from to 50 boxes ol of fruit front from this tract it if he had not smudged be harvested practically nothing As it is his crop will net him more than does smudging pay this is only one grower others have been equally successful how the pots are fired to light the oil pot a small piece ot of waste Is dipped in the oil and hung over the side of the pot extending into the oil A torch is carried along and the pots are lighted as swiftly as the lighter can run from pot to pot another system used tor for lighting oil pots is by sprinkling over the oil a few drops of gasoline the torch applied to this gasoline it instantly ignites caution must be used with this however it is hardly sate safe for the same party to carry the gasoline applying it to tile the pots and lighting them also the safest way is tor for a different party to apply the gasoline and the light it if it is desired to extinguish tile the fire any time after lighting a sheet ot of iron which is used as a cover can be placed upon the burning pot and the ire fire smothers out in the use or of coal pots pot it la Is necessary to supply yourself with a sufficient amount of good dry kindling wood and so placed in the pots that it will secure a quick fire oiled waste or rags are placed under the kind lings and the coal placed on this if you wish the best of success with coal pots we advise a small amount ol 01 kerosene poured over the kindling wood when the pots are lighted while it is much better it if all the orchards in the community will smudge it has been demonstrated here in instances that even where there Is no smudging in miles nilles around the fruit of a single pr archard eliard or tree can be saved from frost I 1 LANCASTER SKEGGS grand junction colo state of ohio city of 0 toledo I 1 lucas county iss ss frank J cheney makes oath that lie he Is senior partner of the firm of F J cheney co doing business in the hie city of 0 toledo county and state aforesaid and that said firm will pay the sum of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for each and every case of catarrh that cannot be cured by the use of halls catarrh cure FRANK J CHENEY sworn savorn to before me and subscribed in i my it y presence pre sence this ath day of december A D 1886 SEAL A all GLEASON notary public halls catarrh cure is taren taken inte internally and acts direct lly on the blood and mucous surfaces of the system send for testimonials free F J CHENEY CO toledo 0 druggists j take halls family pills for constipation a |