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Show j j "r" - - 1 I I HORTICULTURE I H SMUDGING TO PREVENT m FROST. H The idea has prevailed among our H I fruit grower iop some .time that. H ij smokc'ovcr an orchard; produced H by smudging, acts as a - protective H agency. .The theory is that the' cloud H of smoke fornjed over an .orchard H will prqvcnt a lowering-, of the tcm- H pcraturc and alsq in case of frost .. H wit'Pprotcct the budsin the morning H from too rapid heating by the. sun. H This theory so far as it goes is well" H and mood, but as a protective agent, H smoke iis insufficient and our fruit ; n & 1 k 1 y t growers have turned their attention not only to attempts to prevent the lowering of the temperature in their . 1 orchards but have devised -methods forctuallyraiSing the temperature from five to eleven degrees. To this end orchard heaters have come into use and more than a hundred thous- . .in.d Of them arc' nowise t in the Grand .',' valley ready for the torch. The olJ smudge method formed a cloud of smoke, which acted as a blanket over ft T the orchard and lessened the radia- tioTi of the warm air near the ground and as1 a consequence prevented to i.ome extent a fak in temperature. The more recent orchard heaters not only raise the same cloud of smoke which has been found beneficial but docs more and therefore is a greater great-er protection. By the burning of oil or coal in these orchard heaters the temperature can actually be raised from five to eleven degrees, thus keeping the orchard out of danger except perhaps under exceptional conditions. These orchard heaters have been tried in a great many fruit districts and will become an important import-ant agent in fruit protection as their efficiency becomes better understood. .They wi.l be found a reliable and inexpensive., inex-pensive., form of insurance which no fruit grower can afford to do with- n out for no country has yet been found jl which has absolute security from B frost and Colorado is certainly not M immune. Field and Farm. H |