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Show FRUIT IS SAVED ,: BY SMUDGE POTS FirDs Kept 'Bu;rniiig in the Orchards From Early Last Evening Good CropJ'bf Fruit is Assured if no Further Damage ;J r: 'is Done by Frost. : ,ti . ( Fruit growers state that weather conditions could not be better for tho protection of fruit after a heavy frost than they are today. It Is the sudden change of temperature, they say, that is most damaging to fruit buds, and, the sun being obscured by clouds, the temperature remaining near tho freezing freez-ing point during the entire forenoon, the temporature has remained even, gradually growing a little warmer Last night was a slinging cold night, tho toinperature lu various sections sec-tions of the fruit belt ranging from 20 degrees to 20 degrees above zero. Twenty-seven degrees Is cold enough todestroy tender buds, and when the mercury reaches twenty degrees, the smudge pot Is almost helpless to save. The averago temperature during tho night was about 23 degrees above zero, considerable damage being done to the nprlcot and cherry crops. Fruit tree experts are somewhat divided di-vided as to the loss among tho poach trees. Thc. say It will bo difficult to form a definite conclusion until the sunefcas had an opportunity to warm the buds, which will likely be two or three days, The consensus of opinion at this time, however, Is that the loss with peaches Is practically nothing and that there will be some apricots and cherries gathered this season, if there Is no further freezing County Fruit Tree Inspector Has-mussea Has-mussea states that he has tested peach buds from different orchards In tho county by exposing them to sudden heat, which thoroughly, thawed thaw-ed the blossoms, and that he finds there are but very few that have been killed He says there will be no damage dam-age to the peach crop from the frost of last night, notwithstanding the fact that tho temperature was at a danger point most of the night The peach buds are not in full bloom, and they carr out practically uninjured Much smudging was done In the orchards or-chards of the county, tho Inspector says, but he thinks there Is not enough of It done here "Where tho smudgo pots were In use last night Mr. Rasniussen says he thinks no material mater-ial damago was done to anv kinds o fruit, E W. McGrlff. of the McGrlfr Orchard Or-chard & Canning company of North Ogden, states that the frost of last night was the heaviest the countrv has experienced at this time of the year In the past seventeen years and, while he Is somewhat optimistic regarding re-garding tho situation In the peach orchards, he Is of the opinion that when the buds arc thoroughly warmed and thawed out it will bo found that considerable. damage has been dona He thinks, however, that there will bo a good pejich crop this season. Cherries and apricots are In the doubtful list and there will be fow, if any of thorn, to bo gathered. Manager C. M. Clay, of tho Ogden Fruit Growers'- association, states he had the smudgo pots going In his orchard or-chard north of the Hot Springs, the temporature remaining at about 23 degies above zero where the smudgo were burning, and 20 degrees above outside the smudge, districts. It can hardly be expected, he says, that many of tho tender buds would survive the 20-degree temperature It Is his opinion, though, that the fruit In the smudged orchards Jias not suffered suf-fered great damage. He, like others, says it will be difficult to determine just what the damage Is until tho sun has warmed the orchards to a point whero the buds will turn black if they have been nipped by the frost. Manager Hickenlooper, of the Pioneer Pio-neer Fruit company, states that more than fifty per cent of the peach buds could be destroyed by frost and still thero would be a big yield of fruit. In his judgment there has not been anything like a fifty per cent damage. His orchards at Pleasant View were not smudged last nigut and the buds he had on exhibition this morning, taken from the peach trees after sun-rlso, sun-rlso, did not show that they had been damaged He had apricot buds, which are in full bloom, and a great many of them seemed to be In good condition. con-dition. Mr. Hickenlooper states that there was a wind over the North Ogden and Pleasant View section of country that had a tendency to protect pro-tect the blossoms. He laments tho fact that the orchards In this county are not better protected against frost by the Installation of frost-fighting frost-fighting devices, such as the smudge pots. Mr Hickenlooper states that at 5 o'clock this morning he had about concluded that the fires should be lighted, the temperature being 23 degrees, de-grees, but upon a further investigation investiga-tion of the buds, he concluded that It was not necessary. At RJv,erdaIe and on the Sand.Rldgo, south and west -of the citv orchard-ists orchard-ists were out to fight against frost most of the night and the same conditions con-ditions are reported from that section this morning as those of other parts of tho county. Many' fires wero burning burn-ing during tho night in the form of smudges, and straw and rubbish rire3. The report from Brigham city Is that fires wero utilized In the orchards or-chards during tho night, the temperature tempera-ture reaching d point as low as 20 degrees aboe zero. The damage to the peach crop connot be stated at this time Freezing weather was general over the northern part, of Utah, It being colder Jn tho extreme north than in Weber county. 'ItMs reported that a half Inch of Ice formed on tho. Ogden Ice company's pond north of the city. And a good thickness of ice was noticeable no-ticeable In different parts of the city this morning The orchardlsts sar there was "no damage done toMho apple crop, the buds on those trees not being far enough advanced to bo sensitive to the cold. |