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Show flnti-Frost Machine Will Save Orchards Michigan Machine Will Raise Temperature By W. J. DRYDEN A new machine designed to protect pro-tect farm crops, particularly semi-tropical semi-tropical orchard crops, has been perfected at Michigan State college, The machine heats the plant and soil by means of an oil burning heater costing about $125, which sends out infra-red heat waves. Cost of operation op-eration is about 7J cents an hour. Severe frost dam. age has occurred in many fruit - grow. ! ing areas and young trees have been severely affected. The new machine, ma-chine, Shown in illustration, should prevent much of the loss. The cause of frost damage is well known. Heat which is stored up in the soil and plants during the day-I day-I tight hours is rapidly radiated into ' the atmosphere on still, cloudless nights. Lower layers of the atmosphere atmos-phere become chilled and on sloping slop-ing ground, the chilled air, increasing increas-ing in density, moves to the lowest situation. For this reason the new invention will prove of real value to orchard operators in many sections of the country. |