The herald., 1897-01-16


| in the winter. We have seen
seasons when our young trees have
gone unharmed by frost while in Sec
| tions where today the newcomer boasts
| himself in the 'frostless belt" nearly
| mature trees were cut to the ground. If
at any time we indulged in foolish con-
gratulations over our more favored con-
ditions we have since repented 1t. The
| trouble with the alleged frostless belt
| is that 1t isn't every season in precisely
| the same place. and sections which have
often escaped sooner or later get dose
of the frost and learn that nobody can
be absolutely sure of exemption. Our
Southern California climate Is very like
that found in Italy and in Spain, Florida
| and other lands where the most highly
favored oranges are grown. This fruit
| reaches its spiciest perfection in the
border line between the tropic and the
temperate zones. The advantage our
situation gives us in this respect entails
occasional danger through the inevita-
Bile slipping of the isothermal belt in
way that lends an exciting uncertainty
to the business Of orange growing.
Our great mountains stand as pro-
tecting barrier against such currents of
excessive cold as sweep down from the
north upon our friends in the Florida
peninsula. Their ordinary winter wea-
tifCI may Oc IUOit utility lHdn ours, Dul
there is always danger of a possible COM
ing of the tag-end of a western blizzard.
Our cold spells seem ordinarily more To-
cal in their development and less severe
In character. 1t is because of this that
there is ground for hope of the possibil-
ity of multiplying through human effort
their capacity for harm.
The efforts made by individuals in the
past to secure immunity for their crops
have not, 1t must be confessed, met with
any great degree of success. This re-
suit had much to do with the lack of
preparation last winter. when single
night Of unexpected cold resulted in such
serious loss.
The failures of the past. however,
should not discourage effort; for these
failures stand as guide posts, telling us
where not to CO.
Let us review experiences The first
crude steps to warm "all outdoors" 4"
when cool nights suggested possible dan
ger, consisted in burning the brush piles
which happened to be available when
the occasion demanded. But the result
was discouraging to the orchardist, who
saw the hot flames mount high toward
the dry and pitiless heavens, carrying
the cloud of smoke with it, until it spread
over the desert country bordering the
orchard area. Even if it were possible
to store sufficient fuel to last for subse-
quent nights, the effect locally was not
such as warranted the necessary labor
and cost.
Then there was the era of crude oil
burning, more generally followed, but
still too lacking in common use That it
accomplished something in the saving
of fruit Is claimed by those who extern
sively used 1t, but neighbors denied that
the temperature was materially raised.
and were disposed to claim damages for
fruit coated with the lampblack pro-
duced by this fuel I tried oil for one
season, but preferred to take chances
of frost rather than coat the oranges
with something more Objectionable than
scale smut. 1 was not convinced that
raised the temperature a degree by all
my efforts.
Among the more hopeful experiments
made were those by Mr.. Copley, who
made wire baskets in which to burn
COAL suspending these near the ground
at intervals throughout the orchard
In spite of the refusal of his neighbors
to indorse the conclusions he reached
that if small number Of these baskets
were placed in each acre throughout
the entire valley, the result would be all
that could be desired-he persisted in
his method. Those who have differed
with him as to the possibility of effect
ing satisfactory results with dry heat
furnished by small number of fires,
cannot honestly deny that he succeeded
when, during the cold night of last sea-
son, he massed his baskets upon an acre
or two near the house. The evidence of
his success, as regards this small por-
tion of his orchard thus covered by the
experiment. was unmistakable, for
month or more after the frost this
oasis of green foliage and sound, juicy
oranges amid a desert of leafless trees
all about them showed how effective dry
heat may be when there is enough of it.
Honest investigators will not ignore the
facts which this test gave Here, then.
we have a success. limited. it is true.
apd expensive. Still, the cost is, after
all, not great, when one considers the
property at stake. Suppose so baskets
are used for every acre, or one for every
two trees. The plant" would cost about
IS an acre. Ten pounds of coal to the
basket would make the expense of n
single nights firing $3.50 per acre. If it
were necessary to fire up six times dur
Ing winter. which in most sections
would be more than would be required,
and If an orchard were bearing heavily,
such an item would be small tax if its
expenditure would save the CROP
L have not thus referred in detail to
this particular method because / con-
slider it the best but in order to show
that, even If it were necessary to use a
pdshct IcI every pedTlnS tree IN q ma
ture navel orchard, the cost would be
warranted and the result tolerably GER
tain to be successful. If SO fires. burn
ing 500 pounds of coal, costing 80. 80
saved an acre of fine trees last winter
for Mr.. Copley, 1t is absurd to assert that
1t Will not do the same for anybody un
der any conditions ever likely to arise
in this valley. His contention that five
or ten fires to the acre will do this ha s
not been accepted as probable, and has
had the effect to weaken faith in the
principle of dry heat, which his method
seems best to represent.
am convinced that no method, ha :
been more successful on the whole than
that of applying running water to the
| orchard on cold night There can he
no question of its invariable success. ex-
cepting where the cold, is extreme ana ~
long continuance. The turning on of
water which has a Temperature of *
| degrees. which in its slow progress
| down the burrows loses 20 degrees or
more of heat, must certainly modifv
| greatly the colds severity, and experi,
ence has shown us that in spite of the
low thermometer records that the fr,,i.
| has In orchards where water has hea,,
used in great degrees escaped the coiS,s
effects. Upon that portion of nv own
orchard where thorough protection ;s
given by lofty windbreak and whera
| water was uShd nracfinonx- AZ.