Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-10-22
Observation-Disclosures

Rpuctmh of tbc Experiment. statloI
of the Utah Agricultural colIccc Jus
issuoI deals with the yeyad question o.
the oRemuon of Shelter Smoke Il
uah Agriculture" and is. the result
Of exhaustive work conducted durInl
the growing season of 1908 By Dr. JOIN
A. Wldtsoc. director OF thc station.
The district affected by mcltH
smoke lies in and about the towns OF
Murray and Bingham Junction soml
seven 60 nine miles south o
Salt Lake CITY, On Murray q
the so.cacd Highland BOY Smell
ter belonging to the Utah Consoi'
dated Mining Co.. "a copper reduction
plant, established some four years ago,
about two miles south of the Highland
BOY shelter near bingham Junction,
are two other copper Nucliers The
Bingham Consolidated and the United
states Shelters. established respective
by three and one years ago
The Jordan river flows past two sets
OF shelters which therefore command
the Wide river bottoms as we'll as the
highlands or benches 0n tho iva Sides
OF the river The district Us one of
the oldest in the State, ana is thickly
covered with farms and fum-housca
The investigation here reported cOn-
fined itself 90 the area commanded by
the two sets of shelters just mentioned,
and dealt especially with the lands ly-
ING between the shelters ana there
fore more Injured than any others This
was done because n was desired To-
learn the worst effects Of the smeIter
smoke
The farms most injured We're studied
From June 10 late October, 1908
frequent visits were made 10 the smell
Ter district. and the conditions Of the
crops grown there We're carefully noted.
As the first Visit was made ON Jupe g.
there are no data at hand concerning
the condition OF the crops ln early
spring
II was strltIngly noticeable that not
all the farms withm "a given radius of
the different shelters We're equally in-
jured by the smclter smoke Some
farms, lying very near the shelters
were IN excellent condition. while
others. some distance away showed
unmistakable evidence Of injury This
was due 10 the prevailing directions Of
the winds Farms lying iu the paths
OF the winds suffered nom the smoke,
while adjoining farms, outside OF the
paths OF the winds, showed little or no
evidence Of injury
The farms which were IN the paths
NJ the prevailing winds. ana which had
been injured most were studied with
reference 10 the crop conditions upon
them The results OF the following
reconnaissance represent therefore the
worst effects OF the smelter smoke IN
the vicinity Of the shelters.
Shade trees -One Of the FIRST obser-
yntlons made was that I'm certain
places there was am unusually large
proportion " dead or slckly shade
trees Young trees seemed to have
been Killed more generally than older
ones The evidence of AN unhealthy
condition lay chiefly ln the number OF
yelowed or spotted leaves, which. even
In early spring, gave the impression Of
autumn However. these conditions
Of dead or sickly trees occurred only
IN very limited areas and were not
characteristic even OF the district
which lay Immediately around the
shelters,
.. Fruit treos-The fruit trees In
several orchards were found TO be IN
an unhealthy condition even ON June g.
The leaves OF numerous trees were
strongly spotted in yellow and red
The spots frequently occurred on the
under side OF the leaves and could be-
peeled on the leaf with "a small pen
knife. Few Of the fruit trees We're
dead though many had dead branches,
especially among last years growth.
The spots did not seem 10 increase In
number or size through the season;
and the trees IN all the orchards visited
looked as we'll II not better In July and
August than they did I'm June This
again would indicate that the greater
damage was done I'm early spring
An attempt was made 10 determine
the relative power OF resistance of DIFF
ferent trees but with little success. II
seemed that pears We're most strongly
affected and plums least The other
large fruits were between these eX.
tremes.
Small Fruits.-m June the goosoberry
and raspberry bushes looked quite uOr-
NAL, and free from spots. The straw
berry plants also loOkedas II they We're
IN good condition; ON June rs they
carried numerous ripe berries, but
there We're black masses OF dead plants
around many of the hills, Likewise,
much Of last years growth on the rasp-
berry bushes was dead, dry and brittle
The raspberres continued TO look well
until August o. when the leaves APP
peared slightly spotted The goose
berry bushes continued to look well
nearly the whole season, and, appar-
entity. they yielded a fair crop Of fruit
As nearly as the eye could estimate,
the gooseberry bushes were the only
small fruit that yielded an approx
mately full crop,
Vegetables Up to the 18Th Of June |
nearly all garden vegetables seemed |
lulte normal I'm one garden many |
iurnlp leaves and n few beet leaves
were yellow. and the onions Were /
slightly tipped with yellow Peas, !
beans, cabbage. lettuce and potatoes /
were I'm prime condition. on June 2i, |
one Of the gardens was again visited |
when the beet leaves lettuce and other !
vegetables had been badly burned. |
However throuQhOut the season the !