The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-13
FRUIT IS DAMAGED
Much Killed by Freezing
Weather Last Night.
Mercury Dropped TO Twenty
five Degrees.
HURTS EVEN CHERRIES
freeman SardOu Says Two
thirds Are Destroyed.
l. N. Dalton Says Orchards in
JAffArSOn Ara RninAd
HURTS EVEN CHERRIES

Jefferson Are Ruined.
Kansas and Topeka experienced a
disastrous freeze last night.
An area of high pressure in the
northern country is responsible for the
drop in temperature which has badly
injured the fruit crop in this section
of the state. There was nearly a u inch
of ice in Topeka. For week past the
mercury has stayed close to the dan
ger point and on three different oc-
casions there have been light frosts
which have nipped the tender foliage
and plant life but which have not in
jured the fruit.
This fact alone may save a portion
of the fruit crop it has toughened
the young buds SO that they will with
stand much greater degree of cold
than they would have had the wealth
er been warm. About midnight last
night the mercury reached the freez-
ing point and gradually dropped until
six O'Clock this morning it was but 25
degrees above the zero point
Since it has gradually struggled up
ward though it did not get above the
freezing point until the sun was sew
eral hours high which is much better
for the fruit than if it had warmed
up suddenly. While all kinds of fruit
has been badly damaged there is a
chance that the more hardy varieties
will suffer but little.
The weather department predicts
that the cold spell will be followed by
warm south wind and that the tenn
perature will rise steadily the remain
der of the day and tonight and that
with its advent all danger from frost
and cold weather will disappear.
Sarou Cherry Orchard Hurt.
While the frost last night was local
1t Is probable that half of the fruit
crop in this county has been killed and
later developments may prove that the
dar.ege IS ever greater than this. Free
mar Sard"u, who has a ten acre cher
ry orchard in Oakland estimates that
he will not have more than one-third
report the apple ard peach crop has
been almost completely destroyed as
the cherries are the most hardy of the
three.
Lake indicate that the frost was even
more severe at that place than nearer
Topeka and that the fruit crop is badly
injured, if not totally destroyed.
II fav4 made a hurried examination
of ny orchard" said Freeman Sardou
this morning, land l estimate that two
thirds of tt buds have been killed.
But then / have my land left and when
net be so great after all. for instead of
getting 81 a crate for my cherries they
will bring me nearer SO and my income
will be about the same after ALL
The apple and peach crop Is proba-
bly, ruined. for they are much tenderer
than cherries and easier killed by frost. |
My carly cherries seem to have suffer-
cd more than the late ones for some |
of thu later have not b1ossomed while |
a part of the bloom of the earlier va
rieties has disappeared"
Dalton Fruit Killed.
According to I. N. Dalton the cold !
spell of last night was unusually Sc |
we're in Jefferson county and he ex-
peach, apple and cherry crop in that !
locality has been ruined. Mr.. Dalton 4
lives at No. 1405 Topeka avenue in |
this city. He owns some large farms |
and valuable orchards in Jefferson |
county and has been there for some |
days. He said today over the tele- |
phone that more than a heavy frost |
prevailed last night. ut was good |
found f1ve-eighths of an inch of ice
covering the water in a we'll in the /
center of one of my orchards this
morning. Fresh plowed ground was
frozen about two inches deep and |
frost penetrated the undisturbed |
ground more than an inch.
my opinion is that the fruit crop
in this region has been ruined. An
cherries seemed probable this season
but the cold weather of last night ac-
tually froze the young leaves and
twigs solid. 1t also ruined any and
all strawberry beds that were in
bloom or in bud. Considerable havoc
was also wrought by the cold with the
early garden truck do not think !
that the cold weather has hurt the
corn in any way and 1t probably has
not done much damage to the wheat"
All Over the State.
Reports received at the Santa Fe
railroad Offices indicate that the freeze
of last night has been general all over
the extreme southeastern portion.
which was protected by cloudy wealth
err Reports received at the Rock
Island offices are about the same as
Mt the Santa Fe with indications that
the freeze extended we'll to the south
into Oklahoma and the Indian terri
tory.
Looks Bad for All Fruit
An examination of the fruit since
the sun has had a chance at it seems
to confirm the suspicious OF the morn
ing that the crop in this section of the
state at least is badly damaged, so
much so in fact as to be an almost
total loss. The fact that the trees are
well filled with bloom this
year may help some towards saving
the crop from being a total loss.
j. H. Skinner, the nurseryman
whose farm is near Shorey, said this !
afternoon: 1.-The indications are that
the fruit crop is ruined and with 1t
we'll, though there will be a crop of
strawberries as they are not SO far
along that they will be killed. The
growth of the trees and plants of all
kinds Will be greatly retarded and on
the black walnut trees the effects of
he freeze may be seen for a long dis
lance as they have turned black.
My idea is that all of the fruit went