The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-02
FRUIT IS KILLED.
Early Peaches and Apric0ts
All Gone.
part of the Apple Crop May Be
v Saved.
DROP THE MERCURY
Minimum Registered Here LIS
% Degrees.
Went Lower in Some Sections
of Kansas.
DROP THE MERCURY

and tnere Is mourning among the
orchard owners of the state this morn
ing as they view their frozen blossoms
and realize that Kansas will again
have a short fruit crop at the best In
the vicinity of Topeka a uniform tenn
perature of % degrees prevailed for
number of hours during the night and
many fruit buds were frozen solid and
killed.
Fruit over the state is week ahead
of where it was at this time last year
and the guess OF those who have ex-
amined their orchards this morning is
that nearly the entire peach and april
cot crop has been destroyed, though
there is a chance that a few of the
more hardy buds have escaped. A
steady wind prevailed throughout this
section nearly all night and this &C
counts for the uniform temperature
and also lessened the effect of the cold
on the buds.
Peach and apricot trees have been
in bloom for more than a week and
the buds and blossoms are supposed to
be killed and If there is any fruit or
this kind this year in this section 1t
not as yet unfolded. Ice three-fourths
of an inch formed in tubs and vessels
left out of doors last night.
The freeze which destroyed the
on the night of the sth of April, just
a week later than that of last night,
and at that time the mercury dropped
to Is degrees above zero, or degrees
lower than last night. The fruit at
that time was about as far advanced
as 1t is at the present time and the
loss was total. The fact that the mer-
curry did not go as low last night by
degrees accounts for the fact that the
loss by last nights freeze will probably
To he "a
amount of damage done can not be
determined for a number of days.
The minimum temperature was
reached at Z o'clock this morning
five tenths and the upward movement
since that time has been slow. This
condition is favorable to the fruit
and the damage may not be as great
as it seems at this time though there
is no doubt that the crop is badly
bright and warm this morning with
high temperatures early in the day
the damage would have been at least
half. if not more.
The temperature for the entire
state was below the freezing point
and the damage to the crop will be
uniform though a much lower tenn
perature prevailed in the northern
portion of the state than in the GEN.
trail and southern sections. At Dres-
mercury dropped to Is degrees as it
did at Baker in the extreme north
eastern corner of the state.
The fruit along the northern bor-
der of the state is not as far advanced
as it is in this section and it is
thought that the damage in that sec
ton of the state will be about the
same as it has been in the central
portion. Along the southern line of
the state the temperature reached 26
- -I.A
age to fruit in this section of the
state will be as great as elsewhere,
though the fruit is somewhat farther
advanced. The fruit in the lowlands
has suffered the most and some of
the orchards of hillsides and uplands
have escaped with but slight damage.
Freeman Sardou who owns a large
orchard in Oakland. principally
cherries, is of the opinion that at least
half of the crop was killed by the low
temperature last night and that the
loss to the owners of apricot and
peach orchards will be equally as
great.
n May Save Some Apples.
u The corn and wheat bulletin is
sued by the weather station in this
city indicates that the temperatures
over the entire state were uniform as
to localities. In the northern third
of the state from north to south the
hours was Is degrees above zero; in
the central third of the state 20 and
in the southern third .26. The fruit
was proportionately advanced as the
fruit in the southern half of the state
is probably two weeks in advance of
that along the Nebraska line.
"I am afraid that the freeze last
night badly damaged the fruit crop
of the state" said Walter Wellhouse,
secretary of the state board of horti-
will 70
days to determine the exact amount
of the loss 1t is certain that the
early bloom has been killed and that
the crop will be light even though no
other freeze should occur later.
while it seems at this time as
though the apple crop has sufrered
severely along with the peach and
apricot there is chance that the
damage will be slight. Time alone
will tell how much the buds have
been injured though an examination
at this time indicates that they have
felt the effects of the cold spell. The
outlook for the horticulturists of
the state is extremely blue at this
time"
cherry orchard in Oakland, a suburb
of Topeka, fears that the loss will ex-
ceed half the crop of cherries this
wear and even greater proportion Of
the peach and apricot crop. "The
outlook is mighty blue he said this
morning. 1.-The low temperatures
which prevail all forenoon, however
were a fine thing for the frost bitten
fruit blossoms and buds and it is pos
sible that the damage will not prove
as great as 1t appears to be at this
time though I do not think that
will half half crop of cherries.
..Some of the orchards on the hill
sides and uplands probably escaped
with a slight damage and the cold
apell will serve to make the buds