Cañon City record., 1908-12-24
the ADVANTAGES OF
ORCHARD HEATING


ORCHARD HEATING
Tho following taken from the Mont
rose Press. written by W. Frank Crow
ley, will be of interest to many OF our
fruit growers:
In accordance with your request
will give q brief statement Of the ad-
vantages which may be expected from
the heating of orchards in the spring
to prevent frost injury. Your readers
are all NO doubt familiar with the re-
ults obtaineA By James l. Hamilton,
of Grand junction who burned oil on
tn acres Of his orchard last Nay. Mr..
Hamiltoa made his heating test under
e1tre0ely adverse Circumstances, hay-
ing but little time for preparation and
also having to burn kerosene at an
average expense Of II eents Der gallon
during four nights and poor quality
oe crude petroleum during two other
nights. His sxpsnse including loo pots
b. tbs acre and all labor Of filling.
lisAtiAg and realizing. was around e1oe
per acre. He aid. however. succeed In
saving the crop Of this ten acres and
AFTER thinning three times he gAth-
cred and packed out OF marketable
apples over 5000 boxes from the ten
acres which viii net him considerably
over eSoo Per acre. probably closer to
500. which 10 very good ~ compared
With his unheated ten acres on which
the entire crop amounted to ~ boxes.
After spsnding Considerable Tina
In going over the fruit districts Of
the state In which tests OF oil and
coal have been made during the past
season I and hat the Canon CITY pso-
pie have some most carefully into
the Q1sstion OF orchard heating and
that they have reduced the cost Of
pots and fuel to Q much lower Agurs
than the prices growers paid last
spring. The d. q R @. Railroad COM
pAny has taken IN active interest In
the matter and has granted . one-halt
rate on "smudging oil to all points
on thax system. The Continental OIL
Co. has also shown q. disposition to Dc
the fair thing for the benefit Of the
fruit growers OF the state. which they
realize means much to their trade. and
have agreed to furnish gas oil'' OF
distilats for smudging purposes at
about two and . half cents per gallon
C. o. b. Florence. when shipped In car
load lota and In tank cars. From SOC
to coo gallons per acre 10 considered
safe quantity Of fuel oil for the
seaeol.
The growers who contemplate MS
ing oil next spring should make early
preparations for the storing OF oil and
have their supplies forwarded a. soon
a. possible In order to be sure of q
supply. 0alvanised iron tanks and
cistsrns conveniently located in and
about the orchard are considered the
best and safest means OF insuring q
supply OF oil whore Il can b econom-
ically handled. Barrels are also con-
sidsrsd good, for distributing ths oil
or for convenient storage whore they
are scattered thru the track and filled
with oil. from whence Il may be
poured Into the pots ~ needed. Ths
use oe barrels scattered thru the orch
ard has many advantages over other
Storage systsms In case The weather
should b such that snow or mud
would Interfere with driving tAru
the rows With team and heavily
loaded vagoa tank. Barrels or ltgAt
tAnks might also b handled o. q
slsd during muddy or snowy co1di-
tloas tn Gpring.
Coal viii b used b. many OF tAs
western slops growers nsxt spring but
Tie ai0ealty and delay b starting
coal nrss b against Il ard AlaA IL
an0uAt q lAhor rsalirsa % ksso -
Gal Arss lasAing svsaly nA1ns \ ln-
psac11eAAae 1pe larUs eeeAAr1l