The daily sentinel., 1908-06-26

these trees were not grubbed out,
but, with the aid of heat, are each
year maturing crop.
"A sample of this basket has been |
forwarded to Grand Junction where
it may be seen and tested together
with other devices in the near future.
The cost of this basket together with
a stand upon which it sets is thirty
cents. 1t is fair to say however in
connection with the above, that this
man discarded oil, which is much
cheaper than coal in California, and
used the latter for the reason that he
claimed that the burning oil left a
greasy SCOT upon the fully grown and
matured fruit. We do not think how
ever that this deposit of SCOT would
be of any objection in Colorado, as
our fruit is so small at the time of
firing that it has ample time to grow
off and disappear before the fruit is
matured. 1t must not be inferred
from the above that we learned of
any general objection to the burning
of oil on account of SCOT, as this one
case was the only one which came to
our notice.
MANY of the growers on the coast
still maintain that the smudge or
smoke is the saving element for their
fruit. An interesting example of this
theory was Il superintendent of
large orchard in Santa Clara county
who cut five gallon oil cans in two,
making two pots of each can. TIL ese
he filled with crude oil, using forty
to the acre. When suggested to him
that IL was the heat which brought
him success, he demurred and MAIN
| tanned it was the smudge or smoke.
Your committee did not press the
point.
Right here it seems pertinent TO
say chat your committee, after thor
ough investigation and study of the
subject. believe that smoke even in
connection with heat, forms but a
small element towards frost preven-
ton: that heat is absolutely essential,
and that smoke without heat, in our
climate. is practically worthless.
There are various devices and ma
terials used in California only three
of which it seems desirable to make
note of at this time. First, The Occi-
dental Fuel Co. of Los Angeles. are
making a new smudge material which
they put up in sacks. Ii is made
from shavings and other waste ma
terial saturated with crude petrol
cum. 1t burns splendidly and is very
effective in Southern California,
where it is being used. But, the pots
in which this material is burned are
rather expensive, costing SEQ, and
the material itself costs $1,000 per
ton in California, and even If it could
be manufactured in our state, its
price ($10.00 per toni as against our
cheaper coal and oil would bar it
| from general use.
We now have oil and coal to be
considered. both of when are avail
| - In n In, ind
ment of your committee, both may
be made very effective for frost pro-
| lection if intelligently used by the
| growers. Under our climatic condi-
| tions it would seem impossible to
bank on smoke as protection against
the suns rays on morning following
frost. This being true 1t only re-
mains to make sufficient and in
telligent application of heat which
will prevent the fruit from chilling.
and thus eliminate the danger from
the suns rays the following morn
ing. The question of expense, facil-
ity in preparing, lighting and tending
will no doubt determine the nature OF
the material used by each Individual
grower.
Whale oil. after first being pre-
pared for us with the necessary
tanks, etc, can possibly be handled
| from day to day with more facility,
| lighted quicker than coal with the
| assurance of steady heat until the
oil is consumed. and no particular
care during this period
"On the other hand. coal would
| seem to be much the cheaper fuel
| requiring no expensive storage facil-
| ii3ss, and there is no doubt if care
| fully prepared so as to insure quick
1 ffFlnt 81 sritf
throughout the night, a steady heat
may be maintained and the required
result achieved.
I'VE neither saw or heard of any
experiments having been made. with
! large fires and few to the acre, and
would caution our growers to be
careful about this experiment with
large fires, at least for the present,
but rather to follow the beaten path
of small fires and many to the acre
The smudging season, both in Colo
rado and California, having long
since passed, your committee have
had neither time or opportunity to
test out, the number of fires neces-
sary to be used, in different degrees
of cold, in fact We believe that this
phase of the subject, will take years
of experience to determine, in the
meantime we had better use plenty
and succeed, than to use 700 few and
have our fruit chilled.
I'VE have noted during our inves-
legations in California, that from
forty to eighty fires are being used
to the acre the number lighted be-
ing determined by the particular To-
cation, and the degree of cold ec-
countered.
More fires being used on the out
side of the orchard than in the center
and that it is the usual practice to
light fires, before the thermometer
gets down to freezing, claiming that