The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-02


9 Grand Junction. Colo, May 1. 1909 &.
. w NJ. Roylance. Provo. Utah
Damage TO crops i'm this vicinity q
a: mas been very slight. Smudge pots o
9. saved US. MOORE. o.
. The loss To the fruit crop i'm {.
{: Utah by reason of the recent @
= storms Is probably the most severe q.
that has ever been experienced.
Here are a few figures in the es- e.
= innate that W. n. ROylance. the ..
(: prominent fruit commission mer- q.
9 chant, gives The Herald at a ven q.
&. ture. o.
q: Total loss iu state -.....s $50 900. O.
2 Number Of cars ....-.-... $500 e.
(. Value Of each car ..-.-.-- zoo Z.
9 @ q. g Q 4. {, (: d. Q g: Q . 9, Q o Z:
Nearly two millions of dollars went
down in ice" when the storm came.
and the fruit crop Of Utah was at least
two-thirds destroyed. Went down in
ice is d phrase coined for the occasion.
and with a purpose I'm view Instead Of
saying that something goes 10 fu
smoke. this is the time 20 say that
two millions of dollars would have been
saved had there been smoke to so in.
Brief reference is made to the tele-
gram from Director Moore at Grand
Junction, the center of the famous fruit
growing section just 10 the east Of
Utah. to the effect that the crop was
very slightly damaged because there
was a systematic use of smudge pots.
What Smudge Pots Are.
1T should be a lesson to the growers
in Utah said Mr.. ROylance. who is
visitor for a day. Had they used
these cheap devices they would have
saved a million ana three-quarters
worth of fruit
What is a smudge pot Mr.. Roy
lance
1T is a tin or other metal vessel oval
in shape, like a wooden bowl that your
good wife chops Up the hash IN. much.
indeed. after the shape Of some of the
hats the women wear nowadays. They
cost about 50 cents
Two quarts Of crude oil are poured
into these smudge pots and the oil is
ignited. It creates q pleasant warmth
and a smoke that is hotter than I'd
like to say The oil costs a bout or Z
cents a gallon in carload lots. From
forty to 100 Of the pots to the acre OF
orchard. according TO circumstance
and weather conditions are sufficient to
increase the temperature at least 10 per
cent They do not have to be lighted
viii burn for eight hours-two quarts
Scientific Methods Necessary.
"I note by the morning bulletins from
the weather department that the lowest
average was 81 degrees. Had there been
placed in use smudge pots. the tempera-
ture would have been raised so that
an increase of . OF 10 degrees wound
have been the result. This would have
prevented the formation Of ice on the
buds
LAS it is. as soon as the sun came out
next day the ice on the buds was melt
ed and they were cOOksd-yes. that's
the proper word-cOOked. And then they
died. and then there was no more hope
of peaches or sweet cherries or plums.
and little hope of pears, the damage 10
which / calculate is about half crop.
Apples. judging from the information
We have at this time. are not so badly
hurt but I look for later reports Of
harm to this crop also.
The grower Of Utah must get into
the habit Of using the latest methods
of propagGting their crops. The pres
ent depIorab bic situation is an example
of what was done in the Grand valley
and which was not done. generally. in
Utah"