American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1910-01-22

farmers and fruit men who may care to
avail themselves of the benefit Every
thing is free to them.
The lectures on apples will deal most
ly with heating the orchards in early
spring to avoid frost killing off the
buds. Samples of the best apparatus
will be shown and their use will be
demonstrated. 1t is thought that if or
chard heating is adopted in Utah and
Idaho, as the railroad hopes it will be as
result of this special free instruction
train, that the apple crop of these two
states will be doubled this year and for
all time to come.
Lectures on potato culture will deal
with the seed, planting, cultivating,
digging, sorting and storing. Sorting
in particular will be dealt with, as on
this depends to large extent the mar
ket price, as the poorest potatoes in the
sack usually fix the price, not the best
ones.
The railroad has issued comprehen-
sive booklet, fully illustrated, called
Orchard Heating" written by E. Fl.
Grubb and published by General Passen-
ger Agent D. E. Burley, that can be
had at the Press Office for the asking.
Speaking of orchard heating, Mr..
GIubb says in part:
ssErr1it orrouarc oil o,rar @ho
are interested in knowing the actual
facts regarding the Grand Valley ex-
periments, or perhaps experiments is
not the word experience would be bet
ter-for the Grand Valley fruit growers
have accepted the principle of orchard
heating as established, and where 20
per cent protected their orchards in the
spring of 1909, all will be equipped to
heat their orchards in 1910.
''The experimental work remaining is
confined only to the details; the main
basic principle has been established
that it is possible to maintain a safe
heat in orchards by artificial appliances |
when fatal frosts prevail. 1t is still too |
early to say to what extent this is possi-
BILE. Some of the Grand Valley growers
are positive that they can protect their |
fruit when the temperature is as low as
Is below zero.
There are others who are not willing
to be positive below 20 degrees. But 1
with experience this will be determined 1
later. If orchards can be made safe
from fall to 20 degrees, it will doubt
less cover 80 per cent of the danger
that American orchards are ever called
upon to combat.
"The recent experiments in orchard
heating in Grand Valley have apparent
ly demonstrated beyond doubt that it
is possible to maintain safe tempera-
ture in orchards when the natural tenn
perature is at 20 degrees above zero or
even lower. AS result of the expert
ment in Grand Valley, crop of fruit
valned at $1,000, 900 was saved and
marketed when the records show that
outside of the orchards at
various places in the valley were as low
as 19 and 20 degrees above zero
"About 20 per cent of the orchards of
the valley were heated during the dam
ger period of 1909, and without excep-
ton these orchards had crops when
those in the danger zone lost all their
crops. The experiments went so far
that trees protected by the heat on one
side and unprotected on the other, bore
fruit on the protected side and none on
the other. While there are still many
details TO be worked out, results thus
far attained Justify the assertion thatit
IS possible to protect the fruit crop from
the early and late spring frosts by ap-
plying artificial heat.
During the years of development of
the Grand Valley fruit industry, killing
irosts late in the spring were unknown,
and losses from this cause were appar- ,
entity very light until about three years
ago, when practically the whole crop /;
vas lost by late frost in the spring.
This calamity awakened the growers to
he fact that late frosts-were possible
wen in the favored Grand Valley, and
Continued on last page.) II