East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-04-15
STANF|ELD PEOPLE
TOLD Of SMUDG1NG
KENNEWICK MAN SAYS
PEARS WILL DO WE'LL
Offers To Induce Professors from
Washington State College tn Come
and Explain Horticulture.
Especial Correspondence.)


Stanfield. Ore, April 80. l.
Hanson of Kennewick. was in STAN
field yesterday on business connected
with the letting of the contract for
the completion of the Coe dam. Mr.
Hanson has had wide experience in
the planting and care of fruit tracts
under conditions similar to those
found in western Umatilla county,
consequently what he has to say on
this score should be Of interest to the
people of this locality.
In conversation with some OF our
people regarding the possibilities OF
fruit production in this valley Mr..
Hanson expressed the conviction that
this would be one of the greatest or
chard districts of the west. Owing
10 It's sheltered position and low al
titude. this region is a very early one
and on that account may have oc-
cassion every few years TO take some
precaution against injury to the early
blooming varieties from frost. The
manner of securing immunity from
frost Mr.. Hanson says, is no longer
experimental. but has been worked
out to a scientific and systematic
basis. The process as employed now
in his home district about Kenne-
wick. is as follows: Thermometers
are placed in the orchards connected
by electric alarm wire with the own
eI 5 sleeping room. Working on the
principal of thermostadt these
thermometers give warning of a tenn
perature approaching frost. Iron
pots made for the purpose and cost
ing IL to is cents each are placed
at intervals through the orchard.
These pots hold about n gallon each
of crude oil which costs l-2 cents
per gallon, which is sufficient to burn
or smudge 2 1-2 hours. Mr. Hanson
recommends installing so to 100 pots
t. the acre. with the large num-
Der per acre SO pots are fired ordi-
narily, the other so being held in re-
serve for emergency use in case of
very low temperature. In n recent
test at Kennewick smudging was re-
sorted to when the thermometer
reached 2S degrees. or four de-
grees below the frostlng point. Both
the orchards smudged and those not
smudged came through without in
jury thus demonstrating that IL Is not
necessary to resort to the use of the
smudge pots till the mercury falls
below 2S.
The danger point is in the early
blooming period from April lst to
May lst, when the blossoms have
first opened. After the fruit is once
set much lower temperature will
produce no injury. During the early
blooming period it may be necessary
to smUlSc from one to three times,
though i'm many years no smudging
would be required. The entire cost
of smudging after the pots are once
installed, is about $40 per acre.
Considering the high value Of the
crop in region so situated as to place
It's products on the market in ad-
vance of others, this should be
very small premium to pay for in
surance. Mr.. Hanson says that by
employing this system he considers
the peach crop an absolutely safe
one and a very profitable one for this
locality. He pronounces the STAN
field peach orchard belonging to
Page & Son Of Portland. to be one of
the most wonderful sights he has
ever seen in the shape of an orchard
only one year old and says II will
doubtless produce a good yield of
fruit next year or at only two years
from the time Of planting.
He recommends pears. however. as
being. especially adapted to Stanfield
and vicinity, because of the favorable
climatic conditions and the great
depth of soil. The pear is said 10 |
blight badly whenever its roots strike |
bed rock and as the soil here is in |
many places 100 feet or more in
depth, Mr. Hanson expects this re- |
gion to become very famous as n pear
producing district Mr.. Hanson very
kindly offers to bring with him the |
president of the Washington AgrI- |
cultural college and address our peo- |
pie on fruit growing and on the pe-
culiar needs OF this locality when |
some favorable opportunity presents
itself.
Our Commercial clue should take |
this matter in hand and arrange to !
have thnGa