The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-16
FRUIT CROP IS
BADLY INJURED
Too Early, However, to Deter
mine the Precise Extent
Of the Damage.
LOSS In UTAH COUNTY
MAY BE HALF MILLION
Peach Crop Suffers Most, With
Cherries Close Second; Other
Losses Light.


Thursday night did considerable damage
to the Utah fruit crop However, ac-
cordlng to Slate Horticultural Inspector
j. Edward Taylor. i, is too early to cs-
innate the exact extent OF the damage
Reports from fruit growers throughout
Utah, Salt Lake. Davis, Weber and Box
Elder counties were received at the Of
fee of Mr. Taylor Friday. and with the
exception OF Brigham City. in Box Elder
county. all reported heavy damage.
Some low temperatures were reported
In Utah county. one fruit grower claim
ing that tic temperature fell to 2o de-
srees. The average temperature through
out the fruit belt. however. seems to have
been from 25 to 27 degrees
From information received at Mr.. Tay-
ior Office Friday. Brigham City appears
TO have escaped any serious injury the
lowest temperature being about % de-
greeS and that prevailing but a short
time According to Mr. Taylor the dam
age to the peach crop was particularly
heavy and Judging from reports will run
fered heavily, particularly the sweet
| rietlcs. The apple crop was hurt some
| but not seriously Fears also were in
Jured nut not so badly AZ peaches and
| cherries. according to Mr.. Taylor. The
| apricot crop Is badly damaged.
Smudging Effective.
Concerning the valne OF smudsing to
avoid the frosts In the orchards, Mr..
| Taylor said
| Reports are very conflicting as TO the
value OF the Smudgcs In the orchards
Some growers claim that they have saved
iull crop by smudgirg While others can
| notice but little difference through the
smlldEed arcas
1T is evident from what saw per-
sonaliy last night that the growers have
a great deal 10 learn about the opera ton
| of snudgcs. Many of the growers start
cd the fires a long lime before 1t WAS
necessary. aud when the critical time
| came the fires were going out. There is
another noticeable feature sbqyt nc '~-ag.ls
in The orchards. Only o fewS Il the groHN
ers have good theypp4ast,s5ysn THIS AZ
$S;s Ss5s%s :" fI sF s"'eSss
Bell Telephone Reports.
Reports made 10 tho Rocky Mountain
| Bell Telephone company Friday by .iis
representatives ia the PRINCIPAL friiit
loss was heavy in the regions south Of
| Brigham City. but tho frost apparently
did not extend north of Weber county,
Provo fruit men estimated the loss
| peaches. pears and cherries at about 90
per cent where SnIudgc pots were not
used. with only slight damage TO apples
and later fruits. Tho loss in the Provo
district is estimated at from $i00.Noc so
5000. 600 and tho total loss for the county
may amount to $500 Tho smudsr
| pots proved rSurtCSSt0l generally IN lI5f1
county. according 20 The reports made to
tho telephone company, and the heaviest
losses We're reported from districts wiIcrc
the smudgc pots were not used.
Bells Are Rung.
BOYS OF The pubic schools and almost
Young university joined in the work Of
lighting the frost In The neighborhood OF
Provo. Tho Comraelciai club had the
fire bell rung and when persons called
TO ask ss&lPrp i1c the
orators announced tho frost warnings
given out by the weather bureau. thus
reaching large part Of the population
and assisting materially in getting a large
force of men out
Reports from Davis county indicated
an average loss of about 30 per cent In
the southern part OF the county and
loss OF perhaps 30 per cent in the north
crn part.
county Was in the district between os-
den and CleartieId, where il was said
10 have been about 30 per cent. Smudgs
pots were used effectively at North oe-
practically nothing. ]. L. Wright. man
ascr OF the Fruit Growers association.
reported. that tlere was practically no
loss at Willard. but that his personal loss
at Roy was heavy. especially on april
cots and cherries. John T.. Wilson. who
has a large fruit orchard on Twelfth
tensivcly and reported practically no loss.
No Loss at Brigham.
The fruit men nj Brigham City report
cd practically no loss. They received
warnings from the telephone compauS
early in the day and had their smudee
pots In readiness. hut had no occasion to
use them. as the temperature did not
reach The danger point
Reports from Cache valley indicated
no losses. as the fruit there had not de-
veloped sufficiently To he injured.
The operators OF the Bell company.
following the company practice of COM
nunicating weather reports TO suhscrib-
crs. sent warnings TO all fruit Srovers
who had telephones immediately after
the weather bureau advised that frost
might he expected These warnings were
spread by the telephone company through
the fI'ait growing districts and helped ma
tcrially in preventing greater losses, a.
the growers thus had time to put In ef-
feet whatever means of protection they
had at command. In some cases. where
smudSe pots were not available, heaps
of straw were placed in the orchards
and ignited when the danger point was
reached, thus aiding in limiting tho dam
age
Heavy Snow in Kansas.