The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-03-16
ORCHARD.
HEATING
What II Is and Its Cost.
BY j. WARREN SMITH,
'rofessor Of Meteorological Science.
Ohio State University.

have teen most extensively used. Dut
fires may he made of wood or other
material.
The Cost Of Orchard Heating.
In some experiments carried out
in the west the cost per acre per
night, with the fires burning four
hours, including labor of distributing
the fuel, attending the heating, and
interest on the original cost of the
equipment, was as follows:
Crude oil, 80 pots to the acre on
Distillate 80 pots to the acre...... 600
Coal, 60 heaters to the acre........ 800
Wood, 35 piles to the acre. $500 to 400
The cost of the coal is based on
using 2j0 pounds per acre per hour,
coal being worth 81 per ton at the
mines. The coal heaters will burn
about 8 pounds of soft coal per hour.
and this will raise the temperature
10 to 10 degrees where so heaters
per acre are used.
The coal burners in general use
hold IS to 30 pounds OF coal so that
they have to be filled every four 0
six hours. II is considered that one
ton of coal equals 100 gallons of oil
in heating value.
In using wood more attention is
necessary to get best results, but this
fuel has the advantage of needing no
cost FOR heaters. About six good fir
sticks of cord wood will last four to
five hours. These sticks are piled
with the ends dove-tailsd together,
and are pushed together as the ends
burn off. In some districts where
OIL and GOAL fires have been tried
fires of cord wood are preferred.
Coal needs less attention than
wood and oil least of all, and for this
reason, especially, many large or
chardsts prefer the oil heaters.
These will burn on an average of one
quart of oil per hour. Eighty burners
should protect one acre OF orchard,
burning at this rate, with the outside
temperature as low as 20 degrees.
The amount of oil or other fuel
that will need to be stored before
hand will depend upon the probable
number of hours that the orchard
will need protection. Thirty hours q
season would be an extreme number,
and in many cases it would not be
over 10 hours. This would take 250
gallons of oil or one and one-half
tons of coal per acre.
The oil heaters cost from 10 cents
to 40 cents each by the hundred, and
the coal heaters somewhat more than
that. Some careful experiments have
been made however, and indicate
that plain sheet iron pots, which can
be made for from 6 cents to 10 cents
each, are just as satisfactory as the
special ones now on the market.
Orchard heating is just like any
other work, however; 1t must be TAX
en- up in a business-like manner. The
fuel must be on hand and distributed
and all arrangements made for firing
quickly at just the proper time, and
then the fires handled so as TO keep
the temperature just above the crit
ical point. Some 10 to Is less fires
to the acre will be needed in or
chsrds of old and full-headed trees
than in young orchards.
Temperatures Dangerous to Fruits.
The ability of fruit buds to with
stand unfavorable temperatures is af.
fected very much by the weather
conditions Immediately preceding, so
that 1t is not possible TO give tenn
perature values that will apply to all
conditions.
Peaches.
When peach buds are fully dor
mant they will stand a temperature
| OF about 10 degrees below zero
When the buds are appreciably swol
len zero is the dangerous tempera'
ture. When the buds are showing
pink II is about 20 degrees when al
! most open. 25 degrees; when newly
opened, 26 degrees; when petals are
beginning to fall, 28 degrees; when
petals are all off, 30 degrees; when
the shucks or calyx tubes are begin
ming to fall, that is, just after the
fruit has formed, the danger point is
32 degrees. The larger the peaches
are the less cold they can stand
without damage.
Apples.
When fully dormant, apples will
stand any temperature that will not
kill the trees. When the petals are
beginning to show the danger point
is % degrees; in full bloom, 20 de
grees; when petals are dropping and
the young fruit is increasing in size
81 degrees. At this point, are as the
apples increase in size, the stems
are in more danger than the apples
themselves, and will not stand a
temperature below freezing.
Pears.
When in bud the danger point is
28 degrees; in blossom, ~ degrees
In setting fruit, 2s degrees.
Cherries.
In bud the danger points 20 de
grees; in blossom, 81 degrees: in
setting fruit. 81 degrees.
Plums.
When in bud the dangerous tenn
psrature rs 80 degrees; in blossom
81 degrees in setting fruit, u de
grees.