Arizona republican., 1911-12-27
ORANGE MEN
 WERE SCARED
Temperature Records Yes terday Looked Uncanny
 to Everybody
BUT REAL DAMAGE
 WAS VERY SLIGHT

The Kris Kringe weather in this sun kissed valley on Christmas night. while responding very materially to the dreams of some thousands Of kidjies who had studied picture books of snow bound New England all day, was no joke for their anxious daddies who line their pocket books from orange groves and selling. orange land. New ertheless. though the thermometer fell lower than in many years past it is a joy to say that paterfamilias was worse scared than hurt for very little serious damage was done to the citrus indus try.
 The Phoenix station Of the weather bureau reports a low temperature of 21 at the hours taken, though it is said that between hours unofficial in- struments report 24 In the citrus raising districts outside the city the thermometer reports have varied from 23 along the Arizona canal and the CrOsScut to IS at InSleside. A report that it fell as low as II at Ingleside was circulated yesterday but was pos itively denied and must have been false or there would have been an evil dence of devastation that would have admitted of no denial.
 The measure of damage as report ed by various orange growers seems to have been the killing of some very small nursery stock that had made no great growth during the summer: the freezing of the outer branches of some h.. q, of of the fruit on the outside of the bear ing trees, chiefly the later varieties. The naval crop, fortunately is prac tiCally all in market as the years out put has been estimated at seventy car loads of which siXty-five have already rolled away to bring Thanksgiving and Christmas cheer to those in distant lands
 It is quite remarkable that more damage was not done for it was cer- tainly mighty cold weather for orange trees, the temperature reports being lower than two years ago when cOnsid- erable damage was done, for the first time in many years. In fact it is not oi record that the thermometer ever went as low as Is but once before since the white man began taking note of things hereabout.
 One orange grower explained that the best protection of the trees was in the fact that it has been unusually cold for the last three or four weeks and the sap in the young trees especially. was well down toward the roots. The trees had spent a month preparing for
 
 day night. Again. many of the grow CTS who have young orchards as well as the nurserymen had banked their trees well or given the young stock protection by wrapping, so it escaped with slight damage, or none at all. Just the very small or weakly trees were badly frozen or killed.
 The freezing of the outer limbs of the bearing or the larger trees is not regarded as materially hurtful so the principal damage is the loss Gf a little fruit that hung in exposed places. w. C. Rogers of the Rockwell anI Rogers home ranch on the Arizona says he made d careful examination but found no damage save as stated abo"e. The same condition practically. prevailed in their Buena Vista grove on the Croscutt canal. Mir. King reported that he had suffered no material loss. From Ingleside the report was that there had been no damage that is yet in evidence. though probably some of the outside limbs of the trees were nipped.
 Smudging was pretty general with those prepared to protect theIr groves that way but it was not quite as sue ccssful as usual for the reason that the cold spell lasted for several hours and there was a breeze that waftel away the warming smoke to quickly to make it very effective. Altogether it was happily, only q close call
 The grounds surrounding town resi- dences. and the capitol grounds. suf- fered materially and many a proud possessor of a budding rosebush was tempted to profanity in the early morning while the winter flowers lay whitening anu blighted on their stems. This was more noticeable at the Cap itol grounds than elsewhere for there was more there to be hurt. But the gardeners were busy yesterday wrap ping their. most tender plants that were yet unhurt, in newspapers or ota- CT protecting covers, and while the flush of beauty has been temporarily rubbed off the garden scela. a few weeks more will put things in order 50 the loss will not be noticed. unless old Boreas continues ais urwelcome stay in this inviting region.
 
 Postcard AIbiIunS at HinckIpv'S Iac