The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-03-01
Fruit BUDS
Probably Killed By January
Cod Weather
Orchard Heating Might Have
Saved The Peaches

Dormant buds of some varieties of
peaches are killed when the tempera.
ture of the air falls to about 12 de-
grees below zero, while other varie-
ties will stand a temperature of 10 to
Is degrees below zero
During January, 1912, the tempera-
ture was 81 degrees below zero at
Milligan, Perry county, and was over
80 degrees below zero in low valleys
in parts of Portage, Columbiana,
Guernsey, Hooking, Athens, and Ross
counties.
The temperature was more than Is
degrees below zero in nearly all sec
tions of the state except along Lake
Erie, in parts Of the Ohio Rover val
ley, and on some of the highest points
in the state.
The lowest temperature occurred
generally on the morning of the 18th,
when the air was clear and compara-
lively still. At such times the air out
side the large cities always gets cold
er than in town, because in the cities
the cooling by radiation is largely pre-
vented while in the country the radia-
tion of heat from the surface of the
ground is very rapid and this surface,
and the air in contact with it. gets very
cold,
The valleys are always colder than
the hills; also, on such nights, the
air that has been cooled on the hill
sides slides down into the valleys and
is replaced by horizontally moving cur
rents of warmer air.
On January 13, the temperature was
10 degrees at Hiram, Portage county,
but was 80 degrees at Garrettsville on
ly few miles away but in valley,
235 feet lower At Bangorville, Rich
land county, the temperature was 10
degrees and at Cardington, Morrow
county, $40 feet lower it was 81 de-
grees, all below zero.
On one of the hills near Philo the
temperature was degrees, while down
near the river it was 27 degrees. AT
Somerset, Perry county, the tempera-
ture was 10 degrees, while at Milligan
in the same county it was 81 degrees,
all below zero.
Other high level points showed
temperatures from 10 to 10 degrees
below Zero hence it is probable that
peach orchards located at or near the
highest points of land escaped COM
plete loss, while all those at lower
levels were killed.
The temperature was only degrees
J below zero at Toledo and Sandusky,
, and only degrees below at Cleveland
The record at other stations outside Of
the cities, however, and only short dis
tances from the lake, indicate that
the temperature was close to the crit
ical point all along the Lake shore.
The temperature at the Weather
Bureau office in Columbus at an eleva
ton of 173 feet above the street was
degrees below zero, at the Kiosk, in
the State House grounds, 1t was 8 de-
grees below, and on the Ohio State
university grounds, 1t was % degrees
below. In this case the difference In
elevation made a difference of de-
grees and between the city where the
radiation was checked and the country
where it was rapid difference OF Ia
degrees. Whenever it Is cloudy OF
there is much wind the temperature
is practically the same in town and
out and at different elevations.
Experiments in orchard heating
with oil pots of one gallon capacity
set about 80 to the acre, coal heaters
about 60 to the acre, or wood fires
about 45 to the acre, show that the
temperature can be kept from 10 to IL
per cent higher in the orchard thar
prevails outside.
This being the case, systematic or
chard heating might have saved the
bulk of the peach crop during this colo
spell at an expense of 81 or $3 pei
acre.
Orchard heating is rapidly coming
into favor to protect fruit crops from
spring frosts but heaters are used II
California to protect citrus fruits from
winter damage and the plan seems
just as practicable in this state.
j. WARREN SMITH,
Professor of Meteorology,
U. s. Weather Bureau