Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-11-08
Frost Fighting Methods
y al Elk A. HOLT, in Washington A.,.u...

Ill "hS points should
ouyer III his selection of an oil
iieatef The pot should have a canao
ny Tor more than one gallon Of oil tbo
'penine at the top of the pot should he
sufficiently large to admit of EASY and
'"piu fllllng, as time is valuable when
Vne ~ lighting frost. The pots should
NC supply constructed and yet have a
means OF controlling the flame or
amount OF combustion. The heaters
should be durable, and be SO construct
eel that when they are stored thew will
permit OF nesting, thereby saving much
space a coal heater should have .
capacity of from twenty-five to fiftv
pounds of coal. 1t should have a con
cenlrated bottom draft to cause GOOD
combustion. 1t should be self-feeding
and self-cleaning, thereby requiring
little attention after the fires are
started.
There are different grades of oil
used in the oil burning heaters, but
'he oil giving the best results at com
paratlvely low cost is what is known
as smudge oil distillate. This has a
specific gravity of % to 80, it gives a
quick fire and is easily lighted, leaving
very little residue in the pot. Another
grade Of oil that is used is a crude oil
htaylng a specific gravity of IS to 20.
This oil has low content of volatile
matter and does not give off the
amount of heat which it should II
leaves a heavy deposit in the heater,
and IN addition it gives off thick, black
smoke which leaves sooty deposit
wherever it settles The heavy oil is
much cheaper than the distillate. but
1t has been found that the lighter oils
are far more reliable. If water finds
It's way into pot of crude oil, it will
cause the contents TO sputter and burn
over the sides of the pot, but the light
or oil will always remain on top of the
water.
Any grade of coal that may be had
may be used, but the softer coal will
make more ashes and burn out more
rapidly than the hard coal, thereby re-
curing more attention while burning.
Owing to the greater cheapness of the
soft coal it is probably as economical
to use as the harder Goals.
In the storage Of oil cement cisterns
have been widely used and are found
to be very satisfactory If possible
they should be so located that the oil
may be put in and taken out of them
by gravity. This is accomplished by
placing the tank on an elevated plat
form, in which case the tank is made of
iron or wood, or by locating the els
tern on a hillside. If cement cistern
is used it should be lined with several
coats of coal tar or paraffine to protect
the concrete from the oil The oil may
be stored in wooden barrels, but if so
the barrels should be buried in the
earth or stored under cover
The oil pots are preferably placed in
the orchard and then filled from a tank
wagon by means of hose attachment to
the rear of the tank. A cheaper mode
of filling the pots is to haul the barrels
through the orchard on a sled and fill
the pots by means of buckets. How
ever, this latter method is accompan-
led by more or less waste of oil and it
is, also, rather slow. The coal pots
may be filled at the storage station and
hauled to the orchard or they may be
filled in their permanent places. For
the second and third Filings there
should be piles of coal placed at con
venient places throughout the orchard.
In some orchards the coal is hauled
through the rows and the pots filled
directly from the wagon.
The most approved method of light
ing the oil pots is by means of gasoline.
A common way is to use a small oil
can filled with gasoline, and torch.
A little of the gasoline is squirted onto
the top of the oil and the torch is APP
II c c,oeolioa &c 6auOarnuc ia