The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-01-05
BAD FREEZE IN CALIFORNIA
Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruit and Veg
etabIes Hurt-Mercury Drops
to IS Degrees

etables Hurt-Mercury Drops
to 16 Degrees
A little tardy, but news now comes
from California that much damage
was done to citrus fruits as we'll as
vegetables in all sections of that state
by an almost unprecedented cold
wave there early last week. BY We'd
nesday it was currently reported that
in a number of different places the
thermometer had registered as low
as 16 degrees and that everything was
killed. Such early reports are usually
exaggerated, but later advices show
this to be the exception to the rule.
A number of wires have been re-
ceived which confirm the reports of
the damage. Under date of Deem
Der &c, the New York Produce News
received a wire from Los Angeles
saying that heavy frosts in nearly all
the districts in Southern California
the previous night had done serious
damage to oranges and lemons. 1t
placed the damage as greater than in
1909. In the same districts that were
affected in 1909 the thermometer at
that time registered as low as q. An
other wire from Riverside said that
the freeze had damaged not only or
anges, but lemons and grapefruit as
well. Ice formed in Riverside, Rialto,
Highgrove and Redland. The lemon
crop was especially hurt. While it
will be impossible to give a correct
estimate of the damage for several
days it is a certainty that the fruit
on the lowlands is seriously damaged,
while that on the foothills might pos
sibly have escaped. The temperature
ranged 1924 The sender of THIS
wire, who is thoroughly familiar with
conditions on the coast, says that the
fruit is still late and immature with
sizes generally small 1t has been
quite cold in California for some time
and heavy north winds have been
from the same source states that it
commenced to rain Immediately after
the cold weather and it was raining
all over the state. This will probably
make the fruit mature, but it will be
puffy and lacking in juice.
Olivit Bros. received the following
telegram from Herbert L. Brooks,
their representative on the coast. 1t
was from Riverside under date of the
9th: Sever freeze through the en-
tire valley Monday and Tuesday
nights. Considerable damage, though
impossible to determine it's extent
yet. Conservative estimates place it
at 20 per cent Temperature ranged
between 20@30 degrees. The frost
was general, but it is believed this
end of the valley is hardest hit.
Smudging saved bulk of crop; still
there is considerable fruit that was
more or less hurt"
A telegram to the New York Pro-
duce News from the California Veg
etable Union, dated December %,
states that considerable damage was
done to vegetables. Tomatoes were
wiped out and the cold weather will
prevent the shipment of celery from
Northern California for month. Or
ange county celery, it stated, was very
little damaged, because there was a
quantity of over-ripe celery in the
field. 1t will be necessary to trim the
celery very close, which will result in
smaller size, but good quality. The
foliage was practically unchanged.
Cauliflower was retarded in its
growth, but the crop was practically
unchanged as a whole.
Citrus growers will remember the
disastrous conditions of two years
ago, when California had a hard
freeze, and for months the markets
were flooded with oranges, which
were worthless and brought less than
freight charges. This condition con-
tinued for some time. Receivers fear
now that if the amount of damages is
as serious as reported that the Cali
fornia citrus market, which has been
in excellent condition for a long time,
will become demoralized through ex-
cessive receipts of puffy, undesirable
fruit. 1t will take several days before
an absolutely correct estimate of the
amount of damage can be made.
80 --