The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1912-02-16
JACK FROST AND SMOKE POTS.
GEORGE DUKE -

A great many of our Colorado grow
ers conter.d that smoke is all that is
necessary to protect fruit from frost.
l admit that smoke will keep off the
frost, but this is not what kills the
fruit. 1t is freeze that does the dam
age and it takes heat to keep off the
freeze. The question of the best fuel
to be used is divided. Both coal and
oil are good The question to be de
termined in each section is which fuel
will produce the most heat at the least
cost. In Canon City surrounded by oil
wells, we would naturally suppose OF
would be the fuel. On the western
slope in Colorado, surrounded with
thousands of acres of COAL we would
suppose that coal would be the cheapest
fusl and so on throuR bout the fruit sec
tions of the United States.
The best pot to be used is the one
which apple to the fuel in any section
and does the business at the least cost
The one thing to keep in mind at all
lines is to be sure and have enough
pots. Do not be afraid of the fuel IL
you are afraid of the number of p1ts
and using fuel. do not smui ge at all for
you have gone to useless expense /
would recommend 300 pots to the acre
If you use coal have pots that will hold
forty to fifty pounds each. If you use
oil have pots that will hold not less
than three gallons. thereby having
enough fuel in the orchard for the sea
son. If the fuel in the orchard is not
consumed during the frost period. it
can be returned to the store house for
the next season.
Lighting and caring for the orchard
heaters is comparatively easy and a
few men can look after whole lot Of
pots. Refilling the pots during the
night is great drawback to orchard
heating. Even refillng at all during
the frost season is a drawback and
causes a great deal of labor at time
when help is very scarce. In placing
the heaters in the orchard place double
the number of pots on the two outside
rows, then diminish as | draw to the
middle of the orchard. In lighting
them | begin on the windy side and if
no air is stirring ! light on the side
from whence the prevailing wind arises.
Soon after lighting the air will begin
TO stir as you have noticed bonfire
when lighted will create draft. Or
chard heaters do The same thing.
When the air stirs the thermometer be-
gins to rise. Another question to be
determined before orchard heating can
be done at the least possible expense
is how much frost the buds, bloom or
fruit will stand at certain stages, SO as
to know just at what temperature to
light the pots and this is very import
ant matter. The fruit buds showing
the pink will stand more frost at one
stage than another.
After the buds have opened into
bloom and before the petals have fallen.
and even after the petals have fallen and
the fruit is formed the same conditions
will hold good. Not only that but each
locality has the question to decide ac-
cording to it's conditions. For instance
in the mountain states fruit will with
seand more frost than in the prairie
states at the same stage and in the
mountain states some sections will with
stand more frost than others. Some
localities in section will Withstand
more frost than others in the same sec
ton so that this question will have to
be determined in each locality in order
to get the best results.