Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-05-05
NO DAMAGE
FROM FROST
ASHLAND DISTRICT EXEMPT
FROM LOSS IN COLD SPELL.
SMUDCTNG WAS NOT NECESSARY
Damage From Frost in Lower Valley
Was Averted by Free Use of
Smudge Pots, But Our Favored
Section Was Not Endangered.

That the Ashland disttict is the
most favored portion of the Rogue
River Valley was plainly showed dur
ing the recent cold snap. At no time
did the thermometer at this place
reach point where there was dan
ger of damage to fruit. 1t was not
necessary to resort to smpd dging any
where this side of around Phoenix,
while all orchards below that point
were compelled to resort to that ex-
pense or were badly damaged by the
frost
G. G.. Eubanks, the local United
States weather observer, reports that
the lowest temperature showed by
his registering thermometer was 81
degrees on Thursday night and 38
degrees on Friday night. At the
depot their registering thermometer
showed 32 degrees at o'clock Fri
day morning, which was the lowest
point reached there. 1t was several
degrees warmer Friday night than
Thursday night. In view of the fact
that 26 degrees is the danger point
for nearly all fruit it will be seen
that there is no reason to apprehend
that the fruit in this part of the
valley may have been damaged.
This cold snap, as has every pre-
vious one, shows conclusively that
Ashland is the favored spot in the
valley. 1t raises more fruit and bet
ter fruit, and the man who is knock
ing it and decrying it's possibilities
is simply fouling his own nest and
showing his ignorance at the same
time.
Every Ashlander should at once
realize, if they have temporarily for
gotten it, that Ashland has fruit
without the necessity or the expense
of smudging when the lower valley
has to smudge nearly every year, and
that they should consider themselves
fortunate in being located here.
With the prospects of crops in
other sections. of the northwest and
in the middle west poorer than last
year there is every reason to believe
that the Rogue River Valley, and
especially the upper Bear Creek Val
ley, is destined to see a prosperous
year, and many of them in the fu-
ture.
With eleven degrees difference in
temperature at crucial seasons as
against the lower valley, the impor-
tance of locating near Ashland for
fruit raising or truck gardening can
not be overestimated. The fact that
it gets colder in midwinter here than
down the valley is also in favor of
the Ashland district, because it
makes the fruit harder and makes it
come on slower in the spring.
The temperature went to 20 de-
grees above at Eagle Point Thursday
night, or rather Friday morning, ac-
eording to reports received here.
The smudge pots were lighted in
most of the larger orchards and
there was comparatively little dam
age done to fruit, according to re-
ports reaching Ashland. The or
chards in the foothills were not
threatened, but the floor of the val
ley would have been hard hit but for,
the smudge pots. The larger or
chards were all protected and all in
dications are that they will produce
a good crop.
Smudging began in the lower val
ley about 2 a. m. and was general
over the lower valley at 4:3O a. m.
Fires burned until z o'clock Friday
morning. In orchards where smudge
pots were used the temperature was
raised from 6 to 10 degrees, thus
showing absolutely the value of the
process.
Around Eagle Point where there
was little smudging, the damage was
heaviest, while around Central Point
and Table Rock, where there was
much smudging done, there was
practically no damage done