The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-01-06
USE TREES FOR
EXPERIMENTING
AT The j. A. c.

Trees are being frozen to order by
experimenters at the Utah Agricul-
tural College. In order to determine
just how low the thermometer may
fall before the fruit buds are injur-
ed, and to determine this under ac-
tual orchard conditions. DR.. F. L.
West, meterologist at the college. and
his assistants. are freezing whole
trees in huge galvanized tanks speci-
ally constructed for the purpose.
The method employed and the
purpose Of the work are set forth in
the following statement Of the work
by Mr.. w. E. Edlefsep, who Is as
sisting DR.. West in the experiments.
There has been considerable work
done to determine the danger point
in the orchard, by which we mean
that temperature below which not
enough fruit buds will be left to pro-
duce a profitable crop. at various
Experiment Stations throughout the
United States, but in all this work
the buds have been broken OF the
tree and have been taken into the
laboratory to be tested in freezers.
The data thus collected did not have
much weight with the farmers be-
cause they saw that the buds were
placed under unnatural conditions
and so might not act the same as
when they were on the tree. This
criticism led the Utah experimenters
to work out plan whereby the
hardness of the fruit buds to low
temperatures could be tested in the
field without removing the buds from
the tree. This was begun in the
spring OF 1915. A galvanized iron
tank was constructed which was
large enough to fit over the entire
tree. The tank was divided into
halves and each half was fastened
to a plank base, so that It could be
drawn up on opposite sides OF the
tree and then drawn together. Thus
the tree was tightly enclosed in the
tank. 1t was double walled with a
four inch space between. A large
lid covered the top Of the tank and
rested on the inner wall. Ice and
salt were filled in between the walls
and over the lid. The temperature
inside was regulated by pumping
cold or warm air In and the air in
side was kept stirred by an electri-
cally driven fan. Four self register
ing weather bureau thermometers
and 4 thermograph were placed at
different points In the branches OF
the tree. As shown by the thermo-
graph record the rate or fall OF
temperature was very similar to that
Of a natural freeze.
THE amount Of frozen buds on
the tree was determined soon after
the freeze and the amount Of frui,
produced was noted at the harvest
THE work has been conducted
with Alberta peaches only but 1t Is
| planned to test the hardness oil
other kinds OF fruit buds this mex
season. The data thus obtained ne
doubt will make II possible for Utaf
farmers to save thousands of dol
lars by helping them to find out JUS
when to heat their orchards If heat
ing has to be done.
THE temperature very seldom
goes so low that the fruit crop car
not be saved by "freing" in the or
chard. Especially Is this true |
wisdom has been used in choosinl
the orchard site. Many of the or
chards of this state are situate,
where the air drainage is very poo
and so are more in danger of fros
than If the orchard site had beer
more carefully selected. Those far
mers who contemplate the planting
of an orchard should study yer!
carefully Utah Bul. No. 141, whicl
is study of the Variation II
Minimum Temperatures Due to tn,
Topograph of Mountain Valley II
Relation to Fruit Growing"
but the best sites can not be hal
by all and moreover many farmer