The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-03-12
More Subject to Danger and More
Costly Than Growing Oranges In
FIorida-one Million Three
Hundred and Sixty Thou
sand Dollars Spent for
Heaters

mona. California, to the Deerborn In
dependent, tells of the danger and
heavy cost OF growing oranges in Cali
fornia.
Though somewhat lengthy, we be-
Ileve the article will prove of inter
est 20 a number Of our readers.
Mr.. Tinsley says:
probably every one Of the 11,164
growers OF oranges II lemons in
Southern California Is restle~s these
winter nights lest Jack Frost may ar
rive The time of arrival is always
any time between midnight and day
light and the expectancy is based on
a clear, dry night and falling tempera-
ture. A crop OF oranges that hangs on
the trees, now almost mature, is rough
" valued at s4O,OOO,OOO Cat present
prices) and lemons will add. If safely
marketed, at least $15.000.000. Yet
sixty minutes of freezing tempera-
ture in the groves may damage the
product so that fully $50,OO0,O0O may
be completely lost.
THAT happened once, the first
week in January. 1918. All but $500,
600 of lemon and orange yield, that
was reckoned at $6S,000,000, was froz-
en- so that it had to be torn from the
trees and dumped into gulches. A year
before, frost made unfit for sale fruit
that was worth from $2O,00O,000 20
$4,000, 900. horticultural Commits
sioner Heckle, of California. reckon:
that in thirty years the havoc, by rea
son of Jack Frost's nocturnal visits
has cost the citrus growers of the
state altogether over $S0.O00,000. Be-
sides, the prune. apricot. peach, and
especially the olive growers have lost
millions more by reason of frosts in
the blooming time, in April In the
past twenty-five winters alone, frost
losses to citrus growers have reached
q total of s6O.OOO,OOO. Frost always
comes at the eleventh hour, just as
the expense and labor Of year Of
cultivation. irrigation fumigation. fer
tllization and care Of grove has end
ID and the harvest is close at hand.
Yet. so profitable has been the indust.
nv that II has increased between $751;
Oo0.0 and s2O.OOO.OOO according TO
Commissioners Hecke) since 1915.
Tine value OF the industry laccord-
ing TO like authority including land
trees, irrigation systems. pacl1in
houses and their machinery. is $780,
100000. It was $4,000 thirty-five
years ago.
Naturally inventive genius has de-
voted itself to devising scheme for
combating the one great alarm of the
growers. Every community in Cali
fornia has its inventor OF an anti-frost
system. Talk with any grower and
you win find he has devoted some
scheme for checking the advance of
frost 10 his fruit There are schemes
without number for using water 20
draw frost from where it is not want
ed.
twenty-five inventions were taken
cut in San Diego county alone. for run:
ning sprays while frost is .severest.
There are dozens of plans for irriga.
ton. Water II is argued. draws frost
and the scheme is to attract the
eamaging cold from the fruit on tn
trees. when greatest damage occurs.
Over le0 men have patented schem.
IS for creating currents of air during
q frosty night No damage has been
done. so experience shows, when the
mercury goes low and there is a freeze
blowing A stiIl air on cold night
g when frost Is most serious. So all
fuanner Of electrical wheels, hose that
win blow air across tree tops and ma
chimes that viii automatically raise
wind from one end Of grove, have
been devised.
A Standard Oil magnate. who has a
1ooaeEe grove at Riverside. had his
whole grove inclosed within shelter
built Of laths at an expense of $4,000.
re never said whether several years
trial was a success. The late actress
Madame Modieska. had cone-shaped
tents made for her velencia orange
grove near Santa Ana, but the ex.
pense Of setting them up was within
= few dollars Of the whole returns
from an the fruit she sold. ". d. Nc.
iAdoo. former secretary OF the treas.
ury. has a subterranean Irrigation
bull, AZ his Santa Barbara grove