Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-05-13


Reports that the damage is heavy in places.
For example, two experts of the crop reporting
service in Missouri estimated the damage to fruits
and early vegetables at $10,O00,O00
The apple crop in Washington, Benton and 9TH
er counties in the northwest Arkansas fruit region
will be practically total loss. Peaches and cher
res were killed and strawberries damaged almost
80 per cent.
Dispatches said about 90 per cent of the fruit
crop in Oklahoma is ruined
1t is estimated that Nebraskas crop of early
cherries, apples, pears and plums is total loss.
The early varieties of fruit in some eastern
states also suffered heavily
Early peaches, cherries, and plums probably
have been killed in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The cold weather seriously damaged the fruit
crop in the southern part of Ohic where the fruit
was far advanced.
Thousands of Maryland fruit trees were in fun
bloom when hit by this frost. Growers in Wash
ington county, the center of the western Maryland
peach belt report the peach crop destroyed.
The fruit crop in Kentucky apparently was
killed.
Therefore the following article, prepared by
the United States Department of Agriculture, is
worth the attention of every fruit grower:
The weather bureau of the United States De
partment of Agriculture has been able to discover
the weapon used by that old enemy of mankind,
Jack Frost, and in q recent published report it
tells the farmer and fruit grower just what Jacks
invisible weapon is, and how, under ordinary con-
ditions, the sprites own artillery may be used
against him.
Frost, of course, occurs whenever the mercury
drops to 80 degrees r. or lower. If much mos-
ture is present in the atmosphere this drop in
temperature is manifested by the white crystals
of frozen moisture upon leaf or grass stem, and
there is what is known as white frost" If the
temperature drops to the required degree and
does not reach the point when water from the
air is condensed there will be few crystals de-
posted and the result is a 'black frost" A
freeze" is the term applied to condition of cold
more permanent than frost and such condition
may occur when there are high Winds True
"frosts" occur only when the surface air is rel
atvely calm.
Temperature, like water, seeks level. During
the day the earth receives more heat than it can
throw off, but at night this supply of heat is
stopped. During the day the heat thrown off
by the earth warns the thin blanket Of air next
the ground This blanket, it warns, loses its
density and ascends Cooling as it rises, present
ly it encounters air of its own temperature, and
there it stops Meanwhile its place has been
taken by other colder air. which is in turn warmed
by contact with the ground This exchange goes
until, at shutdown, all the air of wide layer
above the earth has been warmed, and the high
est temperature is felt nearest the earth.
Earth Squanders Its Heat.
Now with the sunset, old earth begins to suffer
from a bit e aerial trickery. All day long he
has been patiently passing out heat to one cold
air layer after another; night comes, and with
it the loss of his source of supply, but do these
warm upper layers pass back any of the heat they
begged during the day? They do not-unless
they are made to- The layer close to the earth
does, and thus they leave their coolest blanket
against the shivering earth while they sail about
40 or 80 feet above their late benefactor, serene
and warm and selfish little caring that the spend
thrift earth is freezing his toes below.
AS the earth becomes colder the air blanket
next his brown old skin becomes colder, too, and
heavier as it becomes colder so that the colder it
grows the more tightly it fits. and he has little
chance of throwing off his chilly coverlet to seize
a warmer zone. The earth, too prodigal of his