THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. / 



be transferred from one section direct to another without the loss of 

 time required in returning to headquarters. Organized in this way, 

 we hope to do more effective work tlian ever before, and at the same 

 time make it much less arduous for the men. 



Firing Early Important. 



If any one point should be impressed on the mind of him who has 

 an orchard equipped for frost protection, or is contemplating such 

 equipment, it is the supreme importance of firing early. "Of all the 

 words of tongue or pen the saddest are these — 'It might have been'." 

 The bitterest memories that linger in our minds in connection with our 

 years of fighting frost are of the nights when, hoping to save a modicum 

 of paltry fuel, we waited a few minutes too long. Every chapter in 

 our experience has borne testimony that once the latent, reserve heat 

 becomes exhausted from air, fruit, tree and surface soil, the task of 

 raising and holding a temperature is not only far more difficult and 

 expensive, but in nearly every case accomplished only after irreparable 

 damage has been done to small fruit especially, and often to the entire 

 crop and tree. If you let the thermometer fall below 30 degrees you 

 are taking the reckless gambler's chance, unless perhaps it be just 

 a short, sudden drop during the last few minutes before sunrise. 

 Whether your equipment be heavy or light, we firmly believe it should 

 be brought into action on all occasions if the mercury falls below 31 

 degrees, and then used just freely enough to keep the temperature 

 above 32 degrees, putting out part of the pots, cutting down the flame, 

 or adding to, as the case may require. 



First Cost and Maintenance. 



The following figures representing our total investment on five hun- 

 dred acres may be of interest. 



50,000 oil pots (including several thousand of last year's pots) $50,000 00 



2 steel storage tanks, capacity 5.000 barrels each 4,885 89 



2 cement reservoirs, capacity 100,000 gallons each, equipped 



with pump 3,000 00 



5 miles of 3-inch and 4-inch pipe line 9'oik nn 



85 tank wagons and trucks 'on^ nn 



150 spout pails for tilling pots oOO 00 



200 torches • 200 00 



50 thermometers 150 UU 



4 miles of telephone system J50 00 



350,000 gallons of oil in orchard at 2i cents A''M, 9x 



500,000 gallons of oil in storage at 2^ cents 12,500 00 



Total $91,225 92 



Reduced to the basis of one acre, the investment is : 



100 pots $100 00 



Storage space for 1,240 gallons of oil 1;^ Xi 



Pipe line - ^r, *'^ 



One tank wagon to 14 acres — per acre 8 6o 



Pails — one to 3^ acres — per acre ^^ 



Torches — one to 2J acres — per acre : 40 



Thermometers — one to ten acres — per acre -w 



Telephone 1 ^^ 



■ Oil in pots — 700 gallons at 2^ cents 17 ^0 



Oil in storage — 1,000 gallons at 2* cents 2o UU 



Total . $182 45 



These figures are almost staggering, yet, if ample protection is to be 

 afforded areas annually visited, by low temperatures, we believe this is 



