CALIFORNIA CITRUS CULTURE. 11 



easily handled and much more economical. This season millions of oil 

 pots are being purchased. The oil pot now desired has a capacity of 

 seven gallons, a down draft tube that insures the entire consumption 

 of fuel oil or cheap distillate and regulation of the flame to greater 

 or less heights as the degree of cold requires. These are costly but the 

 expense is more than warranted. The soot resulting from incomplete 

 combustion smuts fruit, but by washing the latter in warm water con- 

 taining gold dust after a quick submergence in kerosene oil the smut 

 is wholly removed. 



The lessons taught by the unprecedented frosts of January, 1913, 

 are first : We can not count on any frostless region in California. San 

 Diego had never been injured before, but suffered severely last Janu- 

 ary. The same was true of the foothill mesas along the San Gabriel 

 mountains. 



Lemons, both the fruit and trees, are more susceptible than oranges; 

 young trees than old. Apparently trees inured to cold are less likely 

 to be damaged than are others. Severe frosts in Sacramento seemed less 

 injurious to citrus trees than a like frost at Santa Barbara or San 

 Diego. 



It was conclusively demonstrated that by the use of oil pots 

 smudge the orchards could be absolutely protected. In some orchards 

 which were thoroughly provided with pots and oil the fruit was wholly 

 protected, and the frost was a real advantage, as the high prices are 

 very exceptional and bring great profits to the vigilant orchardist. 



While the thick canopy of smoke often resulting from the fire may, 

 and doubtless does, do some good in acting as a blanket to retard radia- 

 tion, yet it is probable that a smokeless heater which consumes all the 

 carbon would produce more heat and be more advantageous. 



While the soot can be easily and cheaply removed from the fruit, 

 yet it is very obnoxious, as it pushes into houses and begrimes tapestry 

 and curtains, and is a very serious inconvenience. It would seem that 

 the ideal pot would be smokeless, one that would consume all the refuse 

 from the oil, leaving the pot clean, would burn crude, or cheap, oil, 

 hold sufficient oil to burn all night, if required, and so made that it can 

 be filled with no spilling of the oil. 



There are two methods which are quite satisfactory in determining 

 whether or not the fruit has been frozen. By placing the fruit in 

 diluted alcohol of the right density, which can be easily determined by 

 experiment, the frozen fruit does not sink and so is easily separated 

 from the heavier unfrozen fruit. The other method is by the use of a 

 current of water w r hich separates the injured from the sound fruit on 

 the same principle that gravel is sorted by a running stream. This 

 latter arrangement originated with Mr. Harry Chase of Riverside, and 



