158 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



save both trees and crojD on the coldest night ever known in 

 California's history? 



To equip an orchard with fifty baskets to the acre means an 

 outlay of only a little over $5. The fuel to run them one 

 night costs from $2.50 to $3. If a crop of Navels upon the trees 

 is worth •$400, it will pay well to spend in fuel and labor ^4 per 

 night, or one per cent of the value of the crop, to insure its 

 safety. In the orange region of Southern California it is not 

 usual to have more than two or three nights in a season 

 when the fruit is in danger. But even if, as in the present 

 season, the period of cold is more extended, will it not pay to 

 expend at least as much as one pays for his irrigating water 

 to secure the safe maturing of a crop it has cost him a year's 

 labor and heavy expense to produce? 



The conclusion is obvious that we have only to provide for 

 the insurance of this sort of property exactly as we would in 

 the case of that liable to destruction by fire, to be enabled to 

 follow the business of orange and lemon growing with the 

 certainty of having perfect fruit to market at the season's end. 



While the practicability of protecting our orchards from 

 frosts seems established, the problem of the most economical 

 and scientific means of accomplishing this is probably yet to 

 be solved. However well the wire baskets maj^ serve us now, 

 there doubtless will be improved methods for burning coal, 

 and even other material may be found that will serve the pur- 

 pose better; and while wet straw seems at present to be the 

 most available for smudges, doubtless when the need is made 

 known, cheniists will find some vapor-producing material more 

 compact, efficient, and economical. Hence we recommend that 

 the club appoint a permanent committee to continue these 

 investigations. 



ROOFING PROTECTION AGAINST FROSTS, AND HEAT 

 IN SUMMER. 



After having tried several other methods of protecting trees 

 from frost, none of which proved absolutely safe, the Everest 

 Rancho incorporation at Arlington Place, Riverside County, 

 decided to roof over a portion of their orange grove. Such 

 were the results of the first trial on three acres that the 

 company extended it over seventeen acres, shown in the 

 accompanying illustrations, made from photographs taken on 



