1907. ] Prevention of Damage by Frost. 23 



THE PREVENTION OF DAMAGE TO FRL'JT BY FROST. 



The desirability of finding some adequate means of preventing 

 the enormous damage caused to British fruit growers by 

 spring frosts has been brought home very seriously during the 

 past three or four years, when in most districts hundreds of 

 tons and many thousands of pounds' worth of fruit have been 

 entirely destroyed, in some cases by only a few hours of frost on 

 a single night during the blossoming time in early spring. 



It would appear that up to the present few efforts of a 

 serious nature or on a commercial basis have been made in this 

 country, though in France, America, Scandinavia, Algeria, and 

 other countries, systematic efforts have been made for years 

 past.* 



The practice of burning garden rubbish, dried weeds, hay, 

 straw, cS:c., in some cases supplemented by additions of tar, 

 water, and such-like, to produce dense smoke, has been tried 

 with fair results, but, for a large acreage, it is in practice almost 

 impossible to command sufficient combustible material for a 

 frost of some hours' duration on several consecutive occasions, 

 to say nothing of the large staff of men required to damp down 

 and attend to the large number of fires necessary. Experience 

 proves that a flame is apt to break out at any moment, and 

 damage to trees and bushes, and waste of burning material may 

 result. In addition to this, little heat is given out, and heat as 

 well as smoke appears to be necessary to produce any effective 

 cesults. 



I will proceed to explain, to the best of mv ability, the system 

 adopted for protection lasl spring on the Toddington Orchard 

 Company's plantations near Winchcombe, (ilouccstershire. by 

 Mr. Charles Martin, and by myself on my own fruit farm at Per- 

 shore, in Worcestershire. On both areas the work was carried 

 out on low-lying land partieulaiiv subject to the effects of frost. 



Fhe preliminarv investigations wen conducted almost wholly 

 by Mr. Martin, who obtained, partlv through the Hoard ol 

 Agriculture, and partly from British Consuls in a number 

 "th rreign countries, valuable information as to exist ing met Ik >ds 

 Patent preparations known as foyers were imported from 

 Bordeaux. These arc used in the grape-growing district- oJ 



* See Journal y April, 1906, p. 57 ; June, 1906, p. 1S4 ; and September, 1906, p. 375. 



