FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
85 
the coke which is used as fuel does not 
deteriorate even when exposed to the 
weather. The cost of coke at the present 
time is high owing to the demands made 
on the coke burners by the steel mills. 
Even at the present prices of $4.00 to 
$10.00 per ton, coke is cheaper than oil. 
The coke stove seems to be more efficient 
than the oil pots for the reason that it 
gives off its heat close to the ground, the 
radiating surface is vertical so that the 
most intense radiation is directed hori¬ 
zontally where most needed. The draft 
required for complete combustion is small 
so that very little heat is carried away 
by the gases coming out of the stove, 
and (most important of all) the heat ra¬ 
diating area is large. Experiments on 
a coke stove twelve inches in diameter by 
two feet high show that the coke will be 
red hot for a depth of twelve inches, 
whether the stove is half full or filled to 
the top. This gives a total area of very 
hot metal of three square feet. In the 
case of the oil pot the body of the pot 
has no value as a radiating surface for 
the oil keeps it cool. The top of the pot 
is of very little value, since it is practically 
flat so most of the radiant heat is directed 
vertically where not needed. This leaves 
only the stack which gets red hot for a 
distance of about twelve inches above the 
pot; as it is only four inches in diameter 
the total useful area is only one square 
foot, or one-third of the useful area of the 
coke stove. 
The coke stove has been used by Mr. 
H. B. Stevens in the Stetson Groves with 
success. He has used a large stove and 
few to the acre, but recommends a smaller 
stove and a greater number to the acre in 
order to get better distribution of heat. 
There is another advantage of the small 
stove. If you reduce the diameter of the 
stove by one-half you only reduce the ra¬ 
diating area one-half, but at the same 
time reduce the amount of coke necessary 
to fill the stove by three-fourths^-a very 
considerable saving. 
The coke stove has been used in Whit¬ 
tier, California, for three years. The 
writer hopes to get definite information as 
to the success obtained there. They have 
been satisfactory, we know, for the num¬ 
ber of the coke stoves used has been in¬ 
creased each year by these parties. 
It is to be hoped that the growers of 
Florida will realize the value of this form 
of insurance and be prepared before 
another winter. It will pay in peace of 
mind as well as in dollars and cents. 
Discussion 
Mr. Hume: Mr. Hart, I believe you 
wished to say something about this sub¬ 
ject. 
Mr. Hart: As we have a good deal to 
do, I will take only a few minutes. 
In firing groves I have used wood for 
years, with very good results. I consider 
it one of the best materials we can use in 
protecting groves. There are a few 
drawbacks in my section; one is it is hard 
to get light wood; another is that it takes 
a good many men to handle even a small 
grove. Oftentimes when a freeze is on 
you cannot get all the help you need. This 
winter I had to let about one-fourth of 
