FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
87 
will make trouble for you, or, at least, 
get it out some way. 
S. C. Warner 
Our grove which is located on the east 
bank of the St. Johns River, five miles 
north of Palatka, a section of about 
twenty acres, is protected. About one- 
third of this is grapefruit and two-thirds 
oranges. On thirteen acres there are 
tight board fences or walls, thirteen feet 
high, spaced eighty-four feet apart. On 
the balance these walls are spaced one 
hundred and sixty-eight feet apart. These 
walls face the northwest and act as wind¬ 
breaks. 
For heating purposes we use 
pine wood, preferably lighter-wood. 
This is placed in alternate rows, the fire 
heaps laid as near each other as practica¬ 
ble. These fires are small, consisting usu¬ 
ally, of three or four good sized four-foot 
sticks, under which have been placed 
kindling and some rotten wood. We 
light one or two of these heaps, as are 
needed, for each two trees. Kerosene is 
poured on to the kindling and rotten 
wood (which acts as a wick) and lighted 
with a torch, one man carrying the kero¬ 
sene can in one hand and the torch in the 
other hand. 
We find that one man can take care of 
two acres and keep the fires burning well. 
Reserve of wood is kept in cord piles be¬ 
tween the trees, the ends of the sticks 
opposite the fire rows. In this way our 
reserve is convenient for the workers. 
During the last eight years we have 
used about 100 cords of wood at a cost of 
$3.00 per cord. The labor costing rather 
less than the fuel. 
The total cost for protection during the 
past eight years, including upkeep of 
fences, interest on investment, placing the 
fire-heaps in position each year and re¬ 
moving to reserve pile when danger is 
over, wood burned, labor and kerosene, 
will approximate $2,000.00 
We have had occasion to fire at only two 
periods during the above eight years. The 
total hours fired was sixty, amount of 
wood consumed, one hundred cords, 
which also includes fuel lost by rotting. 
Cost for actual firing $600.00. 
The results during the freeze of this 
winter were most pronounced. The 
lower half of the trees was saved in ex¬ 
cellent condition, including new wood 
and bloom. The upper half was defoli¬ 
ated and fruit injured, though but few 
twigs were killed, and showing now much 
better than trees outside the protection. 
The monetary value of this protection 
this season alone will amount to —Fruit 
saved (on ten acres, the other ten having 
been picked) $1,200; prospective crop 
$1,300.00, total $2,500.00. 
The superior condition of the protected 
trees also is of considerable value, per¬ 
haps $3,000.00 to $5,000.00. 
The result of this season’s work could 
have been much improved had we placed 
fire-heaps between the trees in both di¬ 
rections instead of only in alternate rows, 
thus getting a better distribution of heat. 
We believe that this arrangement will 
economize fuel, as well as give better re¬ 
sults. In wood heating, small fires in 
