The Scientific Monthly, October to December, 1915Various
Science
The Scientific Monthly, October to December, 1915
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
Regarding the first method, that of covers, it may be said that
the practice goes back to the early husbandmen; but only in the
last few years has the true function of the cover been properly
interpreted and we are still far from obtaining maximum
efficiency. Nor is there yet a suitable, scientific cover
available. Any medium that interferes with loss of heat through
free radiation before and after sunset is a cover. The best
type of cover is a cloud; and clouds, whether high or low, are
good frost protectors. On cloudy nights there is little
likelihood of frost; and when we can bring about the formation
of a layer of condensed water vapor we can practically
eliminate frost. We have mentioned above the fact that the
earth radiates the heat it has received not in the same but in
longer wave-lengths perhaps three times as long. These are
easily trapped and held by the vapor of water. Furthermore, the
rate of radiation is a function of the absolute temperature and
so the rapidity of loss depends somewhat upon the heat
received. Therefore the cover should be used as early in the
afternoon as possible, that is just before sunset. Aside from
the water cover or vapor cover there are cheap cloth screens,
fiber screens and in some places lath screens.
The second method, that of direct heating, has met with much
success in the orange groves of California and elsewhere.
Modern heating and covering methods date from experiments begun
in 1895. A number of basic patents granted to the writer in
this connection have been dedicated to the public. At the
present time there are on the market some twenty forms of
heaters, which have been described with more or less detail in
farm journals and official publications. It is not necessary to
refer to them further here. The fuel originally used was wood,
straw and coal, but these are now supplanted by crude oil or
distillate. It has also been seriously proposed to use electric
heaters; also to use gas in the groves. With modern orchard
heaters properly installed and handled, there is no difficulty
in raising the temperature of even comparatively large tracts
five degrees and maintaining a temperature above freezing, thus
preventing refrigeration of plant tissue.
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