Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 16, Number 51, DeMotte, Jasper County, 8 November 1946 — Deal Blow To Jack Frost [ARTICLE]

Deal Blow To Jack Frost

Develop Method For Preventing Loss Of Fruit And Plants East Lansing, Mich.—Scientists at Michigan State; College believe they have dealt a blow to Jack Frost, whose unpredictable actions annually damage of dollars worth of the nation’s fruit. A “frost fighter” which sends out infra-red heat rays generated by an oil burning heater and capable of keeping plants eight degrees warmer than ordinary outside temperatures has been developed at the college, V. R. Gardner, director of the MSC agricultural experiment station, disclosed today. The machine, consisting of an oil burner with a heater tube and a series of special aluminum reflectors to direct the heat down* against the crop to be protected, raised the temperature from 29 degrees to 37 degrees in tests and was effective over a square acre of area. Although actual production cost of the “frost fighter” have not been determined, engineers estimated it could be built for around SIOO. During tests runs, the machine operated at a cost of only 75 cents per hour. The scientists said the heater could be used pn berry, mint, flower and truck garden props as well as in apple, orange, lemon and grapefruit orchards.