Hmmm. I thought the purpose of the smoke from a smudge-pot was to create a
layer of denser air close to the ground, not to heat the air. This would
prevent chilling fog from settling and damaging fruit buds. If it were to
create heat, wouldn't the heat simply dissipate? Wasn't it the slow, steady
smoking that was important?  It was a very long time ago that I lived among
orchardists, so I could be remembering incorrectly (or perhaps I was far
more interested in the boys on the farms than in what they were doing with
the orchards). I do recall that those valley smudge-pots were large and they
used a lot of them.  Yakima and the Central Valley share a lot in common,
with freezes and cold weather returning in the spring, plus Yakima has the
wind as well. Still very interested in learning what this object actually
is!

Micki Ryan
Curator
Highline Historical Society
www.highlinehistory.org



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Lucy Sperlin
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 4:31 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Item identification/farm-orchard related?


Definitely not a smudge pot unless they used something very different than
those used here in the Sacramento Valley orchards.  They were much large,
and upright....more like  portable camping heater. They held oil, and the
one shown doesn't have a container large enough to make enough heat to keep
the frost away.

Lucy Sperlin
Chico Museum Association
Patrick Ranch

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