Category Archives: Apple Farming

Smudge Pots

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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It’s already 30 degrees and heading down to the high teens tonight. This is normally not a problem for our local fruit growers, like my cousins in Red Hook, but due to the freakishly warm weather earlier in the month, the trees have begun to bloom already. It’s only one night, but it could be devastating to the fruit crop.

In the past, orchards in danger were sometimes protected by smudge pots, as my grandfather did for his apples in the 40s. You can read more on what smudge pots were here at Wikipedia.

"Burning Smudge Pots", May 10th 1947 by John Losee

From the looks of them, they were most certainly DIY and not exactly safe…

"Smudge Pot Steam Explosion" May 10th, 1947 by John Losee

I hope the blooms make it through this frosty night!

“Cider Sign”

01 Thursday Dec 2011

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“Cider Sign” September 19th, 1941 by John Losee

The image directly before this one is labeled “Denino’s Cider Mill”. Whether this sign is for part of Denino’s operations or not is uncertain. I’ve googled but come up empty handed as to exactly where this was, but judging by the other images on the roll, it could not have been far from Red Hook, NY.

Grampa would take his culls (apples that had some defect found after picking and could not be sold as-is) to be processed into cider. See the earlier post “Picking Kings” showing a pick up truck loaded with drops and Grampa’s dog, Amos in the driver’s seat.

Picking Kings

03 Thursday Nov 2011

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My Grampa Losee ran an apple orchard he inherited when his father (a country doctor by trade) died. Having previously been an engineer working at Bell Labs, grampa went about the science of raising apples very seriously. I own more color slides example of damage to apples than anyone has a right to. There will be quite a few more posts about this subject in the future, rest assured!

“Picking Kings” (Kings are apples, not people) October 4th, 1939

Being an avid photographer, Grampa Losee gave talks on the subject of apple farming complete with his own slideshows. I have a booklet for one these shows, titled “Apple Valley 1939-1951” listing all the slides used and one page of notes – he must have given this presentation without script.

“Inspector Amos” October 7th, 1939

The inside cover notes perhaps when and where he gave the talk: “Wappingers Falls Historical Society, 10/24/72 Stanford Grange @ Pine Plains School – Oliver Orton, Oct 1973 Friends of the Library – Starr Institute, 5/1/74 St. George’s School – Mrs. McMannis, 2/26/75 Rhinebeck Garden Club”

Page one is a list of points he must have used as his introduction to the show:
“Low C. Apple in Apples. Engineer Apple Grower. Half a farm – all in apples. No understanding of the “ecosystem”. Pictures mostly random interludes in the life of a fruit grower. Independent life. Only one task mistress – Dame Nature put Simon Legree to shame! Pictures span 12 years in the evolution of the apple industry.”

“McIntosh Culls” September 6th, 1939 (with Amos the dog driving the truck)