RIDGETOP CROPS

Gays Mills, Crawford County. July, 1969. Altitude c. 1,500 ft. A series of apple orchards flank a road which curves along a ridge crest in the state's unglaciated region. Woodlots and fields extend up toward the orchards from adjacent valley bottoms and sides. Frost damage to apple blossoms in spring and the apples in autumn is minimized by the siting of orchards on ridge tops. Cold air sinks to the valley bottoms in the process called "air drainage", leaving temperatures on the crests significantly warmer.