REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST 103 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



above medium; season early to mid winter. Tree hardy, vigoroiis and an early bearer. 

 May be useful in the north. 



A CLOSELY PLANTED WEALTHY APPLE ORCHARD. 



Considerable interest has been shown in the results obtained from a small, closely 

 planted Wealthy apple orchard at the Central Experimental Farm. There are 129 

 u'ees now living in this orchard, occupying about one-third of an acre. The trees were 

 originally 10 x 10 feet apart, but a few have died. The trees were planted in the 

 spring of 1896. Full details regarding the returns from this orchard were published 

 in the annual report for 1904. In that report it was shown that the average net profit 

 per acre from the time of planting was $54.13, and from the time of fruiting, $106.19. 

 There was a heavy crop in the orchard in 1904, and the crop this year was medium. 

 The total crop produced was 1,247 gallons, of which 631 was picked fruit and 616 

 windfalls. Part of the windfalls was sold in baskets as they were good apples, and they 

 brought fair prices. 



The following sales were made: — 



SALE OF FRUIT FROM CLOSELY PLANTED WEALTHY ORCHARD, 1905v 



Estimated 



Sold, 203 baskets at I7i $ 35 52 



" 22 baskets at 20c 4 40 



" 2 bags at 25c 50 



42 boxes (Glasgow) at $1.4G 61 32 



« 



$101 74 



Expenses, 1905. 



225 baskets and covers at $5.25 per 100 $ 11 81 $ 35 73 



42 boxes at 14ic G 09 18 42 



Freight on boxes 14 94 45 19 



'■o^ 



Commission on sales 6 92 20 93 



Kent on land 99 3 00 



Spraying - 2 49 7 53 



Picking fruit 9 00 27 22 



Grading and packing fruit 8 41 25 44 



Barnyard manure (8 tons at 50c) 4 00 12 10 



Pruning 3 00 9 07 



$67 65 $204 63 



Net profit, 1905 34 09 103 13 



Average net profit per acre per year, 1896-1905 59 03 



" " 1899-1905 105 75 



These receipts and expenditures are estimated from about one-third of an acre 

 ( _*°-) and the estimated figures per acre are given on the assumption that the per- 

 centage of sales in boxes and baskets would be the same from a full acre. A record 

 is kept of the time actually spent in caring for this orchard and the other expenses 

 incurred. Labour is valued at 15 cents an hour. There was no expense for cultivating 

 since 1902, as the trees being close, cultivation is impossible. The grass that grows is 

 left to die down and rot. As the trees were beginning to interlace, about half of them 



