66 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



For Members of the Executive Board — Prof. H. J. Eustace, Chas. F. 

 Hale. 



On motion session adjourned for the forenoon. 



LEASING ORCHARDS AS A BUSINESS. 



S. B. HARTMAN^ ATHENS. 



Only a few years ago the leasing of orchards was uncommon, now 

 nearly every community has one or more persons who make a business 

 of leasing orchards. Why this change? Briefly we shall try to explain. 



Owners desire to lease orchards: 



(1) Because of a lack of time to care for the orchards themselves. 

 The owner may be a general farmer with plenty of other work to do, 

 or he may be a retired farmer who has leased the farm to a tenant who 

 does not desire to take care of the orchard, or again he may have other 

 business and hold the orchard only as an investment. 



(2) The owner may not have the disposition to care for the orchard 

 even if he has the time. He may not like to prune or spray or pick 

 apples, but prefers to do general farm work. His usual excuse for de- 

 siring to lease is a lack of time, a vei'y convenient excuse Avhen no other 

 is available. 



(3) In some cases the owner really lacks the ability to care for his 

 orchard so as to make it bring good returns and instead of learning 

 how to do this work he prefers to lease the orchard to some one who is 

 qualified to care for it properly. 



(4) The San Jose scale has come to be an important factor in the 

 leasing business. The little scale has stepped in to say that the owner 

 must spray his orchard himself, lease it to some one who will, or let it 

 die. 



The renter desires +o lease because he is often a person who has little 

 capital and cannot purchase an orchard of his own. His only capital 

 is the ability and energy required to make a success of apple grooving 

 if he can only get the material to work with. It takes money to buy a 

 good orchard and both time and money to grow one, but the renter can 

 take up the business of leasing orchards with a very small cash outlay. 

 It also enables him to realize on his labor quickly as compared with 

 growing an orchard, and if he is a beginner and desires to plant orchards 

 of his own when able to gives him valuable experience as to varieties, 

 soils and care. 



Finally the leasing of orchards is generally an advantage to both 

 parties. This is the only true measure of a legitimate and satisfactory 

 business transaction. Both parties should be benefited. In this business 

 labor and abilit^^ are joined with capital and equipment, Avhich makes 

 an excellent jiartnership. Orchards which were dying with scale have 

 been reclaimed and placed in a thrifty condition, thus greatly enhanc- 

 ing their value without cost to the owner who has also realized more 

 from the orchard than he did before it was leased. At the same time 



