122 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ity, by tillage, green manuring, irrigation, etc., yet Nature does more to provide a soil 

 with desirable qualities than man can ever do. It is for his interest to get land that al- 

 ready has a large productive capacity, if it can be procured. The need of under drains, 

 for instance, may increase the cost of producing fruit several cents a bushel. There is 

 much fruit planted on land that is so poor, in such bad heart, or so poorly drained that 

 it has not the power to produce fruit economically. 



The amount of capital that the fruit growejj invests in land is large. The average size 

 of the fruit farms of the United States is 74.8 acres as against 159.3 acres for hay and 

 grain, and 226.9 acres for live stock farms. But the average fruit farm is worth $71.55 

 per acre, while the average hay and grain farm is worth $30.34 per acre, and the average 

 stock farm but $21.14 per acre; so that the value of the average fruit farm is $5,374, of 

 the hay and grain farm, $4,834, and the stock farm, $4,797. The census shows that 

 72.4 of the value of the average fruit farm is land, and this constitutes 72.3 of the value 

 of the hay and grain farm, and 59.9 of the value of the stock farm. So it appears that 

 the fruit grower usually has as large an investment in land as other husbandmen. 



COST OF CAPITAL GOODS. 



Under this general heading are included such items as machinery, implements, build" 

 ings, farm animals, fertilizer, spraying materials, cash capital and other things that are 

 needed in growing and handling the crop. Here again the fruit grower has a heavy in- 

 vestment. 



A machine or implement that does work formerly performed by hand, and does it cheaper, 

 lowers the cost of production. The fruit grower who uses the most improved cultivators, 

 sprayers, pruning tools, so that the work is done cheapest, produces his fruit for the least 

 money and, to that extent, has an advantage over his neighbor who uses tools poorly 

 adapted for the work. One should not begrudge the price of a new tool if it will do the 

 work in less time or with greater thoroughness. 



The fruit grower is a specialist in agriculture, hence he requires more tools than the 

 general farmer. The value of the implements and machinery on the average fruit farm 

 of 74 acres is $175, or $2.34 per acre; on the average hay and grain farm of 159 acres, $166 

 or $1.04 per acre; on the average live stock farm of 227 acres, $151, or $0.66 per acre. 



The point of view of the fruit grower regarding the amount of capital that he can af- 

 ford to invest in implements should be this: He cannot afford not to have an implement 

 that will enable him to produce fruit cheaper. The investigations of the Labor Bureau 

 have led to the conclusion that in the last twenty years, by the aid of machinery and the 

 substitution of horse, steam and other power for hand labor, the effectiveness of human 

 labor on farms has been increased one-third. The cost of producing a bushel of choice 

 fruit is certainly lower than it was fifteen years ago. Has the fruit grower estimated 

 how much the use of a power sprayer decreases the cost of protecting large orchards 

 from pests, as compared with a hand sprayer? 



The amount of capital invested in buildings, machinery and live stock on the average 

 fruit farm is 27.6% of the total investment, as compared with 27.7% of hay and grain 

 farms, and 40.1% on stock farms. The investment in fertilizers is usually much higher, 

 being at the rate of 30 cents per acre for all the fruit farms of the country, while hay and 

 grain farms invest 4 cents per acre, and stock arms but 2 cents. There is, of course, 

 much variation in this point. Most of the fertilizing for fruit is done east of the Miss- 

 issippi; a very large proportion of the western fruit farms have never been fertilized. ' In 

 addition to these items of required capital, a certain amount of cash must be kept on 

 hand to nm the fann, varying from $4 to $30 or more per acre, according to the valua- 

 tion of the land and the intensity of culture. 



COST OF LABOK. 



The labor problem enters into the fruit growers budget of expense quite heavily, es- 

 pecially if he grows small fruits. According to the twelfth census there is but one hired 

 farm hand to every three farms. This shows that most of the work on the average farm 

 is done by the farmer and his family. On the large fruit farm hired labor is usually neces- 

 sary, especially at harvesting. The expenditure for labor is $2.46 per acre on the average 

 fruit farm as against 47c per acre on the hay and grain farm, and 29c per acre on the stock 

 farm. Although the average fruit farm is only one-half as large as the average hay and 

 grain farm, it requires more labor, largely because it is cultivated more intensively. One 

 of the increasing difficulties in fruit growing, as in other lines of farming, is to get sufficient 

 reliable help. The grower of perishable fruits is most concerned about this phase of the 

 business. 



The man who is locating a fruit industry should consider very carefully where he can 

 get labor and what it-will cost. There is much difference in localities in this respect. 



