16 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



The items entering into the cost of production of dried apricots, as 

 figured out by the writer, are about as follows. Cost of establishing 

 orchard : 



Cost of suitable land with water, per acre : . $200 00 



Cost of trees, leveling and planting 30 00 



Cost of maintenance for five years 120 00 



Total cost per acre at fifth year $350 00 



This $350.00 represents the investment per acre and is about what 

 one would have to pay for a five year old orchard if purchased from 

 another or established by himself, as shown by the above figures. 

 Figuring on this $350.00 per acre investment the yearly expense con- 

 nected with each acre of bearing orchard would be : 



Interest on investment (6 per cent on $350.00) $21 00 



Cost of management (if $1,200.00 man can manage 100 acres) 12 00 

 Yearly depreciation (figuring that the life of the orchard will 

 be twenty years after it begins bearing the cost of main- 

 tenance for first five years amounting to $120.00 should be 

 distributed over these twenty years, making the yearly 



charge for depreciation $6.00) " G 00 



Taxes 3 00 



Expense of maintaining orchard $42 00 



Pruning (the apricot requires heavy pruning) $12 00 



Cultivating and plowing 12 00 



Irrigating 10 00 



Fertilizing (to maintain the fertility of the land enough fer- 

 tilizer must be added to replace what is taken off in the 



crop and pruning brush) 4 00 



Spraying (not necessary every year) 2 00 



Total expense for maintenance 40 00 



Total expense connected with each acre of orchard each year as 



obtained by adding the above is $82 00 



The cost of harvesting a ton of dried apricots varies between $50.00 

 and $65.00 per ton, according to conditions. Figuring on $58.00 per 

 ton as cost of harvesting and on one ton per acre crop, it would cost 

 $82.00 plus $58.00, or $140.00, to produce a ton of dried apricots. This 

 amounts to 7 cents per pound. I think the average crop is not over 

 three-fourths of a ton and, figuring on this, it would cost $168.00 per ton 

 or about 8^ cents per pound. If less were spent on care of the orchard, 

 the crop Avould be less and the cost of production still higher. 



From the above it will be seen that most of the dried apricots v/ere 

 sold this season at less than the cost of production. This is a very 

 serious condition of affairs, especially Avhen one considers the condition 

 of the foreign market, the rapid increase in production and the fact 

 that almost no attempt is being made to increase the consumption of 

 apricots in the United States. But there is hope. 



