COST OF ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 99 



paper. He has given us a very practical talk on fruit growing in western 

 Iowa and eastern Nebraska, and he has also brought out a very strong 

 point when he said that everybody shouhl belong to a horticultural society. 

 That is a very important thing and should be impressed upon everybody. 



These societies are the means to an end. They are the places where 

 we meet and have our discussions and give to one another the fruits of 

 our latest experiences. They are the clearing houses of ideas for modern 

 fruit culture, and they are the weapons we use and have to work with in 

 this revolution that has been mentioned here, which is for the purpose of 

 bringing about betterment in our fruit, both in its production and in its 

 character. 



This point should be impressed upon everybody, and if there is any 

 one here who does not belong to this society we invite them to join. The 

 secretary will be glad to fix you out with membership at any time. 



The next number on this afternoon's program, will be the "Cost of 

 orchard management," by Prof. R. F. Howard, of the University of Ne- 

 braska Experiment Station. 



COST OF ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 

 Prof. R, F. Howard, University of Nebraska. 



To figure out a system of orchard management for Nebraska condi- 

 tions, laying down rules to be followed, and stating just what each phase 

 of the work should cost would be as ridiculous as it would be impossible 

 to do. Owing to the diversified condition under which orchards are grown 

 in this state alone, would make this quite impossible. The methods that 

 would give best results with one grower might prove entirely unsuitable 

 to other growers who were working under different conditions. When 

 figuring on the cost of orchard management in Nebraska, one must have 

 in mind that, irf addition to the necessity of using different methods to 

 suit local needs, the cost of any given system will vary with the conditions 

 under which it is operated. 



Even under a given set of conditions, when it is possible to approxi- 

 mate the cost of pruning, cultivating, spraying, etc., it would probably be 

 very misleading to say what it costs to grow a bushel of apples. The 

 variations in yield from year to year would render such a statement use- 

 less if based upon the results of a single season. For this reason, in 

 giving figures of cost, I wish to state clearly the condition as they exited 

 in this particular orchard last season, and have it understood that these 

 figures are the results of one season's work only. 1 hope to have the 

 management of this orchard in charge for a series of years, and I intend 

 to keep every item of expense booked. At the end of five or ten years I 

 should be able to deduct cost figures from the data thus taken that will 

 be fairly accurate for the particular conditions as they exist in this or- 

 chard. 

 The orchard from which these figures were taken is located about the 



