Annual Cost Factors in Growing Peaches 345 



not typical of a commercial orchard, yet the financial showing 

 as far as yields and returns are concerned is probably above 

 those of the average commercial plantation. 



The orchard was planted in the spring of 1908. The 

 first season corn was inter-planted. In subsequent years 

 clean tillage has been given until about the first of 

 August, with five to seven cultivations each season. With 

 the exception of one season, the trees have been "wormed" 

 for borers twice each season. Pruning and spraying have 

 been done according to the usual program for these 

 operations. 



The labor is estimated at 15 cents an hour; the time of a 

 man and one horse at 27^ cents an hour; a man and two 

 horses at 40 cents an hour. For 1908 and 1909 the cost of 

 labor and materials was estimated. In subsequent seasons 

 daily labor records have been kept. The figures in Table 

 XI summarize the labor and material costs for each season 

 from 1908 to 1915 inclusive. 



It will be observed that the table is not intended to 

 show the cost of developing an orchard nor of producing 

 peaches, since no overhead charges are included in the items 

 specified. Such charges consist of supervision, interest on 

 the investment, taxes, depreciation of equipment, and pos- 

 sibly other minor items. In some sections in which the price 

 of land is high, the interest on the investment represents the 

 largest single acre item of cost in the growing of fruit. The 

 figures in the table below, however, are of value in indicating 

 the trend of annual increase in the various cost factors aside 

 from overhead charges from the first season of an orchard 

 until it reaches maturity. 



This orchard bore its first crop in 1912. The annual aver- 

 age yield a tree of the two principal varieties which included 



