THE KANSAS PEACH. 37 



turns. A large proportion of the fruit is sold on commission, and it 

 is important to select a good firm and stick to it, since regular cus- 

 tomers whose stock is good always receive the best treatment. Peach 

 exchanges have been established in several districts, and have given 

 satisfaction to growers. 



RETURNS. 



The great difficulty in obtaining information upon this side of the 

 peach industry is the almost entire lack of accurately kept .records on 

 the part of the growers. In the author's experience with several hun- 

 dreds of growers, not over a dozen knew exactly whether peach grow- 

 ing was profitable or not ; a very few keep accurate records of the 

 labor of of picking, sorting, hauling to depot, carting, the cost of fer- 

 tilizers and their application, and all other items chargeable to the 

 crop. The following is one of this class kindly furnished the station: 



RECORD KEEPING OP A PROFITABLE ORCHARD. 



This orchard, located in Somerset county. New Jersey, includes 

 twenty-five acres, and for practical purposes may be considered typ- 

 ical. From the detailed statement of receipts and expenses for the 

 years 1892, 1893 and 1891 are obtained the following average annual 

 receipts and expenses : 

 Gross receipts ( commission deducted ) $2,230 68 



Expenses. 



Baskets $209 42 



Team work, cultivating ( $4 per day) 91 88 



Trimming, grubbing, and removing brush 84 44 



Picking and sorting 266 50 



Carting to depot 61 13 



Interest and taxes ( six per cent. ) 150 00 



Commercial fertilizers, including carting and application . . . 184 50 



Lime, including application 20 27 



1,068 14 



Total net returns from twenty-five acres, annually $1,162 54: 



Average net return per acre, annually 46 50 



It is to be noted that the labor and team work have been charged 

 at the highest prices, and that the items have been entered in every 

 case ; that is, in addition to the average annual net return of $16.50 

 per acre, the grower received the highest ruling rate of wages for 

 men and teams, besides interest on his investment at the rate of six 

 per cent. 



SUMMARY. 



In New Jersey, soils of a gravelly or a slaty nature, or even sandy, 

 are naturally well adapted for the peach, though the sandy soils re- 

 quire that fertilization shall begin earlier in the life of the orchard. 



Injury to buds is caused quite as often by winter-killing as by late 



