298 BULLETIN 226. 



when the figures were received there remained about 1,300 bushels of 

 apples in the orchard which might have been sold as evaporating stock 

 had not the evaporators been rilled to their utmost capacity. 



How do the crops taken from the orchard compare with the original 

 investment? It is not possible to give these figures net, as an itemized 

 expense account is not available. The gross returns from the orchard are : 



1896 $250 oo 



1897 12 oo 



1898 800 oo 



1899 200 oo 



I9 1,200 00 



I9 01 ; : 300 oo 



i9 02 2,000 oo 



I93 1,400 oo 



* 2,722 50 



It will be seen that there is a gradual general increase in the amount 

 of the crop. Naturally there exists a corresponding increase in the cost 

 of production and marketing. 



In a considerable percentage of New York orchards the renovating 

 process has begun. It can not be done according to a fixed schedule. 

 Conditions in one orchard are not often the same as in another. How- 

 ever, the experiences of other men and close observation will soon lead 

 one in the right direction. Two things are most needed. The first is 

 the consideration of the orchard as a business proposition, with which 

 we enter into an account and from which we want to exact a fair profit. 

 We may have to wait a few years for the returns, but we must look for 

 ultimate profits. The usual experience is that vigorously renovated 

 orchards begin to give fair returns in about three years, but this depends 

 on the condition of the trees and the manner of treatment. The second 

 important factor is: the man who takes charge of the orchard should 

 know and love an apple-tree. He should be able to. put himself into its 

 position and to realize the various influences which this or that line of 

 treatment would have upon a living organism. Only then can he under- 

 stand such things as why a soil needs draining and why parasites 

 should be kept off. It is not so much any particular kind of soil that 

 produces the apple, or any special brand of fertilizer, or any individual 

 spraying mixture. The essential thing is the crop of thought raised in 

 the well-cultivated mind of a nature-loving man. 



