TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 149 



tility of the soil and the application of water to force the tree 

 at the start. If we shotild force the growth as they do 1 

 believe we would get equally quick returns. It is what I have 

 advocated for some time. Jonathan and Wealthy will h.ear in 

 three to four \ears ; Mcintosh and Grimes in four to five 

 }ears ; Spitzenberg in five to six years ; Spitzenbcrg and 

 Xewtown in seven to eight years. At those ages they plan on 

 from one to two boxes of fruit per tree. You will, of course, 

 hear of exceptional yields as Winter Banana at four years 

 bearing six boxes, and ten boxes of Jonathans at seven years 

 old, but the previous statements are the safest to go by. 



Cost of Har\'ksting the Crop. I cannot do better than 

 quote the figures which Mr. Sh.epard of Hood River gave me, 

 and itemized as follows : 



Picking $0.07 



Packing .06 



Box .10 



Hauling .03 



Paper .05^ 



Wiping and Grading .05 



Nailing .01 



Hauling away .01 



Apples on Table .01 



Box Xails ■ .01 



Union .10 



Spraying .05 



Cultivation .05 



$0.60 

 Freisht to East .50 



Total .- $1.10 



Th.is is the C(.st of jjutting a box on the Eastern market, 

 whether choice or fancy grade. Even now the margin of 

 ])r(;>fit is coniparativclv small, and when the orchards now 

 planted fruit, the margin will be narrower. While the box is 

 the only package at present, some admitted that the barrel 

 might vet be forced on them for second crade fruit. 



