bers of his family the expenditure is materially reduced. Assuror 

 ing, however, that the owner hires the labor, and placing the cost oi' 

 the land arbitrarily at $250 per acre as a basis for the estimates, foe<- 

 low is computed the maximum and minimum cost per acre of an - 

 orange grove at the end of six years. These figures do not include 

 interest on investment and taxes. The tax rates vary so in different 

 counties and different school districts that it is impossible to give any 

 definite figures. 



Maximum. Minimum. 



Land, per acre $250 'Land, per acre $250 



Prep., plants and planting 150 Prep., plants and planting...... 125 



Six years irrigation 150 Six years irrigation .. , 90 



Six years cultivation 120 Six years cultivation 90 ; 



$670 $55,5| 



From the sixth year on there is generally a cost for fertilizers.' 

 Say that fertilization from the sixth to the tenth year amounts tci 

 from $150 to $175, the grove will have cost at the end of ten yearsV 

 when it should be in full bearing, from $825 to $1025 per acre, as 

 shown by the following table: . :, : 



Maximum. Minimum. 



Land, per acre $250 Land, per acre.... r $250 



Prep., plants and planting 150 Prep., plants and planting 125 



Ten years irrigation 250 Ten years irrigation - 150, 



Ten years cultivation 200 Ten years cultivation H , 150; 



Four years fertilization 175 Four years fertilization 150- 



$1025 , ; $825; 



As before said, there is considerable reduction in the expense 

 where the owner or members of his family perform the labor. 



The It must be remembered in looking at the second set of 



Returns. figures that for four years or more the crop will have 

 been paying a more or less handsome return on the in- 

 vestment. The net returns to the average grower from a grove in 

 full maturity should be from $100 to $500 per acre per annum, ac- 

 cording to variety of fruit, locality, market conditions and care given. 

 Good managers often get much larger returns. One firm of inde- 

 pendent packers inform the Chamber of Commerce that they paid 

 this winter $14,000 on the trees for the crop of a fifteen acre grove, 

 and $5000 on the trees for the crop of a five acre grove. Their profit 

 on the latter was $2,200, less expenses. This sounds good, but does 

 not equal those golden bonanza days in the orange industry when" 

 $2000 could be taken from a single acre within the course of one year. 



PREPARATION FOR PLANTING, STOCK AND PLANTING. 



Getting the Before the planting, preferably in the spring, the 



Ground land should be thoroughly worked. All weeds and 



Ready. tubble should be plowed under: they will add to the 



fertility of the soil. But first the land should . be 



surveyed and graded, so that water can be carried to each tree. 



