Table 5. Production on several cultlvars of young apple trees on different rootstocks in Massachusetts. 



Orchard 



Trees/A 



Bu./A in growing year^ 

 3 4 5 6 



1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 

 6 

 7 

 8 



g 



Yields were recorded in research trials and then calculated to yields per acre based on planting distances suggested in this 

 publication. 



^Trellised. 



Table 6. Productivity of apple cultivars on M.7 rootstock at the Horticultural Research Center, Belchertown, Massachusetts. 



Growing 

 year 



Mcintosh 

 (113 trees/A) 



Production (bu/A) 



Delicious 

 (113 trees/A) 



Golden Delicious 

 (141 trees/A) 



8 

 9 



10 

 11 

 12 



13 



Cumulative (8 to 13 years) 



550 

 528 

 614 

 791 

 639^ 

 1464'* 



4586 



628 



704 

 595 

 721 



510V 

 982 



4140 



423 

 823 

 580 

 605 

 620 

 720 



3771 



Yields were recorded per tree and then calculated to yields per acre based on planting distances suggested in this publication. 

 ^Yields reduced by frost. 

 ''Trees should have been thinned. 



ing, and other growing practices plus the employer's share 

 of social security and workmen's compensation. When the 

 owner and/or manager performed any of the cultural tasks, 

 the time was figured at an hourly rate, for example, $4.50/ 

 hour in 1975. 



Depreciation, fuel, repairs, and an interest charge on the 

 investment in equipment, whether fully paid for or not, were 

 included in equipment costs. Materials costs include the cost 

 of spray and dust materials, lime, fertilizer and other items 

 used in production. 



The growing costs (Table 7) increased 24% from 1973 to 

 1974, A 31% increase in growing costs occurred in 1975, 

 partly due to the sizeable increase in the category of orchard 

 overhead because of increased land value and to gradual 

 grower realization of the large amounts of money invested 



in orchards. Cost/bushel increased in 1974 and 1975, in spite 

 of the higher yield. Harvesting costs/bushel did not increase 

 in 1975 in comparison to 1974 because the fixed costs in- 

 volved in harvest were spread over a larger number of bushels 

 in 1975 and the "piece rate" for picking did not increase. 



Recycling Orchards 



Formerly, growers kept a block of trees 40 years or more. 

 We now believe it is worthwhile to replace trees in an orchard 

 sooner because: (1) fruit quality is generally higher on young- 

 er mature trees; (2) fruit can be produced more economically 

 on smaller trees; and (3) it presents the opportunity to use 

 the latest technological advances in orcharding more fre- 

 quently. Therefore, renewing 25% of one's orchard holdings 

 every five or six years is a practice worthy of consideration. 



