26 N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 257 



right time, he will have little trouble with the other operations. The 

 inimber of trees the operator can spray with his equipment will deter- 

 mine the type and size of many fruit farm organizations. 



The spraying operation is of such importance not because of the 

 total time required to spray an orchard but because of the very exact- 

 ing demands for skilled laljor during very definite short periods. Cer- 

 tain sprays to be effective must be applied within a very brief range 

 of time, and these short spray periods become the peak in skilled labor 

 requirements. The task requires a responsibility that cannot be 

 trusted to the inexperienced hired man. 



Even though experienced men might be available, the problem is 

 further complicated by the requirement of special high value equip- 

 ment. The expense of maintaining a large efficient sprayer is great 

 enough to warrant very careful planning to make each machine as 

 effective as possible. 



The amount of spraying required is somewhat indefinite. There was 

 little uniformity in the number of sprays used, but there is some evi- 

 dence that spraying procedure is tending toward standardization. The 

 ever increasing need to protect fruit and tree from pests and diseases 

 is tending to make more sprays and more tliorough spraying essential. 



It may be that individual men have adjusted their spraying some- 

 what to the needs and requirements of their particular orchards, tak- 

 ing into account differences in location, infestation and varieties. 



Farm 1 sprayed seven times each year. Because of nearby neglected 

 orchards, the operator considered the additional sprays an insurance 

 against disease or insect infestation. 



Orchards 2 and 4 are in an area of dense tree population. There 

 are many odd and early varieties to contend with in the community. 

 The soil is heavily fertilized, and the trees have dense foliage. Both 

 these men spray thoroughly and carefully in order to control scab and 

 pests. 



Orchards 5 and 8 are on slopes with good air drainage, and fewer 

 sprays have seemed to protect the orchards fairly well. Orchard 8, 

 with only two sprays in 1927, had a very large crop of fine quality 

 fruit. It is doubtful if two sprays per season will suffice as a perma- 

 nent practice. 



Spraying accounted for 18 per cent, of the man hours, 40 per cent, 

 of the horse hours and approximately 30 per cent, of the current oper- 

 ating costs prior to harvest. The average man labor requirement per 

 1,000 mature tree unit was 384 hours. The highest labor requirement 

 per 1,000 mature trees was on Farm 9, where two sprays were applied 

 with a hand outfit; and the lowest was on Farm S, which ]>ut on 

 two sprays with a medium-sized spray outfit (Table 7). Farms 2 and 

 4 applied about the same number of sprays, and both tlid a thorough 

 job in 574 and 628 man hours respectively. Farms 6 and 10 with a 

 large proportion of bearing Baldwins had a low re(|uiremen1. Farm 

 7 used dust in place of the later sprays ami thus decreased the labor 

 needed. 



When computed by years. Farm 4 was highest in 1926 with 635 man 

 hours; Farm 9 was highest in 1927 witli S43 hours; and Farm 2 was 



