10 N. H. Agricultural Experiment Station [Bulletin 257 



the different varieties, but in view of flie paucity of accurate data this 

 was deemed inadvisable. The yields as shown in Table 1 and Fifrure 2 

 represent the authors' opinion of what an orchardist may conserva- 

 tively expect when operating on a lar««v scale in this section with a 

 liigh percentage of Mclntosii and Baldwin apples. In other words, 

 they represent what would be expected with an average site by men 

 of usual orchard experience and ability. Men with good sites and 

 much ability should do better. In fact, the writers have several accu- 

 rate records showing much higher yields throughout the early years 

 of production. However, men with poor sites or little ability can ex- 

 pect less. 



When the yield curves had been drawn, the number of trees of each 

 age in each orchard was multiplied by the expected yield for that age. 

 The sum of these gave the normal expected yield for the whole orchard, 

 i'or the three years of the study the total normal expected yield for all 

 of the orchards Avas 105,266 packed boxes. Actually the growers 

 marketed 115,966 boxes. The yield curve as drawn must, therefore, 

 be fairly accurate, at least for those age groups of which these orchards 

 are largely comprised. It is somewhat conservative as the writers de- 

 sire that it should be. After considering the relation of these three 

 years to a ten-year average yield from the crop reporting data, we have 

 concluded that the actual average yields in the state for these three 

 years were about normal. With better arrangement of varieties for 

 pollination, more attention to drainage in certain orchards and with 

 ether improvements in culture, the average yield will uiuloubtedly in- 

 crease, but the future of this is so uncertain that it is thought best to 

 hold the estimates to a conservative basis. 



A glance at Table 2 will indicate that the normal expected yield 

 changed considerably from year to year, due to change in age of the 

 trees which comprised the tree inventory and also due to the removal of 

 fillers or semi-permanents on some farms. Thus, Farm 7 had an expected 

 normal yield in 1926 of 7,931 boxes, but two years later this expected 

 yield had increased to 10,920 boxes. Most of the trees were young 

 and increasing in bearing ability very rapidly. Many orchardists fail 

 to realize this trend and are somewhat confused to know what a normal 

 crop from their orchards should be. It is hoped that this projection 

 of the expected normal yield will be of considerable value in giving 

 orchard operators a standard for comparison. 



A study of Table 2 indicates that the orchardists experienced wide 

 fluctuations from the normal. In 1927 Farms 8 and 9 had yields two 

 and one-half times the expected. For the whole three-year period 

 three farms had yields approximately as expected, tive had yields 

 greater, and four had yields less. 



Mature Tree Unit 



It has previously been noted tliat with young trees a greater pro- 

 portion of the cost of management represents investment for future 

 bearing area than with older trees. In the early years of the orchard 

 the operations of pruning, spraying, etc., are more nearly in i)ropor- 

 tion to the size of the tree than to expected yield. Consequently, the 



