52 



PROBABLE INCOME FROM AN ACRE OP 

 ORANGES. 



Oranges planted in good, deep soil usually com- 

 mence to bear in their fourth year. The crop, how- 

 ever, will be inconsiderable ; and the fifth year's 

 crop will also be small. At six years half a case to 

 the tree may be expected, while at seven years the 

 trees should be bearing a case or more to the tree. 



R 



Regarding prices, it is obvious that, owing to the 

 decreased purchasing power of money, due to the 

 increased cost of living that has taken place in recent 

 years, the minimum price at which oranges will pay 

 to grow is considerably higher now than it was a 

 few years ago. If the minimum payable net price 

 was 4/ per case two or three years ago, then it is 

 at least 5/ per case to-day (1919), and should the 

 purchasing power of money continue to fall, then 

 the payable minimum price must show a correspond- 

 ing rise. Therefore, under the economic conditions 

 existing in these changing times, the following cal- 

 culations can only represent some general approach 

 to accuracy for probably the next few seasons. 



Allowing for net prices to the grower of 5/ and 6/ 

 per case, and calculating 100 trees to the acre, this 

 makes an income of 25 and 30 per acre respectively 

 at one case per tree. In my estimates for full bearing 

 trees the annual expanses have been estimated at 

 28 5/ on a crop of two cases per tree. But on a 

 crop of one case par tree the expenses of manuring 

 (4) and of harvesting (8) will only be one half of 

 that of full grown trees, so a reduction of 6 per 

 acre must bo allowed for this, thus reducing the 

 annual expenses to 22 5/. A crop of .one case per 

 tree, at 5/ net per case, would, therefore, just pay 

 a little over working expenses if no allowance for 

 depreciation were made. 



Coming to the subject of depreciation, no deduc- 

 tions have been allowed for the firsfc 10 years of the 

 plantation's existence, as the irrigation channels 



