4 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 280 



erage of $80 in 1926 to $2,777 in 1927, a year of good yields and high 

 apple prices. 



For greatest efficiency in harvesting, plantings should be divided be- 

 tween a few varieties which ripen successively. One man could not 

 expect to harvest more than 50 mature Mcintosh trees, but he could 

 also pick 50 Gravensteins and nearly 100 Baldwins. 



Skilled labor for spraying is necessary at definite times. 



About 18 per cent of the total man-hours recorded on these farms 

 were devoted to miscellaneous tasks such as care and repair of equip- 

 ment and discussions with salesmen. 



Among the things which may be carried on with apples without 

 • serious conflict in the harvesting period are: a small area of beans; 

 winter work on timber, which utilizes men and horses in a slack labor 

 period; where hay and tillage land and good pastures are available, 

 dairying is a good supplementary enterprise; poultry production can 

 be efiSciently carried on by rearing early hatched chicks, or purchasing 

 full grown pullets for replacements. (Purnell Fund) 



Size of Spray Crew May Vary With Spray 



The lowest labor cost in spraying was obtained by the use of med- 

 ium-sized machines operated by one-man crews, according to a spray 

 cost study by E. J. Rasmussen and H. C. Woodworth. Operating 

 with a one-man crew reduces the output of the machine, however. 

 If the sprayer is drawTi by a tractor or truck, or if the orchard is rough 

 or the spraying has been delayed, this one-man outfit may not be 

 practical. 



It was concluded that the size of the crew should be determined 

 by the topography of the orchard, the power available for hauling the 

 machine, and the time available for applying the spray. When ap- 

 plying the early sprays for scab control, for instance, a crew of two 

 or three men may be necessary to finish the job more quickly and get 

 the spray on in time. During the first cover spray, on the other 

 hand, a one-man crew may be used because this covering can be ap- 

 plied over a longer period without danger of increasing the disease and 

 insect injury. 



While an overhead water supply does not appear necessary, growers 

 with supplies located in the orchard are able to apply more gallons of 

 spray per day. One orchardist with a large machine and three water 

 supplies located at different points in his orchard was able to apply 

 226 gallons of spray per machine-hour. Another grower with a similar 

 machine but only one water supply handled only 177 gallons of spray 

 per machine-hour. 



The nozzle should ordinarily match the machine capacity, yet top- 

 ography of orchard, size of trees and the ability of the man handling 

 the nozzle are also points to consider in determining nozzle size. When 

 the tank can be ridden, a nozzle with a capacity of 12 to 15 gallons 

 per minute is efficient; but on sites where walking and dragging a hose 

 are necessary, a capacity of seven to eight gallons per minute would be 

 the maximum to use on medium to large outfits. The right size pump 

 is one that will cover the orchard in three or four days. {Purnell Fund) 



