Locality and Site for the Commercial Orchard 129 



southern laborer. The losses incident to a scarcity of 

 labor at harvest time, when all the fruit may be lost if 

 not picked and disposed of within proper season, need not 

 be emphasized. The subject of available local labor sup- 

 ply should receive careful attention by the investor. 



Social conditions. 



A factor which has entered very materially into the 

 development of most commercial apple regions is the ques- 

 tion of social advantages. One should carefully consider 

 social conditions before investing in fruit land. Fruit- 

 growing is usually looked on as a pleasurable and inter- 

 esting pursuit. Furthermore, intensive fruit regions are 

 necessarily thickly settled and provide social advantages 

 superior to those in the average rural communities. The 

 desire to live among educated persons and to have the 

 advantages of excellent schools and churches and means of 

 social recreation is strong. A farm in a community where 

 such conditions prevail unquestionably has an added com- 

 mercial value. 



Fruit-growing has always attracted city people, and in 

 specialized fruit regions to-day are many who, after re- 

 tirement from business, sought fruit-growing as a health- 

 ful vocation and yet one which might be expected to offer 

 fair returns on investment. If one seeks an isolated loca- 

 tion for a fruit-farm, opportunities for converting the 

 property into cash in case it is desirable to sell will be few, 

 since the class of persons attracted to fruit-growing will 

 look particularly for favorable social conditions. Social 

 advantages should not completely sway one's business 

 judgment, however, and should enter into consideration 

 as only one of a number of important factors. 



