Cost of Production 375 



records and yields covering a period of five years are the 

 basis for these figures which reveal some very surprising 

 facts. Particular attention is called to the variation in 

 amount of man and horse hours expended in maintaining 

 orchards in different regions. The amount of labor does 

 not change materially and is, therefore, a better guide than 

 labor costs which do vary with labor rates. Maintenance 

 labor is that expended in the following operations: Man- 

 uring, pruning, disposal of brush, plowing, cultivating, 

 sowing mulch crop, handling mulch crop, propping, thin- 

 ning, spraying, irrigation and miscellaneous. 



Western New York growers expend annually only 7Y 

 man hours and 63 horse hours an acre in these operations. 

 Apple-growers in Wenatchee do not use many more horse 

 hours to the acre, but expend three times the amount of 

 man labor an acre than is given for western New York 

 orchards. That such intensive methods are profitable is 

 shown by the increased yields and high marketable quality 

 of fruit produced. After spending $94 an acre more in 

 maintenance, the Wenatchee grower, by increased yields, 

 is able to keep his maintenance costs at a figure only 4^ 

 cents a bushel greater than the New York grower. 



It is interesting to note that the amount of horse labor 

 to the acre does not vary greatly in the different regions, 

 while the man labor varies 300 per cent, being greater 

 in the Northwest where such intensive practices as thin- 

 ning and irrigation require man labor, but little or no 

 horse labor. 



Cost of pruning and brush disposal. 



The following table will serve to show pruning practices 

 and costs in several important regions : 



