Cost of Production 383 



nual yields for bearing commercial orchards in a com- 

 munity, the results will indicate the relative success of the 

 average grower. By intelligent handling, the progressive 

 grower usually finds no difficulty in rising above the com- 

 munity average. If the average man is making a good 

 profit, the exceptional grower should made a still better 

 one. 



Table XXVI is a summary of all costs and is based on 

 1919 conditions. The cost a box varies from $1.05 in 

 California to $1.25 in Colorado. The northwest irri- 

 gated regions vary in cost of production from $1.15 to 

 $1.20 a box. Average western New York costs amount 

 to $2.62 a barrel f. o. b. All these costs are based on yields 

 of marketable fruit. Cull apples are not credited. How- 

 ever, as these orchards represent those producing fruit 

 for the commercial box or barrel market, the percentage 

 of cull fruit is small. In fact, the average annual credit 

 from the cull fruit has been found in most instances prac- 

 tically to balance the annual orchard depreciation. These 

 two more or less variable and uncertain factors, may, in 

 general then, be said about to balance. 



Orchard heating is another cost which sometimes occurs 

 in certain regions but this cannot be given consideration 

 as it is now seldom practiced in apple orchards, and is 

 very generally discredited. The high cost has been found 

 to make it prohibitive and unprofitable in most cases and 

 particularly in western Colorado where at one time it was 

 widely practiced. 



CONCLUSIONS 



1. Cost of production in any region depends primarily 

 on the yield of marketable fruit. It varies inversely with 



