14 



BULLETIN 518, U. S. DEPAETMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Table II. — Statistical summary of the SJf apple orchards studied in Hood River 



Valley. 



Item. 



Number of records-. ■ 



Acreage per farm: 



Total 



In bearing apple orchard 



Per cent in bearing apple orchard i 



Investment per farm: 



Total 



Land and improvement , 



Working capital 



Equipment 



Horses 



Other stock -. 



Investment per acre of bearing apple orchard: 



Total 



Per cent of total farm investment apple orchard represents. . 



Land and improvement: 



Per cent of total investment in land and improvement 

 apple orchard represents 



Equipment 



Number of horses per farm 



Clean 

 cultural. 



44.22 

 12.25 

 39.45 



$24, 704. 09 



23,673.33 



1, 14S. 76 



528. 03 



349. 77 



120.96 



931. 67 

 48.93 



51.26 



21.51 



2.33 



Mulch 

 crop. 



33.50 

 12.70 

 55.03 



$21,966.44 



21,041.67 



1,053.65 



446. 67 



312. 50 



154. 48 



1,064.58 

 60.40 



63.31 



24.12 



2.25 



All records. 



39.45 

 12.45 

 46.38 



$23,487.36 



22,503.70 



1, 106. 49 



491. 87 



333.20 



136.04 



990.74 

 54.03 



56. 61 

 22.67 

 2.30 



' Average of percentage of bearing apple orchard found on each farm. 



The price of the raw land throughout the vallej^ was greatly en- 

 hanced in the early days by the high prices obtained for fruit. 

 These prices brought many settlers to the valley. The price of land 

 increased with the demand for it, and finally rose to a figure which 

 practically prohibited the man of small means from purchasing land 

 suitable for growing fruit. Men with considerable capital settled in 

 Hood Eiver Valley, attracted largely by the natural beauty of the 

 valley and its advantages as a location for a home. The fact that 

 fruit growing was a thriving business, looked upon as one of the most 

 pleasurable and interesting agricultural pursuits, was of course the 

 principal attraction, but the impressive beauty of the valley was a 

 close second. These unusual attractions determined the price which 

 prospective purchasers could be induced to pay for land. 



The price and the actual agricultural value of land are often very 

 different, and they do not bear as close a relation to each other here 

 as is desirable from the standpoint of profit in farming. Hood River 

 Valley, however, is not unique in this respect. 



The investment in equipment is high per acre on account of the 

 small size of the average farm in this region. The largest single 

 item of equipment investment is represented by the spraying outfit; 

 80 per cent of the growers whose records were considered have their 

 own spray rigs. As might be expected, the investment in stock other 

 than horses is small, but is larger on those farms growing mulch 

 crops. They keep more stock because they have the feed for it. 



In arriving at interest and depreciation charges no account is taken 

 of investment in dwellings or other buildings not used exclusively 

 for apples. It was not thought fair to charge the orchard with the 

 upkeep or interest on buildings, which often represent an investment 

 far above that of the average farm buildings. 



