COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN WEST VIRGINIA. 3 



This has been done to provide a proper basis for estimating the value 

 of natural advantages, such as soil, relative elevations, and exposures, 

 in lessening the cost of production. Experienced orchardists in this 

 section have estimated the value of these natural advantages very 

 closely in so far as past experience has thrown light on the subject. 

 Good evidence of this is the fact that orchards are already planted 

 on such favorable sites or the land is bought and held at a value 

 commensurate with such advantages as it is believed to possess. 



Estimated yields for the bearing period of such orchards are based 

 on averages, as are also the prices given. The variations are also 

 given and the causes of these variations stated, in so far as they could 

 be determined. 



The cost units and standard units of labor given have been worked 

 out from data furnished by a few orchardists who have given par- 

 ticular attention to this problem in orchard management. The most 

 accurate and completely worked-out data along this line were fur- 

 nished by two orchardists in particular whose training and experience 

 have peculiarly fitted them for this work. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION. 



The orchards studied are located in the mountainous section of 

 West Virginia in the basin of the Potomac where during the past 10 

 years not less than 2,500,000 fruit trees have been set out. Probably 

 most of these have been planted during the past four years. 



The higher elevations of this section have long been considered 

 well adapted to the raising of peaches. The steep mountain ranges 

 with narrow valleys make air drainage good and furnish such 

 locations as are believed to be favorable for the vigor and health of 

 the trees. Some orchards are planted on various slopes and at differ- 

 ent elevations, within certain limits, in order to vary as much as possi- 

 ble the ripening period of the same variety, thus avoiding a rush at 

 picking time. 



The benefit of air drainage is shown in the fact that in the year 

 1912, after one of the most severe winters known to the older inhabit- 

 ants, the peach crop was especially good on certain elevations where 

 conditions of air drainage were good. On these elevations the buds 

 were not killed, while lower down in the valleys not only the buds 

 but in many cases the new wood was killed, so that the entire top of 

 the tree had to be removed and a new one allowed to grow. The 

 lowest temperatures occurred during the month of January, when 

 the lowest temperatures observed on the tops of some of the higher 

 mountains were 7° to 9° F. below zero, while in the valleys the tem- 

 peratures at the same time were as low as 20° to 30° below zero. 



