COMMEKCIAL ORCHARDING IN WEST VIRGINIA. 



15 



RELATION OF THE SIZE OF THE ORCHARD TO SUCCESSFUL MANAGE- 

 MENT. 



The size of an orchard is a very important factor. The small 

 grower of 5 to 20 acres may find the business profitable as one of the 

 enterprises of diversified farming. He must sell in less than carload 

 lots and depend wholly on such prices and such market facilities as 

 are offered at his shipping point, unless, of course, he belongs to an 

 organization which looks after such marketing. 



The large grower, however, should have his orchard of such a size 

 and have the varieties so distributed that he may market from day 

 to day in carload lots. Another determining factor in the size of an 

 orchard is that of labor. The small grower may board his workmen 



Fig. 5. — An orchard on chert land on top of a mountain, viewed from the valley at a distance of about 

 a mile. The camp for the men is located at the left. 



in the family and thus make them feel satisfied socially, but it is 

 found difficult to keep less than from 10 to 20 men together hi a 

 group in orchards where they are lodged and boarded under camp- 

 life conditions. 



The orchard shown in figure 5 contains 400 acres, all on a mountain 

 top. 



DISTANCE OF ORCHARD FROM SHIPPING POINT, 



A factor of great importance in peach orcharding is the distance of 

 hauling to the shipping point. The expense of hauling not only 

 increases as the distance increases, but the hauling over the average 

 mountain road for a considerable distance injures the peaches. For 



