COST OF PRODUCTION OF APPLES, PAYETTE VALLEY, IDAHO. 15 



It is found that more manure is applied annually per acre on or- 

 chards in mulch crop than on clean-cultural orchards. This is partly 

 due to the fact that the mulch-crop orchards are smaller, thus making 

 more manure available per acre, and partly to the fact that the farms 

 which have orchards in mulch crop keep about one-third more stock; 

 than those which have the clean-cultural orchards. It is found that 

 the labor cost for manuring is 1.79 per cent of the total net labor cost, 

 while the material cost is 4.43 per cent of the total material and fixed 

 cost, making the total cost of manuring 3.28 per cent of the annual 

 net cost of production. 



PRUNING. 



Pruning is practiced generally every year by all growers. The 

 open-head tree system is the most popular form of pruning, and from 

 four to seven leaders with a well-opened head is the type sought. As 



Fig. 7.— A young orchard near Payette from which alfalfa has been harvested. Note the flock of 700 

 turkeys. A great diversity of live stock is profitably raised in this section. 



the principal variety of the Payette Valley is the Jonathan, it is nec- 

 essary to give the tree plenty of light in order to give color to the 

 fruit. There is no noticeable tendency as yet to head back the tops 

 of the trees in order to keep their height reduced, (See fig. 7.) The 

 cost of pruning is $0.15 per tree, or $0.0281 per box. This, as will 

 be seen (Table V), is identical with the cost of thinning for all the 

 orchards. 



The pruning cost is somewhat higher for mulch-crop orchards than 

 for clean-cultivated orchards. This, no doubt, is partly due to the 

 fact that the average acreage of the mulch-crop orchards is about 4 

 acres less than that of those under the clean-cultural system, thus 

 offering opportunity for more detailed care per acre, Pruning costs 

 make up 9.16 per cent of the total net labor costs and 3.95 per cent 

 of the total annual net cost of production. 



