SPEAYING TO COXTBOL ENEMIES OF CITEUS TREES. 17 



the labor. Xo groover should expect to spray a bearing tree for less 

 than 3 cents for each application. It would be better to place the 

 minimum, at 4 cents. It should not require more than 10 cents to 

 spray the largest trees in the State if any considerable number are 

 present in one grove. An average cost per tree should not exceed 5 

 to 6 cents. If one figures the cost per box, a minimum would be 1 

 cent per application for oil spray and somewhat less for lime-sulphur. 

 A maximum would be 1^ cents for either insecticide. An expenditure 

 of more than 6 cents per box for the entire year should be unnecessary. 



PROFITS AND BENEFITS. 



It is impossible to express accurately the percentage of profit to be 

 expected from spraying to control pests on citrus. The same condi- 

 tion applies to cultural and other grove operations in Florida. The 

 data at hand are sufficiently accurate, however, to be worth pre- 

 senting. 



It has been shown that the better grades bring more money than 

 the lower, yet it would be fallacious to assume that if the entire crop 

 were of a high grade the grower would receive correspondingly 

 higher prices. The trade will consume only so much high-grade fruit. 

 It is reasonably certain, however, that the Florida crop has not yet 

 reached the high standard where it would be no longer profitable to 

 produce more high-grade fruit. 



At present 13 per cent first, 41 per cent second, and 16 per cent 

 third grade oranges are shipped from the State, and it is possible 

 and practicable to raise this standard to 35, 50, and 15 per cent for 

 first, second, and third grades, respectively. It is assumed that the 

 trade would handle fruit of this quality. Thus, the first grade is 

 increased 22 per cent and the second 9 per cent. If 7,600,000 boxes 

 are taken as the basis for the crop of 1915-16, there would be 

 1,2Y3,987 boxes more in the first grade if spraying were done. These 

 would sell, according to Table 7 (oranges) for 21.6 cents 1 more per 

 box, or an increase of $275,181. There would also be 9 per cent more 

 second grade, or 521,177 boxes. These would sell for 9.6 cents more, 

 or an increase of $50,033. 



The percentage of the various grades of grapefruit was not very 

 different from that of the oranges, so 13, 41, and 46 per cent may be 

 used to represent the first, second, and third grades of grapefruit, 

 respectively. The standard for grapefruit also can be raised to grade 

 5, 50, and 15 per cent. There would then be 22 per cent, or 399,685 

 Doxes, which would sell for 30.9 cents per box more, an increase 

 :>f $123,559. There would be 9 per cent, or 163,508 boxes, which would 



'New York City prices. Other prices could not tie obtained. 



