2 BULLETIN 614, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



including data on labor necessary for the annual upkeep of the orchard, 

 on the care and harvesting of the crop, total investment, insurance, 

 taxes, and all other expenses connected either directly or indirectly 

 with production. One, hundred and twenty records were taken. 



Conditions prevailing in the Yakima Valley differ in some respects 

 from those in any other of the important apple-producing regions 

 o± the Northwest. Two more or less distinct types of fruit farming are 

 found. In the vicinity ot the city of North Yakima is a highly 

 specialized orcharding similar to that about Wenatchee, while in the 

 lower valley, about the town of Zillah, there is a more diversified type 

 of farming, with the growing of apples as one of several farm enter- 

 prises. 



In this bulletin the acre is used as a basis of comparison. If the 

 box were used as a unit, the figure for different districts might be 

 misleading, since there might be a considerable variation in yield on 

 orchards of the same size and age in different districts. 



FACTS BROUGHT OUT. 



Following is a brief summary of the more important facts brought 

 out in this study of 120 bearing orchards in the Yakima Valley: 



Average size of ranch: l 



[North Yakima district (64 ranches), 10.79 acres. 

 All records, 15.82 acres| zmah district (5(J ranches)j 2L57 acres 



Average size of bearing orchard: 



(North Yakima district, 5.18. 

 All records, 6.39 acre S j zmah ^^ 7 7?> 



Average investment: 



All records, per ranch, $14,504.32, of which $6,071.38 represents the bearing 



apple orchard. 

 All records, per acre of bearing apples [North Yakima district, $1,531.25. 

 $1,079.87 ' jzillah district, $563.57. 



Average annual yield: 



I Per acre, 432 boxes. 

 All records j Per tree, 5.87 boxes. 

 Average net cost per box: 



, • „JNet labor cost, $0.3449. 



All records, *>.8002J Oo8ta other than labOT; $0 .4553. 



Average interest on investment: 



All records, $0.1999 per box (75.9 per cent of fixed cost and 24.98 per cent of 

 total net cost of production). 



THE YAKIMA DISTRICT. 



Yakima County is located in the south-central part of the State 

 of Washington (see fig. 1). It is bounded on the west by the main 

 range of the Cascade Mountains, which separates it from the counties 

 of Pierce, Lewis, and Skamania; on the south by Klickitat County; 

 on the east by Benton County and the Columbia River; and on the 

 north by Kittitas County. 



1 The word ' ' ranch " is a local term for any farm, and the word " rancher ' ' is used in the sense of f armer „ 



