COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN YAKIMA VALLEY. 



19 



Since the mulch crop has not been used generally in this district 

 for any length of time, the true effects, as far as yields are concerned, 

 do not seem yet to be in evidence. It is a recognized fact, however, 

 that the orchards are in need of humus, and perhaps in many cases 

 the mulch-crop system, with proper management, would bring good 

 results. However, whatever the system of management, if the 

 orchards are to be kept in good physical condition and are to bear 

 the average crop or more, due care must be taken in the management. 



Considering the valley as a whole, regardless of whether the orchards 



are under clean-cultural or mulch-crop management, there is an 



average yield of 432 packed boxes per acre, or 5.87 boxes per tree, 



the orchards ranging from 7 to 22 years of age and averaging 73.6 



trees per acre. 



ORCHARD MAINTENANCE. 



Under orchard maintenance are included those practices which 

 at the time of this study usually were followed by 120 orchardists 

 of the Yakima Valley in the upkeep of their bearing apple orchards. 

 Among these are manuring, pruning, disposal of brush, soil manage- 

 ment, thinning, propping, spraying, and any miscellaneous labor 

 previous to handling the crop. 



MANURING. 



Manuring is the annual practice of 77 per cent of all orchardists 

 considered in this investigation. It is obvious from the small 

 number of work horses and other stock on the average ranch that the 

 amount of manure annually produced is small, yet few of the ranchers 

 buy any manure in town or have it shipped in from other points. 

 Most of the manure produced is usually applied on the bearing apple 

 orchard, except for the small amount which is often used on the 

 garden. Often, however, growers are found who make a practice 

 of applying a considerable amount on the younger orchards. As a 

 rule, there is not enough produced on the average ranch to manure 

 the entire bearing apple orchard each year. (See Table XII.) 



Eighty per cent of the ranchers visited in North Yakima and 73 

 per cent in Zillah made a practice of manuring all or a portion of their 

 orchards each year. The former apply an average of 4.78 tons and 

 the latter 7.72 tons per acre. 



Table XII. — Average time, tons, and cost per acre when a crew of one man and two horses 

 is used for manuring orchards in Yakima Valley. 



District. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 records. 



Hours. 



Acres 

 in 10 

 hours. 



Labor 

 cost. 



Tons. 



Mate- 

 rial 

 cost. 



Total 



Man. 



Horse. 



cost. 



Under clean-cultural management: 



25 

 21 

 46 



14 

 14 



28 



8.51 

 10.88 

 9.59 



7.49 

 9.05 

 8.27 



17.02 

 21.76 

 19.18 



• 14. .98 

 18.10 

 16.54 



1.17 



.92 



1.04 



1.34 

 1.10 

 1.21 



$4.68 

 5.99 

 5.28 



4.12 

 4.98 

 4.55 



5.52 



8.50 

 6.88 



4.14 

 5.62 

 4.88 



$8.28 

 12.75 

 10.32 



6.21 

 8.43 

 7.32 



812. 96 

 18.74 

 15.60 



10 34 



Zillah 



North Yakima and Zi Hah 



Under mulch-crop management: 



North Yakima 



Zillah 





North Yakima and Zillah 



11.87 



