COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN COLORADO. 



15 



MANURING. 



In the Grand Valley the application of manure on orchards is 

 not a general practice. The ranchers of this vicinity keep but a 

 small amount of stock and thus little manure is produced on the farm. 

 Sixteen of the 49 growers visited in Mesa County, or 32.6 per cent, 

 make a practice of manuring all or part of their orchard each year. 

 The labor cost per acre is $2.04 and the material cost $3.57. In 

 Delta County a large proportion of the growers apply manure, owing 

 to the fact that Delta is a more general farming county than Mesa, 

 and the average number of animals units per farm is larger. Thirty- 

 one (50.8 per cent) of the 61 men visited in this county apply manure. 

 Here the cost of labor per acre is $2.62; of material, $6.38. In Mont- 

 rose County the type of farming is still more general, and more stock 

 is kept; hence a still greater percentage of growers apply manure. 

 Ten of the 15 men visited in Montrose, or 66 per cent, practice manur- 

 ing, at a cost of $4.28 per acre for labor and $6.35 for material (see 

 fig. 4). 



For the three counties there is an average annual acre charge of 

 10.62 man-hours and 20.20 horse-hours, and an average application 

 of 7.71 tons per acre, for the 57 men (45.6 per cent) who practice 

 manuring. 



It should be explained in this connection that the manure applied 

 per man-hour appears low because of the fact that there is but little 

 manure, which usually is drawn out in very small loads and applied 

 only where most needed. Thus, these figures would not be applic- 

 able to conditions in which plenty of manure is available. (See 

 Table VI.) 



Commercial fertilizers are not used in this region. 



Table VI. — Manuring practice and costs for farms studied. 



Item. 



Mesa. 



Delta. 



Mon- 

 trose. 



All 



counties. 



Farms applying manure: 



16 

 32.6 



11.36 



22.72 



7.28 



$6.25 



$10 92 



3.71 

 7.42 

 2.38 



31 

 50.8 



9.9 



17.9 



8.37 



$5.16 



$12. 56 



6.03 

 9.10 

 4.25 



10 

 66.7 



11.66 

 23.32 

 6.35 



$6.41 

 $9.53 



7.77 

 15.55 

 4.23 



57 





45.6 



Averages per acre for farms applying manure: 



10.62 





20.20 





7.71 





$5.69 





$11. 56 



Averages per acre, distributed over all farms studied: 



Man-hours 



4.84 





9.21 





3.51 







Cost of labor 



$2.04 

 S3. 57 



$2.62 

 $6. 38 



$1.28 

 $6.35 



$2.59 



Cost of material 



$5.27 









$5.61 



$9.00 



$10.62 



$7.86 







68536°— Bull. 500—17- 



