COST OF PRODUCING APPLES — WESTERN NEW YORK. 



17 



the growing season, and keeping qualities of the apples, all factors 

 of more or less importance to the commercial grower. 



PRACTICE WITH MANURES. 



Ninety-three per cent of the growers visited in western New York 

 make a practice of applying farm manure to their orchards. Of 

 these, 60, or 29 per cent, manure their entire orchard each year, and 

 51, or 25 per cent, manure a portion of their orchard each year, and 

 45, or 22 per cent, manure their entire orchard every other year. 



Table XII. — Influence of farm manure on yields. 



Tons per year. 



5 and 

 under. 



5 to 9. 



Over 9. 



Number of records 



Tons of manure per acre 

 Yield (barrels) 



29 

 3.62 



82.7 



12 



6.92 

 89.4 



5 

 12.80 

 99.5 



Table XII shows the influence of farm manure when used alone, 

 regardless of method of tillage. As noted above, the apple growers 

 of western New York often make a practice of keeping live stock 

 solely because of the need and value of the manure as a fertilizer. 

 Not enough stock is kept on the average farm to produce the manure 

 necessary for crop and orchard land. A few men who are situated 

 near small towns are able to get more or less manure from town 

 stables; others attempt to rely on manure shipped by the carload 

 from the stockyards at Buffalo. 



The rate of application per acre varies from 2^ to 25 tons. The 

 larger amounts are applied where orchards are not manured each 

 year. There is also some difference in the amounts applied annu- 

 ally in each county. In Ontario County, where the percentage of 

 the farm in field crops is comparatively high and the amount of 

 stock kept comparatively large, more manure is applied per acie 

 than in the other counties in question. Furthermore, in the lake 

 counties the peach, cherry, plum, and other fruits may need manure, 

 so that there the apple orchard stands to get a smaller percentage 

 of available manure than in Ontario County. 



Green cover crops serve as a substitute for manure. Where there 

 is a shortage of manure, some growers make a practice of using a 

 cover for a year or two, plowing it under, working the orchard up 

 well, and in the following year making a heavy application of barn- 

 yard manure. 



162274°— 20— Bull. 851 3 



