360 



The Commercial Apple Industry 



further subdivided into maintenance, or growing labor 

 costs, and handling labor cost. The growing cost includes 

 all the labor required up until the time the apples are 

 ready to pick, while the handling cost includes the labor 

 of picking, packing, and the like, until the apples are put 

 in storage or on board car. 



Costs other than labor take in material and fixed costs. 

 Material costs include manure, spray material, fertilizer, 

 cover-crop seed, barrels, boxes, and the like. The fixed 

 costs comprise all overhead charges, such as interest on 

 investment, taxes, the orchard's share of insurance, inter- 

 est, depreciation on equipment, and apple buildings. 



Of these main groups of costs, the labor is most likely 

 to be the limiting factor in successful production. Fixed 

 costs are particularly important in the Northwest on' 

 account of high land values. 



The various cost items comprising labor, material, and 

 fixed costs are enumerated in Table XV. 



Table XV. — Cost Items m Apple Production 



It is not enough merely to learn the cost items, but one 

 should go further and study the influences which determine 



