Cost of Production 361 



them. Such factors as availability and kind of labor, 

 location as to soil, climate, transportation, size of orchard, 

 size and type of farm, varieties and most of all yields, 

 directly influence costs. These are to be particularly con- 

 sidered before they become established in any given re- 

 gion, for once fixed the growers may find it impossible to 

 overcome them should they be unfavorable. 



IMPOETANCB OF YIELDS ' 



Yield is 1 the all-important item in determining the cost 

 production a unit. The subject of yields has been given 

 separate treatment elsewhere (see Chapter XVI) but is 

 of such great importance as to require particular empha- 

 sis. A yield of 200 barrels an acre means much more 

 profit a barrel than a yield of 100 barrels an acre. Thus 

 there is a large gain, not only in profit to the acre, but 

 in profit a barrel or box as well. This factor is over- 

 looked by most growers. Otherwise more effort would be 

 expended in increasing the yield of commercial fruit in 

 many orchards. It is vastly more profitable to have a 

 yield of 200 barrels to the acre on a ten-acre! orchard than 

 100 barrels to an acre on a twenty-acre orchard. No 

 grower, and especially the beginner, should attempt to 

 handle more acreage than he can take sufficient care of to 

 insure a good yield. 



The importance of a high yield is shown in the accom- 

 panying table which applies to Hood River, Oregon. 



It is seen from Table XVI that the acre cost varies 

 directly with the yield while the box cost varies inversely. 

 For instance, in the case of orchards with a yield of 440 

 boxes to the acre, there is an acre cost of $412.98 or $.938 

 a box, while with orchards with a yield of 115 boxes, the 



