COST OF PRODUCTION OF APPLES, PAYETTE VALLEY, IDAHO. 35 



decreases very rapidly per box as the yield increases. This is as 

 might be expected, since these fixed costs refer to those annual 

 charges which have little or nothing to do with the upkeep of the 

 orchard or the harvesting of the fruit. 



Other factors affecting the cost are the size of the orchard, the 

 system of orchard management practiced, the amount of credit de- 

 rived from hay, wood, culls, etc. 



In the case of the smaller yields the grower actually lacks consid- 

 erable of making any interest on his investment. For instance, with 

 a yield of 122 boxes per acre, and assuming that the grower gets 

 $0.80 for all grades of apples, which is much higher than he gets 

 some years, he would lose 11.4 per cent on his investment in bearing 

 apple orchard. However, with the yield of 221 boxes he makes 

 3.94 per cent, and with the yield of 331 he makes 8.84 per cent. 

 For those orchards that yield 419 he makes 16.64 per cent, and for 

 those that yield 572 he makes 38 per cent. This, it should be remem- 

 bered, is on the basis of the grower receiving $0.80 f. o. b. for all 

 grades of box apples. 



It should be stated in this connection that with the yield as high 

 as 572 boxes, as is sometimes the case in heavy crop years, there is 

 often a smaller profit per box than in years when the crop is light. 

 This is due to the fact that most orchards have a full crop the same 

 year. Thus, when the crop is light, apples are scarce, and the price is 

 correspondingly high. When there is a heavy crop, apples are plentiful 

 and often bring a very low price to the grower. 



Table XVII. — Summary table showing effect of yield upon cost (38 records). 



Item. 



Groups. 



150 boxes 151 to 200 

 or less. boxes. 



201 to 250 

 boxes. 



251 to 300 

 boxes. 



301 to 350 

 boxes. 



Average yields (packed boxes) 



Total net maintenance cost per acre . . 

 Total net maintenance cost per box . . 



Total net handling cost per acre 



Total net handling cost per box 



Total net labor cost per acre 



Total net labor cost per box 



Total material cost 



Total fixed cost 



Total material and fixed cost per acre 

 Total material and fixed cost per box. 



Total net cost per acre 



Total net cost per box 



122 



$42.73 

 .3502 

 19.29 

 .1581 



62.02 

 .5084 



47.51 

 75.74 

 123.25 

 1.0102 



185.27 

 1.518G 



177 

 $39. 84 



.2251 

 37.76 

 .2133 



77.60 

 .4384 



44.84 

 51.19 

 96.03 

 .5425 



173.63 

 .9810 



221 

 $39.72 



.1797 

 42.95 

 .1943 



82.67 

 .3741 



49.48 

 52.72 

 102.20 

 .4624 



184.87 

 .8365 



271 



$25.63 

 .0946 

 49.46 

 .1825 



75.09 

 .2771 



64.93 

 59.54 

 124.47 

 .4593 



199. 56 

 .7364 



331 



$55. 85 



.1687 

 68.72 

 .2076 



124.57 

 .3763 



85.62 

 48.70 

 134.32 

 .4058 



258.! 



7821 



