16 



BULLETIN 636, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



HAULING BRUSH. 



The growers in this region usually make a practice of trimming out 

 the brush after it is pruned from the trees and saving the larger 

 limbs for fuel. As there is a scarcity of native timber in this region, 

 firewood is valuable, being priced at $4 to $5 per cord. The smaller 

 brush is thrown on a sled or wagon and hauled to a convenient place 

 for burning. 



Considering all records, there is found to be a credit of $0.58 per 

 acre annually for wood and a charge of $3.45 per acre, or $0.0103 per 

 box, for the hauling and disposal of brush. . This makes up 3.36 per 

 cent of the net labor cost, or 1.45 per cent of the total annual net 

 cost of production. Where only one or two cords are obtained from 

 the orchard each year, the labor of trimming out the heavy wood for 

 fuel represents almost the value of the wood. 



THINNING. 



Thinning is practiced generally throughout the valley. The work 

 usually is done by day labor at the rate of $2 per day. As in other 

 regions, thinning is practiced either by pulling the apples from the 

 trees or by using thinning shears. The growers have many ideas as 

 to the value of thinning. Some claim that excessive thinning of 

 Jonathans tends to increase the apples in size and 'consequently to 

 increase the liability of breaking down in storage. It is thought by 

 many that the average-sized apple has somewhat better keeping 

 qualities than the very large one. No definite statement can be 

 made in regard to this question from the data at hand. 



In the Payette Valley pruning and thinning are done to such an 

 extent that the necessity for propping is obviated largely. Thinning 

 usually is done during the early part of the season, preferably in 

 June. There is found to be an average for those who thin of 48.64 

 man-hours per acre, or a cost of $0,154 per tree; but when this is 

 distributed among all records there are 47.36 man-hours, or $9.47 

 annual labor charge per acre. This is a cost of SO. 15 per tree, $0.0281 

 per box, or 9.16 per cent of the total net labor cost. The cost for 

 thinning in the valley when prorated among all records is identical 

 with the cost of pruning. (See Table V.) 



Table V. — Average time and cost of pruning, thinning, and propping for farms studied 



in Payette Valley, Idaho. 



Operation. 



Per cent 

 of growers 

 ' practic- 

 ing. 



Man- 

 hours. 



Horse- 

 hours. 



Cost. 



Per acre. 



Per tree. 



Per box, 



Pruning 100. 00 



Thinning ' 97.37 



Propping 78. 95 



47.41 

 48.64 



7.00 



?9. 4S 

 9.73 

 3. 07 



SO. 150 

 . 154 

 .048 



*0. 02<1 

 .0289 



. 0091 



