10 BULLETIX 636, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is handled by local warehouses and associations without necessitat- 

 ing any long haul. 



In speaking of Payette Valley and Canyon County area as a region 

 it may be considered as representing a very successful and diversi- 

 fied type of agriculture. However, the farms studied are all fruit 

 ranches, for the most part somewhat specialized. The orchards on 

 those which are not specialized show more or less a lack of care. 

 Especially is this true of the large ranches where cattle are kept. 



The men found on these ranches are for the most part farmers; 

 that is to say, they are not men from other professions who have 

 selected farming and apple growing as a means of retiring from 

 active life, as have so many residents of other fruit sections of the 

 Northwest. These men did not expect unusual prices or crops, and 

 with land at a reasonable figure they have been able to build up a 

 stable business. There are of course some ranchers who located on 

 sections hard to irrigate, and who, caught in years of low prices with 

 little working capital, have lost out. 



In general, the ranchers -are intelligent and progressive and willin g to 

 adopt new ideas and to apply them to conditious. They are practical 

 men of limited capital who tend to develop their farming along more 

 conservative fines than one finds in certain regions where speculators 

 have been responsible for the development. 



FARM INVESTMENTS. 



The average total investment per farm in the case of the 38 ranches 

 for which data were obtained is $20,689.62, the average size of farm is 

 53.39 acres, and the investment per acre of apple orchard averages 

 $613. 16. 1 



Table II shows the comparative investments on the clean-cultural 

 and mulch-crop orchards. The machinery equipment investment on 

 the farms studied ($542.63 per farm) represents present value of 

 equipment. It may be stated, however, that the equipment on these 

 farms is generally in fairly good condition, much of it being compara- 

 tively new. 



As might be expected, the mulch-crop orchards show the greatest 

 investment in stock other than horses. Hogs often are pastured on 

 the alfalfa orchards. 



i In all these investment figures each farm is given the same weight en ar. ?cre basis. 



