10 



BULLETIN 446, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



with the privileges which are given. The following rates were paid 

 labor for various operations : 



Pruning. $3. 00 to $3. 50 per day. 



Packers 06 per box. 



Packing and sorting 07 per box. 



Thinning 2. 50 per day. 



Man, team, and sprayer. 1. 50 per hour. 



Picking 2. 50 per day. 



Man and team 5. 50 per day. 



Expert pruners receive from $3 to $3.50 per day, but as the ma- 

 jority of ranchers did this work themselves and were not considered 

 as expert labor in the same sense as a man who makes a business of 

 contract pruning, the pruning labor was figured at the regular rate of 

 $0.25 per hour. 



The rate of $1.50 per hour for sprayer, man, and team is high, but 

 that was the rate paid by many of the growers who hired their spray- 

 ing. This did not include the material used. 



ITEMS CONSIDERED IN COST OF PRODUCTION. 



In considering in detail the cost of producing apples on the farms 

 studied the following classification of costs will be observed in this 

 discussion: 1 



Maintenance costs: 



Manuring. 



Cultivation. 



Pruning. 



Brush handling. 



Irrigation. 



Thinning. 



Propping. 



Spraying. 



Cover crop. 



Miscellaneous labor. 

 Handling costs: 



Hauling box shooks. 



Making boxes. 



Handling costs — Contd. 



Hauling empties to and 

 from orchard. 



Hauling full boxes. 



Foreman charge. 



Picldng. 



Sorting, packing. 



Nailing and stamping. 



Labeling. 

 Material costs: 



Box shook. 



Nails. 



Paper. 



Label. 



Material costs — Contd. 



Lime-sulphur. 



Lead-arsenate. 



Manure. 



Gasoline and oil. 

 Fixed costs: 



Taxes. 



Water tax. 



Insurance. 



Interest on invest- 

 ment. 



Equipment charge. 



Packing-house charge. 



ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 



In the early days of orchard planting it was the object of the or- 

 chardist to obtain a vigorous annual tree growth. The soil at that 

 time contained enough plant food to give the desired results, with 

 the aid of sufficient irrigation water. The most intensive methods of 

 cultivation were followed; scarcely a weed was allowed to remain in 

 the orchards. This practice continued until the trees had borne a 

 few crops, when it became apparent that more humus-forming mate- 

 rial was necessary if the growth and productiveness of the orchards 

 were to be maintained. 



1 No account is here taken of association or other handling charges such as storage and insurance. The 

 total costs represent all charges up to and including delivery at an association or shipping point. 



