COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WENATCHEE VALLEY, WASH. 13 



Table VII. — Number of times various implements are used in the 57 clean-cultivated 



orchards. 



When used. 



Plow. 



Disk 

 harrow. 



Spring- 

 tooth 

 harrow. 



Spike- 

 tooth 

 harrow. 



Culti- 

 vator. 



Float. 





28 



39 

 2 



66 

 36 

 24 

 11 

 1 

 1 



42 

 14 

 12 

 5 



25 



24 



14 



6 



22 





8 







5 









2 

























' 









There are many factors which may affect the time required for the 

 various operations. Among these are number in crew, time of year, 

 topography, type and condition of soil, kind of cover crop, if any, 

 depth to which implements are worked, and kind and size of imple- 

 ment used. (See Table VIII.) 



Table VIII.- — Average time required and cost per acre for various cultural operations on 

 farms studied in Wenatchee Valley. 



Implement. 



Width of imple- 

 ment. 



Number of— 







Acres 

 per 10 







Men. 



Horses. 



hours. 





2 



1.49 





2 



4.46 





2 



5.90 





2 



9.60 





2 



6.30 





2 



7.50 



Cost per 

 acre. 



Plow 



Disk harrow 



Spring-tooth harrow. 

 Spike-tooth harrow. . 



Cultivator 



Float 



12 inches . 



5 feet 



6 feet 



7 feet 



10 to 14 feet. 



$3. 679 

 1.232 

 .932 

 .572 

 .873 

 .733 



' 



Considering all records, regardless of number in crew, or kind or 

 size of implement used, a total of 21.36 man-hours and 38.98 horse- 

 hours per acre was chargeable for all cultivation, exclusive of plowing 

 and creasing, or a per acre cost of $11.19. Considering all cultural 

 operations, including plowing and creasing, there was a total charge 

 of $14.75 per acre. 



MANURING. 



In the early days of orchard planting throughout the valley, the 

 trees made a luxuriant growth, and at the time that they came into 

 bearing ga^e a good crop, which did not seem to affect the physical 

 condition of the tree the year following. It was the impression that 

 this virgin soil contained an abundance of plant food, so that the need 

 of returning fertility to the soil was not felt. Later, however, this 

 valley gained some valuable lessons from the experience of other 

 northwestern sections, and many orchardists began to apply manure. 

 Inasmuch as the average ranch throughout the valley is small, the 

 grower usually having only one or two horses and in some instances 

 a cow, not enough manure is produced to make a thorough application 

 each year to the entire orchard. 



