18 BULLETIN 518, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



grade fruit than for higher grade, there being sometimes a demand 

 for the lower grade which makes its marketing more successful. 

 Ordinarily, however, this is not the case, and the aim of growers is 

 to produce the highest percentage possible of extra fancy fruit. 



Because of the fact that Yellow Newtown and Esopus are the prin- 

 cipal varieties of the valley, both being of high quality and com- 

 manding correspondingly high prices, the average price received has 

 been somewhat in advance of that received in some other sections 

 where a greater proportion of the lower priced varieties are grown. 

 During the last few years prices have varied greatly. The returns 

 received f. o. b. by the growers from whom figures were obtained 

 averaged $1.11 per packed box for the years 1910 to 1914, inclusive. 

 The averages by years are $1.52 for 1910, $1.41 for 1911, $0.77 for 

 1912, $1.23 for 1913, and $0.63 for 1914. 



These variations in price are due to many factors. In years of 

 very large yields the price is correspondingly low, while in years 

 when there is a scarcity of fruit the price is high. In 1912 and 1914 

 the prices received for northwestern fruit were disastrously low, but 

 the other years have helped to make up a fair average. The annual 

 yields corresponding with the yearly prices were a third greater in 

 1912 and 1914 over that of the other years mentioned. The average 

 price received was due not to the production in the orchards of the 

 valley, but to the annual production in most apple regions of the 

 country. In 1915 and 1916 good prices were received. It will be 

 seen that the price received per box, averaged for a period of 5 

 years, is about $0.09 above the cost of production, all annual charges 

 up to the time the fruit is delivered at the station being considered. 



ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 



The orchards in Hood River Valley are in general well managed. 

 The typical commercial orchard is run in a businesslike way. There 

 are two distinct systems of management — the clean-cultural s} r stem 

 and the shade-crop, or mulch-crop, system. All orchards using 

 mulch crops are irrigated, but only about 27 per cent of the clean- 

 cultural orchards are irrigated. Thus the two general divisions are 

 the clean-cultivated and usually unirrigated, and the mulch-crop 

 or irrigated orchards. There is more total labor connected with 

 the mulch-crop system, but when the orchard is credited for the hay 

 removed the net cost per acre for labor is somewhat less than in the 

 clean-cultural system of management. Under orchard management 

 will be discussed all those items pertaining to the growing and har- 

 vesting of the fruit. These items are manuring, pruning, disposal 

 of brush, cultivation, handling mulch or shade crop, irrigating, 



