COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN HOOD RIVER VALLEY. 



27 



Table IX. — Labor yields, and credits for mulch or shade crops for the growers 



who harvest hay. 



Item. 



Clover. 



Alfalfa. 



Mixed. 



All mulch 

 crops. 



Number of records 



9 



8.50 



7.44 



$3.03 

 S3. 52 



1.51 



.60 



3.00 



.86 



6 



14.92 

 13.74 



$5.42 

 $3.52 



1.59 



.80 



3.00 



1.54 



3 



12.71 

 10.94 



$4.50 

 $3.10 



1.47 



.67 



3.00 



1.45 



18 



Labor per acre: 



11.34 





10.13 



Cost of harvesting: 



Per acre 



$4.07 





$3.42 



Yield per acre (tons): 



1.53 





.60 



Maximum 1 



3.00 





1.19 









$9.24 

 $6.21 



$16. 31 

 $10. 89 



$15. 75 

 $11. 25 



$12. 68 





$8.61 







1 Distributed over all years, including those when no hay is cut. 



Credit from mulch crop. — The gross credit per acre for hay har- 

 vested amounts to $9.24 for the clover orchards and $16.31 for those 

 in alfalfa, Taking out the labor cost of harvesting, there is a net 

 credit of $6.21 for clover and $10.89 for alfalfa. Taking into con- 

 sideration all mulch crops cut for hay there is a total credit of $12.68 

 for hay, or a net credit over harvesting labor of $8.61. 



There is a growing tendency to pasture hogs on these mulch-crop 

 orchards, and many growers are now raising pigs, so that pasturing 

 may eventually become quite general. Five of the mulch-crop 

 orchardists take no hay off, but cut it and leave it on the ground 

 in the form of green manure, which no doubt pays as well in the 

 long run as removing the hay. This practice should materially in- 

 crease the yield of fruit. 



When the 24 records under this system of management are all 

 considered, whether hay is taken off or not, there is found to be an 

 annual charge of $3.41 per acre for labor put on the mulch crop in 

 cutting or harvesting it and an annual total credit of $9.59 per 

 acre, or a net credit of $6.18 per acre. 



Clean culture versus mulch or shade crops. — There seems no 

 doubt that the practice of clean cultivation without the addition 

 of humus or plant food by means of some kind of mulch crop soon 

 will be wholly discontinued. There are several very apparent 

 reasons brought out in the study of these 54 farms why the mulch- 

 crop method of management is much the better. If figures are left 

 wholly out of consideration the mere condition and appearance of 

 the orchards would warrant this conclusion. (See fig. 10.) The 

 bearing orchards under the clean-cultural system often show a de- 

 cided discoloring and early maturity of foliage. This is most notice- 

 able when the orchard tracts of the valley are viewed from one of 



