48 BULLETIN 518, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



The cull credit is about the same in both cases. There is then a 

 total net labor cost for the clean-culture orchards of $87.78 per 

 acre, or $0.40 per box, while for those in mulch crop it is $81.68 per 

 acre, or $0,358 per box. For all records there is a net labor cost of 

 $85.05 per acre and $0,383 per box, while the labor cost is 37.47 per 

 cent of the total cost of production. The net cost of maintenance 

 for all records is $39.97, and $45.08 is the net cost for handling. 



Yield per acre is the factor which has the greatest influence on 

 the labor cost per box on the farms studied in the various regions. 

 The higher the yield the higher the labor cost per acre but the 

 lower the labor cost per box. It also appears that the cost of 

 maintenance is a lower percentage of the total labor cost on those 

 farms where the average yield is high than where it is low. 



COSTS OTHER THAN LABOR. 



Costs other than labor include two kinds of costs, material and 

 fixed. Material costs include such items as manure, spray materials, 

 seed, boxes, nails, paper, etc., while fixed costs refer to overhead 

 charges, which are little influenced by the size of the crop. Fixed 

 costs include equipment charge, apple-building charge, taxes, water 

 rent, insurance, and interest on investment. 



The average price per ton of manure is $1.50, and the average 

 amount applied annually per acre is 1.48 tons, making a yearly 

 cost of $2.22 per acre, or $0.01 per box for manure. Spray ma- 

 terials are charged at the regular price paid by most growers, 

 which is $6.50 per barrel for lime-sulphur, $0.07 per pound for 

 arsenate of lead paste, $0.01 per pound for lime, and $0,075 per 

 pound for copper sulphate or " bluestone." Dry lead arsenate costs 

 $0,175 per pound. 



Alfalfa seed is charged at the rate of $0.18 per pound and clover 

 at $0.20 per pound. As they are sown only occasionally, there is 

 a very small annual charge for this item, 



Shooks cost $0,095 per box, or $0,103 for the boxes made up, the 

 contract cost for making being usually $0.80 per hundred. Paper 

 and nails cost $0,039 per box. There is thus a total cost for boxes, 

 including paper and nails, of $0,142 per finished box. 



On the farms studied the total material costs amount to $42.80 per 

 acre, or $0,192 per box. This is 18.86 per cent of the total annual 

 cost of production. 



In the fixed charges, which make up 43.67 per cent of the total 

 annual cost of production, certain items are considered which many 

 growers do not take into account, the principal charge being interest 

 on investment. This, however, is a proper charge, as it is a factor 



