COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN WEST VIRGINIA. Dh 
TABLE V.—Cost of peaches per tree and per basket on smooth red-shale land in West 
Virginia under more efficient management than the orchard summarized in Table IV. 
E Per 
Items of expense. Per, sree. neeieats 
WostwatpeorinowstaperCiithey Gals) r mse Nee cise Nas Gams ce oa cicke Mi sice cies ees ccc cee oe ee | $1.03 $0. 0746 
SHOMOLRUITE OMELA LIM Ae XPEMISES yl OlVCALS ears ee creeie = eeia= a rcla eae eis ei =i ieiciee | 4.18 . 3030 
Costiothandlingand marketing fruit, 10 years... 5-2 2.222 ee et cee ce. 2.75 . 2000 
WOW CtSlssdet ck Sassen colonics Se ASse eae Se NCEA ROS er ns See eae es. Cannes 7.96 5776 
The average price for peaches on this orchard has been 69 cents. 
If this price should continue and the rate of past yields be maintained, 
a net profit of 11.24 cents per basket. may be expected, or $1.55 per 
tree. 
Another orchard located on chert land and cared for in an up-to-date 
manner will have produced, on the basis of past records, 16 baskets 
of fruit at 16 years of age. The average price of peaches from this 
orchard during the past eight years has been 74 cents per basket. 
Table VI gives the estimated costs for this orchard. 
TaBLE VI.—Cost of peaches, per tree and per basket, on chert land in West Virginia. 
Per 
Items of expense. RCL Trees ie cat 
fenciompbeutrcowuntiMbearing stazes 40 ee a TE else $1.40 |  $0.0875 
Cost of routine operating expenses for 11 years, at 46.3 cents..........-.--..--------- 5. 09 . 3181 
Cost of handling and marketing 16 baskets of fruit, at 22 cents.....................-- 3.02 - 2200 
FRM COS oo 5 5 Sel A a 8 te ee SEE Ug ceria aies 10.01 | . 6256 
At 74 cents per basket this orchard may expect a net profit of 11.44 
cents per basket, or $1.83 per tree. 
It would seem from the above analysis that superior and more 
expensive management as well as exceptional natural advantages 
will lessen the average cost per basket and will also increase the 
average market price by producing peaches of exceptional quality. 
The fact that increased cost per acre and per tree has decreased 
the cost per basket ' 1s explained on the ground that by this expense 
the yield was increased more proportionally than the amount of such 
expense. This decrease in cost per basket, of course, could not 
continue in proportion to the added expense per acre. A point would 
quickly be reached where the added expense would increase the cost 
per basket, and if the quality remained the same no economic advan- 
tage would be secured. This is an important problem for the 
manager to work out as his orchard grows. 
1 In mathematical terms these facts may be stated thus: The cost per basket varies directly as the total 
expense of the orchard and inversely as the total yield. 
