COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN WEST VIRGINIA. 3 
This has been done to provide a proper basis for estimating the value 
of natural advantages, such as soil, relative elevations, and exposures, 
in lessening the cost of production. Experienced orchardists in this 
section have estimated the value of these natural advantages very 
closely in so far as past experience has thrown light on the subject. 
Good evidence of this is the fact that orchards are already planted 
on such favorable sites or the land 1s bought and held at a value 
commensurate with such advantages as it is believed to possess. 
Estimated yields for the bearing period of such orchards are based 
on averages, as are also the prices given. The variations are also 
given and the causes of these variations stated, in so far as they could 
be determined. 
The cost units and standard units of labor given have been worked 
out from data furnished by a few orchardists who have given par- 
ticular attention to this problem in orchard management. The most 
accurate and completely worked-out data along this line were fur- 
nished by two orchardists in particular whose training and experience 
have peculiarly fittcd them for this work. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION. 
The orchards studied are located in the mountainous section of 
West Virginia in the basin of the Potomac where during the past 10 
years not less than 2,500,000 fruit trees have been set out. Probably 
most of these have been planted during the past four years. 
The higher elevations of this section have long been considered 
well adapted to the raising of peaches. The steep mountain ranges 
with narrow valleys make air drainage good and furnish such 
locations as are believed to be favorable for the vigor and health of 
the trees. Some orchards are planted on various slopes and at differ- 
ent elevations, within certain limits, in order to vary as much as possi- 
ble the ripening period of the same variety, thus avoiding a rush at 
picking time. 
The benefit of air drainage is shown in the fact that in the year 
1912, after one of the most severe winters known to the older inhabit- 
ants, the peach crop was especially good on certain elevations where 
conditions of air drainage were good. On these elevations the buds 
were not killed, while lower down in the valleys not only the buds 
but in many cases the new wood was killed, so that the entire top of 
the tree had to be removed and a new one allowed to grow. The 
lowest temperatures occurred during the month of January, when 
the lowest temperatures observed on the tops of some of the higher 
mountains were 7° to 9° F. below zero, while in the valleys the tem- 
peratures at the same time were as low as 20° to 30° below zero. 
