COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN COLORADO. 



31 



this spray on bearing apples. In Delta County 18 men used the aphis 

 spray. Of these, 15 applied it in combination with a lead arsenate 

 spray, while 3 made separate sprays. In Montrose County 4 men 

 used the aphis spray as a separate spray. In either case the usual 

 mixture was 1^ pints of tobacco extract to a 200-gallon tank. In 

 Montrose 203.8 gallons per acre were applied as compared to 418 for 

 the 3 separate aphis sprays of Delta County and 558 for the 15 com- 

 bination sprays. 



Table XXI summarizes all spraying costs, there being a total of 

 $30.41 for Mesa, $16.68 for Delta, and $12.36 for Montrose. The 

 high spraying cost in Mesa has already been explained. These costs 

 are all figured on the same man-hour and horse-hour rate basis used 

 in figuring other orchard operations. The few who hired their spray- 

 ing done were charged at the regular rate. The upkeep and deprecia- 

 tion of the spray rig is an important item which will be taken up 

 under discussion of equipment and machinery depreciation. 



Table XXI. — Summary of costs for all sprays {125 ranches, western Colorado). 



Item. 



Mesa. 



Delta. 



Montrose. 



All coun- 

 ties. 





40.83 

 29.2 



24.71 

 18.21 



18.54 



12. 77 



30.29 





21.87 







Cost per acre: 



Labor 



$14. 59 

 15.82 



$8.91 



7.77 



$6.55 

 5.81 



$10.85 





10.68 







Total 



30.41 



16.68 



12.36 



21.53 







Cost per box: 



Labor 



.053 

 .058 



.030 

 .026 



.024 

 .021 



.0382 





0376 







Total 



.111 



.056 



.045 



0758 







SCRAPING TREES. 



An operation of important bearing upon the health of the tree is 

 the scraping of the loose bark from the trunk and lower limbs of the 

 tree. This is done usually during the winter or early spring to 

 remove codling-moth larvse or other insects which may be underneath 

 the loose bark. A sharp hoe is generally used for the purpose. This 

 practice is followed principally in the Grand Valley, where 30 growers 

 of the 49, or 61.2 per cent, scrape their trees, some every year and 

 others every 2 years. In Delta County only 4 practice scraping, and 

 in Montrose none. On the farms studied the average number of 

 trees that a man will scrape in 10 hours in the Grand Valley is 45; 

 in Delta, according to the 4 records taken, 53. The time chargeable 

 per acre, 3.45 hours in Mesa and 0.86 hour in Delta, has been counted 

 under miscellaneous labor. 



