COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN COLORADO. 



27 



goes to account for the fact that orchards of larger acreages on the 

 farms studied seldom produce as large a percentage of extra fancy- 

 fruit as do those of smaller size. 



PROPPING. 



So few growers of western Colorado practice propping that this 

 operation need not be discussed here as a regular orchard operation. 

 All propping time is included in miscellaneous labor. 



CODLING MOTH BANDS. 



A practice more common in western Colorado than in any place 

 else in the United States is that of banding the tree for codling moth. 

 This is particularly true of Mesa County. These bands are made 

 of old sacks or cloth of any description, but the most satisfactory 

 band is burlap. A band is placed around the tree from 8 to 12 

 inches from the ground. This is done about the middle of June and 

 the band may be taken off in the fall or left on the tree. A band 

 will last for two years on the tree, and if taken in during the winter 

 will last longer. These bands are "worked" every week, ten days, 

 or two weeks, depending on the prevalence of moths and the impor- 

 tance the grower attaches to the practice. By working the bands 

 is meant the practice of removing the bands at one end from the 

 trees and killing the codling moth larva. The larvae after coming 

 from the apple seek a place to pupate and select the band as an ideal 

 place. A few growers use for this purpose an old sack stuffed into 

 the fork of the tree. This answers practically the same purpose as 

 the band, although probably somewhat less effective. 



The time required for working depends very largely on the number 

 of worms found. Table XVI shows that the practice of banding is 

 almost entirely confined to the Grand Valley, or Mesa County. 



Table XVI. — Time chargeable per acre for working codling moths. 



Item. 



Mesa. 



Delta. 



Mon- 

 trose. 



49 

 33 

 67.3 

 .77 

 6.5 

 10.02 

 10.78 

 $2.70 



61 

 7 



11.5 



.11 



5.7 



1.21 



1.31 



$0.33 



15 

















All 



counties. 



Number of records 



Number using bands 



Percentage using bands 



Time chargeable per acre to put on bands (hour). . . 



Number of times worked 



Time chargeable per acre for working bands (hours) 



Time to put on and workbands (hours) 



Cost per acre 



125 



40 



32 



.35 



5.33 



4.52 



4.87 



$1.22 



SPRAYING. 



Spraying is one of the more important orchard practices of western 

 Colorado, and one which, owing to a number of factors involved, 

 varies greatly in the different counties. 



