COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN COLORADO. 21 



Table XI. — Normal time in cultivation (1-man, 2-horse) — Continued. 



Operation. 



Montrose. 



Num- 

 ber 

 esti- 



Man- 



hours 



per 



acre. 



Acres 

 per 

 day. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



3 counties . 



Num- 

 ber 

 esti- 

 mates. 



Man- 

 hours 

 per 

 acre. 



Acres 

 per 

 day. 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



Plow 



Disk 



Spring-tooth 



Spike-tooth 



Cultivate 



Crease 



Shovel plow (1 man, 2-horse). 

 Float 



6.34 

 1.41 

 1.27 



.93 

 1.33 



.85 



1.58 

 7.59 

 7.87 



10.75 

 7.52 



11.76 



$3.49 

 .78 

 .70 

 .51 

 .73 

 .47 



248 

 26 



10. so 



6.97 

 1.87 

 1.50 

 1.18 

 1.69 

 1.10 

 2.01 

 1.28 



1.44 

 5.35 

 6.67 

 8.47 

 5.92 

 10.00 

 4.98 

 7.81 



$3.84 

 1.03 



.93 



.61 



1.11 



.70 



After figuring out the costs of all cultivation, including plowing, 

 and distributing that cost over the total number of records, there is 

 indicated for Mesa County an average cost of $9.98 per acre as com- 

 pared with $7.74 for Delta, where less clean cultivation is practiced, 

 and $8.39 for Montrose, where more clean cultivation is practiced 

 than in Delta but less than in Mesa. The average for the three 

 counties is $8.70. (See Table XII.) 



Table XII. — Cost of cultivation on farms studied. 



Item. 



Mesa. 



Delta. 



Montrose 



All 



counties. 



Man-hours per acre. . 

 Horse-hours per acre 



Cost per acre 



Cost per box .... 



18.55 

 35.63 



$9.98 

 $0. 035 



14. 08 

 28.14 



$7.74 

 $0. 027 



15.25 

 30.50 



$8.39 

 $0. 030 



15.97 

 31.36 



$8.70 

 $0. 030 



MULCH CROPS. 



The practice of using a mulch crop has a direct bearing on the 

 extent, kind, and cost of cultivation. The term mulch cropping, in this 

 connection, refers to the practice of growing alfalfa, clover, or any other 

 crop in the orchard to be taken off as hay or turned under as fer- 

 tilizer. Strictly speaking, in many of these cases these crops might 

 be referred to as shade crops instead of mulch crops. The growers 

 call them cover crops. Up to three or four years ago clean cultiva- 

 tion was the universal practice, and the method was more intensive 

 than that now in vogue (see fig. 5). However, the practice of using a 

 mulch crop has been gaining in favor very rapidly, so that in a few 

 years it is likely that clean cultivation as a regular practice will 

 be generally discontinued. Considerable cultivation is necessary, of 

 course, even with a cover crop, for alfalfa is usually disked annually 

 and clover is turned under every two or three years and the orchard 

 cultivated for a year before it is sown again. When weeds or sweet 

 clover are used as a mulch crop the orchard is clean cultivated during 



