UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 500 



OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 



Contribution from the Office of Farm Management. 



W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief. 



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Washington, D. C. 



March 14, 1917 



THE COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN 



COLORADO. 



A Detailed Study, Made in 1914-15, of the Current Cost Factors In- 

 volved in the Maintenance of Orchards and the Handling of the Crop 

 on 125 Farms in the Fruit Region of Mesa, Delta, and Montrose 

 Counties. 



By S. M. Thomson, Scientific Assistant, and G. H. Miller, Assistant Agriculturist. 



CONTENTS. 



Facts brought out 3 



Conclusions drawn 4 



History of apple industry 5 



Topography .' 5 



Soils 6 



Climate 7 



Distance from market 8 



Farm organization 8 



The orchards 12 



Orchard management . 14 



Harvesting operations 34 



Yields 39 



Marketing 41 



Materials and fixed costs 41 



Summary of all costs 44 



The study of apple production discussed in this bulletin was made 

 during the years 1914 and 1915 in the Grand Valley and adjacent 

 districts of western Colorado. 1 This area was chosen as being rep- 

 resentative of a region which is not only of great present commer- 

 cial importance, but has a large acreage of young orchards not yet 

 in bearing. 



The Grand Valley district (see fig. 1 ) is primarily one of specialized 

 fruit farming; in Delta and Montrose counties, also covered by the 

 survey, the farming is more or less diversified. The region as a 

 whole is one of the important centers of box-apple production, com- 

 peting with the orchards of the Middle West and supplying a large 

 part of the fruit which goes to the Texas trade. All apples are grown 

 under irrigation, principally on comparatively small farms. 



1 This is the second of a series of bulletins designed to give comparative and comprehensive information 

 on the different methods of orchard management in vogue in different apple-growing districts and in re- 

 gard to the several factors which enter into the cost of apple production. The first of these bulletins, deal- 

 ing with Wenatchee Valley, has been published as Department Bulletin 446. 



Note.— Acknowledgments are due to the Office of Pomological and Horticultural Investigations of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry for material assistance rendered in the prepararion of this bulletin. 

 68536°— Bull. 500—17 1 



