OPERATING COSTS OF A NEW YORK APPLE ORCHARD. 



15 



The three most important items constituting this cost are labor, 

 amounting to 40 per cent; the package (barrel), from 25 to 41 per 

 cent; and the land rental, from 12 to 20 per cent. There are many 

 other items, but these three constitute from 85 to 90 per cent of the 

 total cost per barrel of marketable apples. Many growers do not 

 realize that the money paid out for barrels alone is often more than 

 the entire labor cost of production. 



Table VIII. — Summary of labor, cash, and fixed costs on the 14.74-acre Wellman apple 

 orchard, containing 527 trees, for 1911 and 1912. 





Distribution of costs, 1911. 



Distribution of costs, 1912. 



Item of cost. 



Total. 



Per 

 acre. 



Per 

 tree. 



Per 

 barrel. 



Total. 



Per 

 acre. 



Per 

 tree. 



Per 



barrel. 





$504.91 

 418. 10 

 294.91 



$34. 254 



28. 364 

 20. 007 



$0. 958 

 .793 

 .559 



$0,539 

 .446 

 .315 



$856. 66 

 966.57 

 302. 46 



$58. 118 

 65.574 

 20.520 



$1,625 $0,407 



Cash 



1. 834 1 . 459 



Fixed cost 



. 574' . 144 







Total 



1,217.92 



82. 625 



2.310 



1.300 



2.125.69 



144.212 



4.033 1010 









In this connection it must be remembered that these figures refer 

 only to the Wellman farm and are merely for the two years considered. 

 They may or may not apply to any other farm in this same com- 

 munity. All fruit growers realize the wide variation in the important 

 factors related to the cost of growing apples and the need for a careful 

 consideration of these in any study of this problem. These factors 

 will vary in respect to variety, age, and size of trees, soil, climate, 

 method of management, and particularly in respect to the ability of 

 the farmer as a manager. In further consideration of these figures 

 it should be kept in mind that the data here presented pertain to an 

 orchard that is over 50 years old and is well located for the production 

 of good fruit. 



Referring again to Table VIII, it will be noted that the cost per 

 acre and per tree was much greater in 1912, yet the larger yield of 

 apples made the cost per barrel 28 cents less than that of the preceding 

 year. As regards fixed costs, they are fairly constant, being ap- 

 proximately $20 a year per acre on this particular orchard. The cash 

 costs — that is, such expenses as spray materials and barrels- — are 

 largely dependent upon the amount and price of spray material, 

 together with the number of barrels or other packages used. Hence, 

 these items of expense will vary with the yield of marketable fruit. 



The labor cost is influenced by the method of management. It is in 

 this connection that the efficient organization of the entire farm, of 

 which the orchard forms only one part, becomes an important factor 

 in lessening the rate of both man and horse labor. On a farm where 

 the apple orchard constitutes the only enterprise, there being no 

 other source of farm income, it is evident that all the labor expended 



