37. 



TOTAL F.E[RTn.ITY COSTS A:\TD REITURNS 



For all vineyards studied, the cost per acre for fertilizer, maniire, 

 and QTover crops seeded averaged <58.01. (table 31») The average fertility- 

 cost per acre was lowest for ilrkansas ($3.19) and highest for Girard ($15.75) . 



Materials - manure, fertilizer, and' seed ~ amounted to $5.79 per acre 

 which was equal to 72 percent of the fertility cost (table 3£); 25 percent 

 of the fertility cost was for applying the materials and 3 percent was for 

 interest on costs. 



Of the total cost of growing grapes up to picking time, fertility 

 costs wore 11.1 p-3rcont, varying from 5.3 percent for Arkansas to 17.9 per- 

 cent for Girard. Relatively little time (loss than 4 percent of all the 

 time spemt growing grapos excluding harvesting and inarketing) v/as spent in 

 applying manure , fertilizer, and cover-crop seed. 



Table 31. ^^ Average cost per acre of vineyard for fertilizing, 

 manuring, and seeding to cover crops, and proportion these costs 

 are of the total cost of grov/ing grapes, by areas, 1928 











I Man labor spent in 







; Fert: 



Llity costs ; 



; fortili- 



ty practices 





jpcrcentago of ; 





:Percentago of 



Area ; 



; Yinc- : 



Totnl 



; total cost of 



; Total 



: total labor for 





, yards ; 



ipor acre 



; grov/ing gi'apes; 

 : (excluding ; 

 : picking and 



:por acre 



:gi^0Y/ing grapes 

 : (excluding pick- 

 . ing and market- 





: Kuinb or 





; marketing) 





: in^) 





: Dollars 



: Percent 



: Hours - 



: Percent 



Arkansas (1929) : 



; 78 i 



; 3,19 ■ 



I 5.3 : 



: 1*9 : 



; 2.4 



Michigan 



: 92 : 



5.18 



: 8.8 -; 



: 1.6 



: 3.4 



Finger Lakes, N.Y. i: 



; 113 ; 



5.69 ; 



8.0 ; 



; 2.5 : 



; 3.1 



Niagara Co. , N.Y. 



20 ; 



7.87 ' 



; 11.3 



; 2.2 



: 4.1 



Chautauqua Co., N.Y. : 



13^4 : 



8,47 ; 



11.3 : 



: 2.6 : 



; 4.3 



North East, Pa. : 



75 : 



12,90 : 



16.0 J 



i 2.3 : 



4.4 



Hudson Va.lloy, N.Y. : 



35 : 



, 14,05 ! 



; 10.6 : 



: 4.0 : 



; 3.2 



Girard, Pa. J 



26 : 



15.75 : 



17.9 : 



2.5 1 



; 4.4 



All areas : 



55:3 ; 



8.01 i 



: 11.1 ] 



rz , 



; 3.6 



In 10 of the 11 areas the return per hour of labor spent on grapes 

 Y/as higher for vineyards having a fertility expense below average than it 

 vms for those vineyards having a fertility expense above average, (table 33.) 

 On the average, it cost more to produce a ton of grapes in those viney?:rds 

 where m.ore than the a.verage am.cunt v/as spent for fertility. The average of 

 all areas shcvjed that an increase of $20.39 per acre in total production 

 costs (including picking and marketing) v/as associated with an increase in 

 yield of only 0.17 of a ton. under such conditions, grapes would have to 

 sell for over $100 per ton for the increased yield to pay for the increase 

 in production costs. 



