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IRRIGATED FARMING IN TWIN FALLS COUNTY, IDAHO 51 
DISTRIBUTION OF CAPITAL 
As would be expected, the average value of real estate per acre was 
considerably higher in this group of farms than in the group of general. 
farms or the group of dairy farms. This difference is due to the cost 
of developing bearing orchards. Table 33 shows that the average 
value of real estate (are estimated sales value) decreased from $533 
per acre in 1919 to $275 in 1922. This decrease was due (1) to the 
general drop in the value of real estate during this period and (2) to 
the decreasing percentage of the farm area that was in orchard from 
year to year. In 1919 there was a large apple crop which required 
considerable ‘‘ other working capital”’ (cash and credit) to finance the 
harvesting and marketing operations. Aside from this the distribu- 
tion of the capital is similar to that of the general crop farms. 
TaBLE 33.—Distribution of capital on orchard farms, 1919-1922 
Item “1919 1920 1921 1922 
PR ATITISES EU Gl Gent) EM OTe = eener otettiee tek nett ls eo 9 10 14 10 
Dollars | Dollars Dollars; Dollars 
iWalueroferealvestate peniache= asa e ee a a 533 439 305 275 
IVCrAge Capital npemiabiimes=-saeeee row rnee a a ee 36, 476 28, 390 18, 398 16, 828 
| —SSSaSSs 
Heat ees ete eens tae ee re ene ee ee 33,167 | 26,149] 16,743 | 15, 287 
TUR TENG Lg esa Spi A i Reel aca al UN pe ee Re 28, 989 22, 912 14, 151 12, 747 
BD) WellnTa O% = cies RRC ae ele a dns rapt ER ea 3, 200 2, 428 1, 993 2, 212 
Others tail itr Gee a ae Se eee Fo 978 809 599 328 
VOR onCap bane eas ere tN ee a ese Ne Ee 3, 309 2, 241 1, 655 1, 541 
BriveSEGCK aoe tele GER ON a EE Oe ce 674 | 602 476 | SI 
IVA CIN iy yt eee ean EE ree eee ig ha Se ee 702 823 636 522 
Weedtandrsup Mest. sake «ee we Ne ns ea 239 404 148 157 
Otherworkine capitals ta Sa ae ee 1, 694 412 395 281 
BUSINESS SUMMARY 
The year 1919 was by far the best financially, 1921 was second best, 
and 1922 was the poorest (see Table 34). Both 1920 and 1922 were 
very unsatisfactory apple years. Generally speaking, the yield was 
light and the price received for apples was low both years. This is 
shown also by the cash receipts for the sale of fruit. Of the total cash 
output, receipts from the sale of fruit were 71 per cent in 1919, 25 per 
cent in 1920, 64 per cent in 1921, and 29 per cent in 1922. The return 
to capital was 12 per cent, 0.6 per cent, 8.7 per cent, and 0.4 per cent, 
. respectively, in 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922. 
The district has thoroughly demonstrated that it can produce good 
yields of excellent apples and the returns might have been consider- 
ably higher if all of the orchards had been properly pruned, sprayed, 
aad: irrigated; if the fruit had been thinned sufficiently to get the 
desired size of apple; if the apples had been graded more thoroughly; 
and if an effective marketing agency had been available for disposing 
of the crop. | 
Of the important crop enterprises of the district studied, apple 
production, it appears, is subject to the greatest fluctuations in net 
returns. When the apple crop of the East and Middle West is light, 
the Northwestern growers are likely to receive very attractive re- 
turns for their apples. With Eastern and Middle Western growers 
