22 BULLETIN 1435, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
In the owner-operator group of groves the total capitalization 
varied from $19,841 for those groves having between 1 and 12 acres — 
to $88,123 for those groves having more than 25 acres of bearing 
erove. (Table 17.) The caretaker groves, on the average, were 
smaller in size than the owner-operator classes and as a consequence 
they appear in different classifications as to size. For the smallest 
groves in the caretaker class, from 1 to 6 acres, the average total 
capitalization per grove averaged $10,371 and for those groves having 
over 13 acres in bearing grove the average capitalization was $38,570. 
Sumilar sized groves in the owner-operator type of organization were 
capitalized slightly higher because more buildings, work stock, ma- 
chinery and equipment, and feed and supplies were on these farms. 
TaBLE 17.—Summary of capitalization per grove, by size and by type of manage- 
ment, for 100 groves in Polk County, Fla., average 1917-1922 
—— 
Owner-operator groves Caretaker groves ! 
Average 
Item all 
Ms groves 1 to 12 13 to 24 | 25 acres 1 to 6 7 to 12 | 13 acres 
acres acres and over} acres acres and over 
Groveswteponting == ee 100 13 12 13 Wy || 36 14 
Dollars | Dollars | Dollars | Dollars | Dollars { Dollars | Dollars 
Total capitalization_.__-_-_____- 31, 542 19, 841 38, 721 88, 123 10, 371 17, 265 38, 570 
Guanes Se ebay Soe Nee Ft 27, 904 15, 759 34, 042 78, 477 8, 959 15, 482 35, 140 
ND Wye lin GS) aes eines aces ao aglne 1, 475 2, 220 1, 678 2, 342 958 1, 091 1, 227 
Other buildings=- 222 a5 es 510 427 710 1, 823 130 183 370 
Total real estate_______-__ 29, 889 18, 406 36, 430 82, 642 10, 047 16, 756 36, 737 
WeivieSsbOCKs 22s. ek eure ae 243 481 426 852 18 23 60 
IVPaChINeGRYy Aha he eee et ee ae 228 310 374 878 6 33 111 
Irrigation equipment__________- 139 38 167 479 47 3 323 
Feed and supplies_____________- 59 109 108 218 1 5 8 
ENS dV pel i Baar BS Eee ee eS 984 | 496 1, 216 3, 054 252 445 1-88! 
Botali others. ee 15653 4} 1, 435 2, 291 5, 481 324 509 1, 833 
1 Of those indicated as caretaker groves work stock was kept on three and several had dwellings for the 
caretaker and his family. When the caretaker lived on the place he usually kept chickens and often a 
cow or two. 
The productivity of a grove had much to do with its stated value; 
that is, if the yield per acre was high the value per acre was usually 
correspondingly high. Since the yield per acre was in close relation- 
ship to the number of trees per acre and the age of the trees, the 
actual physical accessories to the land—more trees and larger trees— 
had much to do with the variation in the value per acre of grove 
property on different farms. ‘Typical examples of the variation in 
acre values may be cited as follows: A grove with a yield of 170 
boxes of fruit per acre was valued at $1,984 per acre, whereas another 
erove with a yield of 426 boxes per acre was valued at $3,479 per 
acre. 
An important item of capitalization is the average cash on hand 
necessary to operate the grove. Many growers have found them- 
selves in serious difficulties because this important matter was not 
fully realized. It cost on the average $148 in cash per acre to operate 
a eTrove a year, an amount which had to be used and therefore had 
to be in hand or available at the start of the year’s work. There is 
small opportunity to reduce the cost on a grove without bringing 
great injury to it. Fertilizer must be applied, crop or no crop, and 
the usual cultural work must be performed. As these two items 
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