THIRTY-THIRD BIENNIAL SESSION 
117 
including two teams, an orchard disc, and additional spraying accessories 
This increased the cost of equipment to $3,412.00. The trees were again 
pruned at a cost of eight cents per tree or $4.80 per acre. The orchard 
heaters were placed and filled at a cost of $.525 per acre. The season,, 
however, passed without any dangerous frost and the heaters were not used. 
The oil and pots were again stored. This operation, together with the 
waste in handling the oil, cost $1,875 per acre, thus making the total cost 
of orchard heating for the season to $2.40 per acre. 
The orchard was sprayed three times with lime-sulphur and lead 
arsenate combined. About four gallons per tree were applied each operation, 
with an average pressure of 200 pounds*. The cost per application per tree 
was $.052 or $3.12 per acre, representing a total cost per acre for the three 
applications of $9.35. 
From six acres of Oldenburg we harvested 2,100 bushels of fruit that 
graded number one. There were but 57 bushels of culls. These were due 
chiefly to curculio stings and bruising in handling. There was less than 
one-half barrel of wormy fruit. The trees were scattered indiscriminately 
throughout the entire orchard. Consequently the cost of picking was 
high; it averaged $.089 per bu. or $31.16 per acre. The cost of packing was 
$.10 per barrel or $9.50 per acre. The barrels cost $.37 each or $36.15 per 
acre; making a total cost per acre of $98.85, which included the cost of 
pruning, spraying, orchard heating, picking, packing, packages, taxes and 
Six per cent interest on value of the land and equipment, including the 
orchard heating oil. 
For 571 barrels of the apples we received $1.87 per barrel, or a total 
of $1,067.77. For the balance of 387 bushels we received $.50 per bushel 
or a total of $193.50, making a total of $1,261.27 or $210.21 per acre. This 
left a net balance per acre of $111.35. From two more acres of early apples 
we received a total of $131.65 netting $83.10 or $41.55 per acre. The 
balance of the fruit including both the fall and winter varieties, was sold in 
the orchard at $1.85 per barrel, which netted an average of $90.00 per acre. 
This made a total net average of $95.31 per acre. 
Such a result as this is enough to encourage any man who is willing to 
give orcharding a fair trial. The future of apple growing in the state will 
depend not upon the soil, the climate or the freedom from pests, but 
on the industry and judgment of the men back of the fruit growing movement 
Personally, I have great faith in Iowa as an apple growing state. 
With scientific care in raising, and judicious and skillful methods in market- 
ing, it will be found that one can combine the large yield of one grjower 
with high percentage of first grade fruit of another and with the fancy price 
of still another. To me it is not at all impossible. 
It is my honest opinion that such conditions can be brought about, 
for we can raise apples of an exceptionally high grade, and we can raise 
them in great abundance. 
