September, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
37 
wanted, but a few must be kept 
on the place itself, regardless of 
outside conditions. 
On this place we are emerging 
from one phase of development 
only to plunge into another. The 
cost of making over the old trees 
iilto a modern, well-kept, highly- 
productive orchard is nearing an 
end. We have sometimes sacri¬ 
ficed immediate returns for the 
sake of building up our markets 
and extending our reputation for 
quality of products and honesty 
in dealing. The returns from 
these investments were a marked factor in this year’s balance 
sheet. The young trees which are growing up around us are, 
as yet, only an added burden, but they are the most substantial 
investment on the place. Bringing land back into cultivation 
and fairly extensive setting out of small fruits are other costs 
which are good business ventures but not productive of returns 
for another year or two. The creation and welding together of 
an organization to handle our fruit crop is another present cost. 
A study of our accounts shows 
that we can divide the expenses 
into four general heads : (1) labor 
on the orchard; (2) labor cost to 
preserve the essentials of the or¬ 
ganization and to keep the place 
running; (3) grain for live stock; 
(4) living expenses of the house¬ 
hold. 
There are two effective ways to 
increase the net income of a farm : 
one is to make more money and 
the other is to save it. 
Year by year our apples sell 
for more money and, as the young 
trees begin to bear, this sum will increase by leaps and bounds. 
Our income is all right, but our costs are too high to continue. 
The labor in the orchard is a fair charge against the income from 
that source and our efforts can only be directed towards making 
this labor more effective and therefore more economical. But 
the charge for labor at other seasons, which, in part, is simply 
carrying the men from one season to another, is a charge which 
(Continued on page 49) 
Only as a side line are potatoes safe; for though high one season, they 
may be below our cost of production next 
High-grade fruit is a goal we can only gradually attain, but each year finds the orchard more modern, better kept and more highly productive 
