In Bearing

Having given the reader an idea of the probable cost of

bringing an orchard to bearing age, it may be well also to give the

cost of producing apples in a mature apple orchard. Our bearing apple

orchard consists of 6.1 acres containing 234 trees. About one-half of

the trees, or 110, are 36 years old. The remainder are nearly 50 years

of age. As they are all in one block and handled together, the charges

cannot well be separated. One hundred and thirty-four of the trees are

Baldwins, 44 Twenty Ounce, 40 Tompkins County Kings, and the remainder

odd varieties. For the whole period of ten years the orchard has had

very good care and attention.



A cover crop was not sown every year, but when it was used the charge

was made against the orchard. The manure charge, omitted because of

uncertainty as to the exact amount applied and as to its real value,

is the only thing lacking in this table.



Two or three sprayings have been made every year. Until 1909, Bordeaux

mixture and Paris green were used, but since then the commercial

brands of lime sulphur and arsenate of lead have taken their place,

nearly doubling the cost of the spray material. The average cost of

the material for spraying has been $2.50 per acre, or nearly three and

one-half cents per barrel of apples harvested. In 1910 this cost was

$3.92 per acre and seven cents a barrel.



TABLE SHOWING THE ITEMS OF EXPENSE IN PRODUCING APPLES IN A SIX ACRE

ORCHARD



-------+------+--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+--------

5%

CoverSpraying int. Equip. O'vh'd Labor Total

Year crop mat. Bar. on inv.charge charge cost cost

-------+------+--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+--------

1902 $6.64 $117.88$27.45 $25.00 $2.97 $339.45 $519.39

1903 11.22 164.92 28.88 25.00 2.88 249.55 482.56

1904 10.50 109.90 30.50 25.00 3.93 180.55 360.38

1905 $6.10 12.45 88.80 30.50 25.00 3.40 158.06 324.31

1906 14.85 112.35 33.06 25.00 4.78 211.76 401.80

1907 10.00 16.85 79.80 35.56 25.00 4.89 192.30 364.40

1908 9.75 205.45 37.76 30.09 5.09 293.50 583.55

1909 8.68 19.26 196.35 41.97 38.98 5.91 280.78 591.93

1910 23.89 116.90 45.75 32.39 5.58 175.26 399.77

1911 10.50 27.08 206.38 45.75 32.39* 5.53* 275.00* 602.63

-------+------+--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+--------+--------

10 yr. av. $15.25 $139.87 $35.73 $28.37 $4.78 $235.62 $463.07

Av. per acre 2.50 22.93 5.86 4.65 .78 38.63 75.92

Av. per bbl .036 .327 .084 .066 .011 .552 -1.08



* Partly estimated, records not yet complete.

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The cost of the package has varied from 28 to 38 cents and has

averaged about 321/2 cents, or $22.93 per acre. Of course the latter

amount varies greatly with the crop.



Interest has in all cases been figured at five per cent., but as the

price of the land has varied from $90 an acre at the beginning of the

period to its present valuation of $160,00 an acre, due both to its

improvement and to a general increase in the price of land, the

amount of interest has also varied. The same is true of the equipment

charge which has steadily increased each year. The average valuation

of the land for the ten-year period was $117.15 an acre. This means an

annual interest charge of $5.86 per acre, or 81/2 cents a barrel. The

equipment charge, which is interest, repairs, and depreciation on the

machinery used in the orchard, amounts to more than 61/2 cents a barrel,

or $4.65 per acre. Taxes and insurance on the buildings distributed

per acre for the farm average $.78 per acre, or a trifle over one cent

per barrel. These costs have also increased in the last few years.



Labor is the largest single item. For the first four years this was

estimated on the basis of the cost for the last six years, for which

more careful records were kept. It is computed at its actual cost to

us on the farm, which was 151/2 cents an hour for men and 131/2 cents an

hour for horses. This amounts to $4.25 per day for man and team. The

cost of the labor to grow, pick, pack, and market a barrel of apples

was 55 cents, or $38.63 per acre with an average yield of 70 barrels

per acre.



To sum up these items of cost we find that taking the average of ten

years with an annual crop of 427 barrels, or 70 per acre, on 6.1 acres

of old apple orchard that the costs per barrel have been as follows:

spray material, $.036; packages, $.327; interest on the land, $.084;

use of equipment, $.066; taxes, $.011; labor, $.552; and a total of

$1.08 per barrel. If the estimated cost of manure, six cents a barrel

be added, the total will be $1.14. As we have said, these costs per

barrel vary with the crop. When our yield was 100 barrels per acre the

cost per barrel was only $.99, but when it was 34 barrels per acre

this cost rose to $1.73 per barrel. In 1910 we grew a crop of 55

barrels per acre for $1.20 per barrel.



It may be of interest to some to know what the income and profit were

on this orchard. For this purpose we give the following table showing

the yield, income, cost, and net profit for each of the ten years, and

the average:



Yield in Income Income Cost Net Profit

bbls. bbls. inc. culls per bbls. inc. culls

Year per A. only and drops bbl. alone and drops

1902 103 $1.96* $1.46* $.83 $1.13 $.63

1903 71 1.90 2.23 1.11 .79 1.12

1904 51 1.66 1.78 1.15 .51 .63

1905 49 2.30 2.68 1.10 1.20 1.58

1906 53 1.96 2.25 1.25 .71 1.30

1907 34 3.49 4.10 1.73 1.76 2.37

1908 96 2.03 2.32 .99 1.04 1.33

1909 92 3.00 3.38 1.06 1.94 2.32

1910 55 2.69 3.03 1.20 1.49 1.83

1911 100 2.06 2.32 .99¤ 1.07¤ 1.33¤

----------------------------------------------------------------------

10 yr.

av. 70 2.15 2.47 1.08 1.07 1.39



* In arriving at these incomes different divisors were used. Two

hundred barrels of the crop were sold in bulk and these were not

used in getting the average income from barrels only, but were used

in getting the average income including culls and drops.



¤ Partly estimated, records not yet being complete for the season.