Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-09-16
PROFIT OFORCHARD
Many Fruit Growers Fail to Keep
Detailed Record of Expense.
Maryland Agricultural Station Gathers
Much interesting Data on Cost Of
Trees, Planting, Maintenance
and Other Details.

Most fruit growers do not keep rec
ords OF the expense entailed year" after
year in caring for their orchards, SO
II ia impossible to state the approx
innate expense and profit Of an Or
chard in most parts of the state. A
set Of questions was sent to several
successful fruit growers in order to
brow light on the xpens of starting
n maintaining an orchard, the crops
grown while the trees were young, the
age Of first bearing, the age Of first
profit, the average value Of crop and
the value Of heaviest crop. The fol
lowing detailed statement by Mr.. E.
p. Cohill, Hancock, Of his seven-year-
old 30-acre orchard is most valuable
as a guide for western Maryland. This
orchard was handled as follows:
First Year-Narrow strips cultivat-
ed along tree rows and .cowpeas grown
In middle.
Second Year-Same as first year,
except that crimson clover was grown
instead Of cowpeas.
Third Year-Same as second yea
Fourth Year-All the ground cult
waited until August, when red clover
seed was
Fifth and Sixth Years-Strips culti-
waited along tree rows and red clover
left on middles until August, when all
the ground was plowed and seeded to
clover.
Seventh Year-AIl the ground cul-
tivated until August 10, when red
cloverseed was sown. Two hundred
pounds per acre Of a mixture Of IL
per cent. phosphate and 8 per cent.
potash were applied August IS.
Hogs were pastured in the orchard
from May ! to November 1 during the
FIRST six years. Mr.. Cohill states that
the manur and clover plowed under
IN this orchard have Increased the
value of the land at least 500 per acre
There are 5000 trees set 20 feet apart
each way in the 80 acres. They were
planted in November, 1902, and April
1903. Labor is figured at Is cents pei
hour. The entire cost Of trees, plant
Ing, cultivation, fertilizers and ma
nure, was SAITH; the returns, $3,259
These figures show that up to the end
Of the seventh year the orchard has
not been self-supporting by 1914, yet
II we consider the increased value Of
\AO AaAO OOO ~ hAdAOA0 III NAONOA
crops, at $40 per acre, the/def1cit Il
reduced to 1914 Some old apple tree:
on land purchased by Mr. COhill sew
eral years ago have produced a full
crop Of apples each "a for the las
i've years Another orchardist II
Washington county makes the follow
ing statement from memory as he hal
not kept accurate records: The trees
cost $3.50 per acre and the planting s
per acre. Crops were grown among
the trees for the first five years ant
about paid the running expenses o
the orchard. Ben Davis began to bea
at 8 years and York at IL years o
age. At the present time one-half o
the orchard is 81 years old and tn,
other half Is years and the mos
profitable crop brought $50 per acre
while the average income is about So
per acre. The crop Is good on bear
ing years and bOu ~One-fourth of
crop on of year. Spraying costs 81
per acre, pruning 81, picking. ETC.. 81
annually.
This valuable bulletin may be ha
by the farmers of the state by address
ing the secretary of the Marylan
agricultural experiment station. Co
], lege Park, Md.