Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-10-12
Investigating Apple Costs.

The bulletin of the Maine Department
of Agriculture for September is devoted
to report of investigation of the cost of
producing apples in Maine in 1914. In
introducing the subject, A. z. Gardner,
state horticultnrist, explains the manner
OF proceeding thus:
"There has been great deal Of dis
cussion in the last few years as to the
actual cost of producing apples. This
discussion has been OF little or no value
because of the lack of reliable figures.
Apple costs have been figured in some
of the fruit producing states, but such
figures are not applicable when applied
to our conditions, but 1t seemed very ne
cessary that the Department make some
investigation along this line.
Bureau of Horticulture took mp the
matter with orchardsts located in vari-
GUS sections of the apple-producing ter
ritory and secured their approval and
&C. cooperation. Eleven orchards were
finally selected, covering differences in
soil, variety, age, altitude, distance from
railroad and other points. Only such
trees as were in bearing and capable OF
producing a commercial crop were con-
sidered, as We already had considerable
data in regard to the cost of bringing an
orchard to bearing age.
"Of the eleven orchards under investi-
cation we have complete data on nine,
the records of the other two not being
available at this time. The owners
names are withheld from publication at
their request and the orchards will be
discussed by numbers. The Bureau
wishes at this time to express its appre-
citation of the spirit in which these grow
ers entered into the work ,sfor it Is due
to their conscientious efforts that the
figures obtained are available.
sOf course, in order to show couclu-
sively the exact average cost OF produc-
ing apples In Maine, it will be necessary
to continue the investigation over peri
cd Of years with the same orchards, and
this bulletin will have to be considered
in the light of preliminary report.
'It might be we'll to state here that
no test plots were used in obtaining data,
but that the orchards were considered as
whole and were given the same treat
ment as had been previously practised.
Of course it might have been very easy
to have selected certain parts of orchards
for this work and have secured figures
that would have made it appear except
ionally desirable to own an apple orch
ard in Maine. Our object is not to boom
real estate, but toget the actual costs of
producing apples under ordinary condi-
tions; for this reason the profit per acre
will not appear"
Detailed statistics, which 1t Is not
practicable to give In full, occupy the
bulk OF the space in the bulletin. 1t
may be said that the returns asked for
include all items, from interest on value
of orchard at five percent, allowance for
on orchard and tools, ETC.,
to the cost Of the barrels and the hauling
of the packed apples. There is consid-
erable variation in the results. Conclu-
sions reached are as follows:
"The variations that occur in the diff
ferent items are no larger than is to be
expected, when we consider the differ
ent varieties, age and condition of the
trees. In the United States Census re-
port 1910 the average production per
tree in Maine, during the season OF 1909
was one bushel. The average produc-
ton per tree in these orchards was one
barrel and three quarters. Probably
the production in 1914 was about twice
that of 1909, so that on the same basis of
the average production for the
state would be two bushels per tree.
1t will be noted from the summary,
that the cost of production varies closely
with the production per tree. There are
three exceptions, two of which are due
in part to relatively high overhead
charge.
From the table we might conclude
that under good orchard management 1t
costs one dollar per barrel to produce
apples when the production is two bar
rels per tree; one dollar and quarter
per barrel when the production is one
and one half barrels per tree; one dollar
and half per barrel when the produc-
ton Is one barrel per tree; and two dol.
lars per barrel when the production is
one-half barrel per tree. These, OF
course, are relative figures, and 1t might
be we'll to add that they would apply
more closely provided there are two
hundred or more trees in the orchard"