Apple Growing - M. C. Burritt

LOSS ON FIELD A—1907

	Total	Per acre
Net income from beans	$38.85	$5.89
Cost of orchard	84.97	12.87
Loss	$46.12	$6.98

A summary of the cost of the orchard, the net income from the crop, the income from the orchard and the profit and loss by years for the eight years follows:

SUMMARY OF COSTS FOR EIGHT YEARS, FIELD A

	Crop grown	Net income from crop	Income from orchard	Cost of orchard	6.6 acres
Year	Crop grown	Net income from crop	Income from orchard	Cost of orchard	Profit	Loss
1903	Corn	$ 15.17	—	$109.87	—	$ 94.70
1904	Beans	42.57	—	216.16	—	173.59
1905	Beans	43.13	—	83.78	—	40.65
1906	Beans	120.90	—	80.14	$40.76	—
1907	Beans	38.85	—	84.97	—	46.12
1908	Corn	37.68	—	64.22	—	26.54
1909	Oats and strawberries	100.61	$27.88	84.73	43.76	—
1910	Wheat	60.70	38.65	96.35	3.00	—
Totals		$459.61	$66.53	$620.22	$87.52	$381.60
Net loss on field for eight years						$294.08
Net loss on field for eight years						$294.08
Average annual loss						38.76
Total cost an acre, exclusive of income						124.27
Total cost an acre, including income						44.55
Total net cost a hundred trees						62.97
Total net cost an apple tree						1.37
Total net cost an apple tree, exclusive of income						3.80
Total labor cost an acre						35.09
Total cash cost an acre						89.19

We find that this orchard has cost $124.27 an acre during the eight years of its life, but that the $79.72 an acre of crops grown in the orchard has brought this cost down to $44.55 an acre. It is safe to say that the orchard would have cost even more than it did had it not been for the crops, for many operations charged directly to the crops would of necessity have been charged to the trees. The cost a hundred trees does not mean much, as it often happens that not all the trees are covered by an operation and as the number of trees an acre greatly affects these costs.

We have another and younger orchard upon which a record has been kept. This orchard of five acres contains 126 standard apple trees, "filled" both ways with 375 peach trees. It was set in the spring of 1908, so that the trees have grown four seasons. The permanents (apples) are set 36 by 40 feet apart, so that, with the peaches between, the trees stand 18 by 20 feet apart. A crop of beans has been grown between the tree rows each season. The first season a full seven rows, twenty-eight inches apart, were planted in the wider space; the second and third season six rows, and the last season only four rows. The crop has been very good each year until the last. One application of manure, one crop of clover and one seeding of rye have been plowed under, and in addition a liberal amount of commercial fertilizer has been used with each crop. This year the peach trees bore their first crop. The record of the four years is as follows:

SUMMARY OF THE COST OF A FOUR-YEAR-OLD APPLE AND PEACH ORCHARD

Year	Crop grown	Net income from crop	Income from orchard	Cost of orchard	Profit	Loss
1908	Beans	$63.37	—	$130.12	—	$62.75
1909	Beans	66.70	—	$85.03	—	18.33
1910	Beans	79.81	—	83.39	—	3.58
1911	Beans	53.20	$46.05	61.95	$37.30	—
Totals		$267.08	$46.05	$360.49	$37.30	$84.66
Total cost an acre, exclusive of income						$72.10
Total cost an acre, exclusive of income						9.47
Total net cost a hundred trees						4.73
Total net cost an apple tree						.376
Total net cost an apple tree, exclusive of income						2.86

These figures show a still lower cost of growing trees to bearing age. After paying all expenses connected with the growing of the trees, including the interest on the land at $150 an acre, and deducting the net profit from the crops of beans and the sales from the first crop of peaches we find that the growing of the trees has cost us $9.47 an acre, or 37½ cents an apple tree at four years old. Had no crop been grown in the orchard it would have cost us at least $62.89 an acre after deducting the income from the first peach crop. The peach trees are now at full bearing age, and should show a good profit from this time on. Possibly at five and certainly at six years of age this orchard will entirely have paid for itself. The only possible further charge which could be made against this orchard is the crop income which might have been obtained from the land had the trees not been there. We estimated that the presence of the trees cut down the crop of beans from the land 30 per cent. As the average net income from beans was $13.35 an acre this would amount to $4 an acre a year—an insignificant sum.