TABLE IV
Average Overhead Charges per Acre
| Taxes and insurance | $4.00 |
| Interest | 30.00 |
| Depreciation on working equipment | 4.00 |
| Total | $38.00 |
Cost of Production.—[Table V] shows the average cost of production for bearing orchards of varieties in all districts, based on personal observation and cost records from a large number of orchards mentioned previously. Wherever cost is dependent upon tonnage the average yield of 700 pounds per acre is used as the basis for computation. Depreciation on buildings and trees, time spent by teams in idleness, feed consumed during such times and other minor items are too variable to safely estimate, but must be considered.
TABLE V
Average Cost of Production of all Bearing Orchards in California
| Per acre | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance: | ||
| Pruning | $3.00 | |
| Plowing | 2.75 | |
| Harrowing | .75 | |
| Cultivation and weed cutting | 3.00 | |
| Spraying | 3.00 | |
| Irrigation | 2.00 | |
| Handling: | ||
| Harvesting, hulling, etc. | 20.00 | |
| Warehousing (including bleaching), @ ¼c per lb. | 1.75 | |
| Miscellaneous expense for maintenance and handling | 2.00 | $38.25 |
| Overhead charges | 38.00 | |
| Total cost per acre | $76.25 | |
| Cost per pound for maintenance and handling | $0.055 | |
| Cost per pound for overhead charges | 0.054 | |
| Total cost per pound | $0.109 |
Returns.—Prices paid to growers have fluctuated considerably, due to the great variation in both the California and European crops from year to year. [Table VI] shows the average prices per pound paid to the growers for the four principal varieties marketed through the Exchange since its organization.
TABLE VI
Net Prices Realized by the Exchange Members for Different Varieties for the Years 1910 to 1916, Inclusive, in Cents per Pound
| Year | Nonpareil | I.X.L. | Ne Plus Ultra | Drake | Crop tons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 14.00 | 13.00 | 12.00 | 10.00 | 3,500 |
| 1911 | 16.50 | 15.50 | 14.50 | 12.00 | 1,450 |
| 1912 | 13.25 | 12.25 | 11.25 | 9.50 | 3,000 |
| 1913 | 17.25 | 16.25 | 15.25 | 13.25 | 1,100 |
| 1914 | 18.00 | 15.00 | 14.50 | 11.50 | 2,250 |
| 1915 | 13.00 | 12.00 | 11.00 | 9.25 | 3,500 |
| 1916 | 17.25 | 14.75 | 13.75 | 13.00 | 3,400 |
| Average | 15.61 | 14.11 | 13.18 | 11.22 | 2,571.4 |
[Table VII] shows the average price per pound paid to the growers for all almonds (unshelled) regardless of quality and variety, based upon the entire crop handled by the Exchange during the years 1910 to 1916, inclusive. From these figures the average return per pound for all varieties for seven years based on the crop tonnage for each year, 1910 to 1916, inclusive, has been found to be 13.09 cents per pound.