HARVESTING AND STORING ONIONS 



'1 



USUALLY pull onions in Septem- 

 ber," said Air. J. W. Rush, of Hum- 

 ber Bay, recently to a representative of 'I'he 

 Canadian Horticulturist. " They should 

 be harvested as soon as the tops begin to 

 fall. When sown thickly and not thinned 

 they ripen themselves and no rolling is 

 necessary to cause the top to fall over. 

 When thinned they often develop thick- 

 necks. A thick crop and rich ground gives 

 better returns and the onions always ripen 

 better. After they are pulled they should 

 be left on the ground to dry thoroughly. 

 Two or three good rains do not hurt them ; 

 in fact, it makes the tops come off easily. 



" Onions should be stored in a cool, dry 

 place, with plenty of ventilation. They 

 will stand five degrees of frost in the field, 

 but after they have been stored frost causes 

 the outer layer to rise and peel off. A tem- 

 perature just above freezing is best. When 

 put on shelves they can be piled six or eight 

 inches deep. The onion house should be 

 by itself, as the dampness due to the evapo- 

 ration of other vegetables causes the onions 

 to sprout. 



" I once knew a field of onions to be left 

 out until near the last of October. They 

 were then taken in and piled about sev^en 

 feet deep in a cellar. It so happened that 

 these kept well and not very many were l.)St 

 because they were cool and dry when put m. 

 I would not, however, advise this method. 



SMALLER ACREAGE. 



" Several growers in this section," re- 

 marked Mr. W. C. McCalla, of St. Catha- 

 rines, to a Horticulturist representative, 

 " have an acre or two of onions. Others 

 planted some, but the rapid growth of weeds 

 during the wet weather of early summer 

 forced them to plow their patch up. The 

 weeds were not fought in time, and as a 

 consequence the young onions were smoth- 

 ered out. 



" A few good crops remain, but in tlie 



main they are below the average in size and 

 quality. As soon as they are ripe they 

 should be harvested. The time of year 

 that the tops go down and shrivel depends 

 on the weather. If they are sown early 

 and the summer months are hot and dry 

 they may be harvested in August. 



" There are two ways in which onions 

 may be stored. Some put them in a mow, 

 and when they are frozen solid cover them 

 with straw or hay and leave them thus 

 frozen throughout the winter. This cr,e 

 freezing does not do any damage. It is 

 alternate freezing and thawing which de- 

 stroys them. The chief objection to this 

 method is that they cannot be got at readily 

 when wanted and they cannot be handled 

 when frozen without damage. 



THE BEST METHOD. 



"The other and the most approved 

 method is to pull and leave them in the field 

 until thoroughly dry. Then, store them in 

 a cool dry place. A cellar that will keep 

 potatoes might not do for onions. The best 

 plan is to put them on slatted shelves in thin 

 layers about eight or lo inches deep. Some 

 growers have obtained satisfactory results 

 by storing their onions in slatted tomato 

 crates. The main thing is to have plenty 

 of ventilation and no moisture or frost." 



" Up to the last two seasons," said Air, 

 Geo. Benner, of Burlington, " I have been 

 able to pull my onion crop in August, but 

 last year and the year before it was Septem- 

 ber before they were ripe. 



" When they have thoroughly dried I 

 take them into the storehouse. They must 

 be stored where it is dry and free from 

 frost. A temperature just above freezing 

 suits them best. Warmth and dampr?ess 

 causes them to sprout. I place them about 

 a foot deep on a network of fine mesh 

 chicken wire on frames. They also i:ttp 

 well in slatted bushel boxes, but if in bulk 

 they draw moisture and sprout." 



354 



