70a EXPERIMENT STATION. " [Jan. 



ter known in New England than live stock insurance. A num- 

 ber of companies write this insurance, charging a rate of 5 per 

 cent, whatever the period of insurance. Despite the high rate, 

 the growers are availing themselves of this protection rather 

 generally', and, apparently, are very well satisfied with the 

 services rendered. For this sort of insurance the year 1915 was 

 very disastrous, especially to those companies whose business is 

 confined to local territory. The amount of the hail insurance 

 policy is limited to the cost of grovving the crop, and adjust- 

 ments of losses are made on this basis. The farmer may take 

 out insurance for $100, S150 or $200 per acre. If the crop is 

 one-half insured he receives one-half insurance, etc. 



Second, as to methods and cost of distributing onions in the 

 Connecticut valley. One or two men have been employed on 

 this investigation, practically from July to December. The in- 

 vestigation of the production and distribution of Connecticut 

 valley onions is practically completed and the bulletin will be 

 issued soon. 



The first part of the investigation shows the gro^^th and 

 extent of the onion industry in the United States and Massa- 

 chusetts, and the place of the Connecticut valley onion in the 

 commercial onion-growing belt. It also describes briefly the 

 method of culture and some of the specific problems confronting 

 the onion grower. 



The second part deals with the problems of distribution, 

 preparation for market, storage and transportation. The data 

 collected cover at least two full seasons and are complete enough 

 for comparative studies of acreage, yield, cost of production, 

 cost of handling, storage, shrinkage, competition in the prin- 

 cipal markets, periods of shipments and prices. 



Data for the year 1914 show that 8 towns in Franklin County 

 and Hampshire County had an onion acreage of 3,965, which 

 yielded approximately 1,900,000 bushels. Of this, 60 per cent, 

 was marketed directly from the field or temporary storage 

 before November 4; the other 40 per cent, was kept in storage 

 for later sale. Practically all the onions are out of the farmers' 

 hands by Thanksgiving. 



There are some thirty onion storages in the valley, with a 

 capacity of about 600,000 bushels. Shipments from these begin 



