54 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 169. 



Late California and Washington onions do not get to the eastern markets 

 much before the middle of August. 



Beginning early in September, Connecticut Valley, Orange County 

 (N. Y.), Ohio and Long Island more than supply the demand. Heavy 

 shipments of these varieties from the field continue until about the middle 

 of November. Connecticut Valley storage onions, as well as those from 

 New York and Ohio, begin to appear in December and continue to move 

 freely through January, February, March and April. Storage onions 

 begin to move in quantity from Michigan and Indiana about the first 

 of February. These supply the markets of the middle west. The southern 

 crop is a competing factor during April and May, and Cubans and Ber- 

 mudas cut some figure also before the entire crop from the northern part 

 of the United States is consumed. A late southern crop decidedly helps 

 the northern storage men. The duration of the onion-shipping season 

 for the principal States is about as follows : ■ — 



Reports received by the United States Department of Agriculture 

 from 209 shipping points in the 16 late onion-producing States show that 

 18,943 cars of onions were shipped in 1913, of which 12,239 cars were 

 moved directly from the field, and 6,695 went into storage at these points 

 for later sale. In 1914 approximately 21,653 cars were shipped from 

 these points, of which 7,879 cars went into storage. In 1913 and 1914 

 these 16 States produced 75 per cent, of the total onion crop. 



Onion Districts in Massachusetts. 

 The accompanying maps (Figs. 4 to 8), compiled from the Massachu- 

 setts Census reports, indicate the distribution of the Massachusetts onion 

 districts at ten-year intervals from 1865 to 1905. Figs. 9 and 10 show 

 the acreage and production of the Connecticut Valley in 1914 and 1915. 

 The data for these were collected in the field by the writers. In 1855 the 



