76 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 169. 



the view held by the commission men and wholesale dealers of the Boston 

 market. All distributors find fault with the grading done by the farmers. 

 Onions are frequently graded so poorly that it becomes necessary to 

 rescreen an entire consignment to bring it up to the' standard. This, 

 of course, entails much additional expense, and is one reason why some 

 farmers find it difficult to sell their product at the best prices. Careful 

 grading is not only desirable, hut it pays. Again, whether onions are shipped 

 immediately or placed in storage, they should be perfectly dry when put 

 into the bags or crates. 



Labor required to 'prepare Onions for Market. 



One man can top by hand from 50 to 70 bushels of onions per day. 

 Men who do this work receive SI. 75 per day, or by piece work 4 cents a 

 bushel. Undipped onions usually sell for 4 cents less per bushel than the 

 quoted price. A gang of eight or nine men will screen and bag from 1,000 

 to 1,200 bushels in a day. These men receive SI. 75 per day, without 

 board, or, if employed by the month, from S35 to S45, without board, 

 making the cost of screening and bagging approximately 1.7 cents per 

 bushel. 



Hauling. 



The average initial haul from field to car or to storage is approximately 

 2\ miles. The average 2-horse load contains from 60 to 65 bags of 100 

 pounds each, so that a car of 500 bushels may be filled in a day by making 

 four trips. For a team and driver farmers pay S5 per day; for the use 

 of their own teams they should allow not less than $4 a day. This makes 

 the cost of hauling to the car or storage about 1.1 cents per bushel. Thus, 

 the average cost of preparing a bushel of onions for market and putting 

 it into the car or storage is about 6.8 cents, distributed as follows: — 



Topping $0 040 



Screening, ........... 017 



Hauling - Oil 



$0 068 



Adding 31 cents, or the cost of producing a bushel of onions, gives a 

 total of 37.8 cents, the cost delivered at storage or depot. 



The small grower, with the assistance of his family, usually does all 

 the work required to prepare his onions for market, while the larger 

 grower employs outside labor almost entirely. 



Containers for Handling and Shipping. 

 To move onions in the field before screening, both bushel baskets and 

 crates are used. Tlie cost of the baskets is 50 cents apiece, and their life, 

 with reasonable care, four years. Crates largely used for storage hold 

 approximately 2 bushels, and cost from 25 to 30 cents apiece. Their 

 life is from fifteen to twenty years. 



