118 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 169. 



local buyer 100 pounds of onions. The buyer takes the equivalent of 24.5 

 pounds for his services; hence, he actually loads on the cars the equivalent 

 of 75.5 pounds. The railroad and drayman take 6.8 pounds, so that the 

 amount delivered to the wholesale distributor is 68.7 pounds. The various 

 wholesale distributors take 13.5 pounds of the 68.7, or about 19^ per cent., 

 so that the retailer receives 55.2 pounds. He, in turn, takes out 18.2 

 pounds and delivers to the consumer 37 pounds; hence, 63 pounds repre- 

 sents the approximate cost of distributing 100 pounds of storage onions; 

 or, stated in other terms, the consumer pays as much for 37 pounds as the 

 grower receives for 100. 



Dalivorod to 



Fig. 40. — The coat of marketing Connecticut Valley onions. 



Recommendations. 



As a result of this investigation, the following recommendations are 

 made: — 



1. There should be in the hands of the farmers more general and definite 

 information concerning the production (acreage, condition and estimated 

 yield) and commercial movement of onions in and from the commercial 

 onion-growing areas of the United States. Data from these sections are 

 of great value in deciding upon the proper time for selling the crop. 



2. The average onion grower is not giving sufficient attention to the 

 problems connected with the curing, screening and grading of onions. 

 The quality of the crop and the condition in which it is delivered to the 

 buyer have a marked effect on the price. The requirements of the markets 

 which are supplied with Connecticut Valley onions should be carefully 

 studied and promptly met. This naturally demands a knowledge of the 

 breadth of the Connecticut Valley onion market. 



The grower would do well to supply his own bags and have them properly 

 marked with his name and address as a guarantee of his willingness to 

 stand back of his product. Harvest carefully, grade conscientiously, 

 brand honestly and one has gone a great way towards insuring a satisfac- 

 tory price. 



3. Most growers are unable to store because they need immediate 

 cash returns in order to pay existing debts. For such, co-operative selling 

 associations would be helpful or some arrangement by which loans could 

 be obtained by depositing warehouse receipts as collateral. Such receipts 

 are now given by many cold-storage corporations as soon as products have 

 been placed in their storages and, in many instances, loans are made on 



