122 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 169. 



17. Sales to local dealers and traveling buyers are advantageous in 

 that the grower deals with the buyer in person and receives cash at the 

 time of sale. 



18. Selling onions directly from the field transfers the risks of holding 

 from the producer to thebuj^er and turns the crop into immediately 

 available cash. 



19. Sales of onions direct to the retailer or consumer are necessarily 

 few, because under present methods of distribution most car-lot shipments 

 must be sold through wholesale distributing agencies. 



20. The local storage capacity is approximately 600,000 bushels. 



21. The quantity of onions held in local commercial storages in Decem- 

 ber does not show very marked variations from year to year. 



22. The actual cost of storing in the valley is about 11 cents per 100 

 pounds. 



23. The average seasonal shrinkage in local storages is approximately 

 10 per cent. 



24. The charge for hired storage is from 23 to 25 cents per 100 pounds. 



25. The shipping season for Connecticut Valley onions lasts from the 

 middle of July to the beginning of May. 



26. Onions are sold out of storage from December until May. The 

 month of heaviest shipment is March. 



27. Allowing liberally for overhead charges, shrinkage and extra han- 

 dUng storages are a profitable investment. 



28. Cold-storage facilities for onions may be had in Boston and New 

 York. Onions are seldom placed in these storages before March 1. 



29. Practically all shipments are made in 100-pound bags. A carload 

 contains 250 bags. 



30. The primary shipping points for Connecticut Valley onions are the 

 principal cities of the New England and Middle Atlantic States. In recent 

 years a considerable quantity has been shipped to the South Atlantic 

 States and Canada. 



31. The three chief varieties for the New England markets are the 

 Connecticut Valley, Egyptian and Texas Bermuda. 



32. A year of exceptionally good prices is likely to be followed by one 

 of large production and low prices. 



33. The three-year average (1913-15) price to the farmer was about 

 $1.14 for 100 pounds of onions, as compared with the average wholesale 

 price for onions out of storage, which was about $2.20 per 100 pounds. 



34. The retail price of onions is fixed largely by custom, varying little 

 from 5 cents per pound. 



