ONION SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION. 



95 



To regrade and sack, 5 men 1 day at $1.75, 

 To load and unload, 1 man 2 hours at 17| cents, 

 To haul to station, man and team 1 day, . 

 Shrinkage, 25 bags at $1.14, 



Total cost, shrinkage and handling, 



Total cost per bushel (450 bushels), . 

 Cost per bushel not including shrinkage, 



It is to be noted, however, that the item for regrading and sacking is 

 considerably higher during a season when onions keep poorly. 



The 9.5 cents is the cost of removing from storages located at some 

 distance from the railroad. For storages from which onions may be 

 loaded into the car directly this cost is about 8| cents per bushel. Sum- 

 marizing these costs, we have • — ■ 



We have previously shown that the usual charge for storage in commer- 

 cial warehouses is 23 to 25 cents per bag of 2 bushels, not including shrink- 

 age. This contrasts with an actual average cost of 17 cents per bag. 

 This cost may be still further reduced if the farmer does the work himself 

 at a time when he has little or no other work. 



Immediate Sale or Storage. 



In the light of the above costs and the experiences of storage men in 

 the valley should a farmer sell directly from the field or store? The ques- 

 tion is one of relative profitableness, the chief reason for holding being 

 the hope of selling at a higher price. It is readily seen that prices received 

 must be high enough to pay interest on the amount for which the onions 

 might have been sold in the fall, to cover loss by shrinkage and to pay 

 for storing and the extra cost of handling. The cost of these, with the 

 exception of the item for interest, is 14.8 cents per bushel, or approxi- 

 mately 29.5 cents per bag. 



The four-year (1911-15) average monthly wholesale price per 100 

 pounds on the Boston market as given in the Quincy Market Bulletin 

 was as follows : — 



September, 

 October, 

 November, 

 December, 



$1 62 

 1 52 

 1 72 

 1 70 



January, 

 February, 

 March, . 

 April, . 



$1 94 

 2 34 

 2 45 

 2 46 



