78 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 



to sell for from $6 to $\o a barrel in the New York markets 

 in March and April. Whoever has proper facilities for 

 wintering onions, and thoroughly understands how to carry 

 them safely through until spring, can do so with a fair pros- 

 pect of largely increased returns from his crop. Of course, 

 there is in this an element of speculation, and consequently 

 some risk for even the expert, and danger for the novice. 



The task, however, does not offer great difficulties. The 

 first thing to do is to sort the onions over carefully, and to 

 select for winter storage none but sound, well-ripened bulbs. 

 They should be perfectly ''capped over," and entirely 

 dormant both at root and top. If there is the least trace 

 of growth, a green point at the heart, a rudiment of live 

 root — reject that onion. 



Next be sure that every onion to be wintered over is 

 dust-dry on the outside. Such bulbs may be stored in 

 layers, or, better, in slatted bushel boxes, in a cool, dry 

 room, where safe from freezing, and they are pretty sure to 

 keep well until spring. 



A grower on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, 

 who annually winters over thousands of bushels, has 

 arranged part of a large barn as an onion storage-room. 

 This is almost frost-proof in the coldest weather. All the 

 walls have a dead air space, with building paper tacked on 

 in the inside of each boarding that forms the hollow space. 

 There are double windows at each end, which are kept con- 

 stantly open except in the coldest weather. For storage- 

 rooms above ground, in cold localities, however, the walls 

 may be made like the one shown in Fig. 37. Set two by 

 four joists, of the desired height, two feet apart upon the 

 foundation walls. Line up each side of the joists with good 

 matched boards, and paper the same with building paper. 

 This will leave a dead air space four inches wide in the 

 center of the wall. On each side of this nail ordinary 



