SIDE ISSUES. 91 



A small town, of course, is soon overstocked. I usually 

 ship my crop to Buffalo. I put them into ten-quart (peach) 

 baskets, lining the latter inside with paper, to prevent 

 small onions from working out through the cracks. A cover 

 of cheese cloth or stiff paper is fastened over the top. My 

 commission merchants manage to get 75 cents to ^i.oo per 

 basket, so that the average returns usually amount to about 

 80 cents per basket. 



What is the yield ? 



I have no difficulty to raise at the rate of 600 to 800 

 baskets per acre, and the possibilities are probably far above 

 this amount. On the basis of a 600-basket yield, we have 

 the following 



ESTIMATE OF COST AND RETURNS. 



EXPENSES OF CROP PER ACRE. 



Rent of land, $ 600 



Manure and fertilizers, 40 00 



Hauling and applying manures, lo 00 



Plowing and harrowing, 3 00 



Seed, 30 it)s., at ^2.25, 67 50 



Sowing, I 50 



Cultivating and weeding, 25 00 



Harvesting 3 00 



Gathering and cleaning, 48 50 



Baskets, 600, at 3 cents, 18 00 



Total ^222 50 



RECEIPTS, 



By 600 baskets, at 80 cents, M80 00 



Deducting expenses 222 50 



Net profit, $257 50 



Tempting as this outcome may appear, I cannot advise 

 any one to attempt growing pickling onions thus largely 

 until after repeated trials on a gradually increased scale. 



