ONION CULTURE. 



131 



DURATION OF CULTURE ON THE SAME LAND. 



Onions have been successfully raised on the same 

 ground for twenty-five years in succession, but, of late 

 years, the smut appears in about ten or twelve, and a 

 new tract has to be taken more frequently than formerly. 



The conditions of weather have much influence 

 upon the onion crop. Extremely dry weather hinders the 

 growth and makes the bulbs small ; wet weather makes 

 top, and delays ripening. The yield per acre varies with 

 the cultivation, soil, and other circumstances, from 200 

 to 600 or 1,000 bushels; 350 bushels is considered an 

 average yield. To illustrate the crop returns on large 

 fields it maybe interesting to note the results of seven 

 years of culture by an expert grower : 



The last year this grower cultivated thirteen acres ; 

 the aggregate yield was 2,340 bushels ; the aggregate 

 receipts were $2,463. The expenses were : Land, $130 ; 

 gathering and marketing, $260 ; seed, $215 ; weeding^ 

 $275 ; manure, $50 ; preparing land and planting, $100 ; 

 total expense, $1,030; net profits, $1,433. These fig- 

 ures also show an average of 284 bushels per acre, at an 

 average price of forty-seven cents per bushel. Of course, 

 there are records that far exceed this ; for instance, last 

 year, one and one-half acres, in one case, yielded 600 

 bushels, and brought $780, which must have given over 

 $400 per acre net profit. The records above given show 

 the result of a series of years where onions have been 

 made a specialty. The example being taken of a man 

 who began in poverty twenty-four years ago, to-day 



