170 



THE ONION GROUP 



posed to be severed at a point about three-fourths of an inch from 

 the bulb to avoid injury to the latter. Machines have also been 

 invented for removing the tops. 



The modem method of harvesting onions now employed by 

 practically all commercial growers in the vicinity of Chicago, 

 where onion growing is an important industry, dispenses with 

 field curing for all varieties, and completes the pulling and top- 

 ping at one operation. The onions remain bright in color, there 

 is no loss due to injury by excessive heat or moisture, and no ex- 



FiG. 108. 



-Onion starting into growth soon after the harvest, becaus 

 of unfavorable puring conditions in the field. 



pense for repeated handling. The onions are pulled at the stage 

 already indicated — before the tops are dry. When a handful of 

 onions is pulled, the tops are grasped in the other hand and twisted 

 off. The onions are dropped into a crate or into a basket to be 

 emptied into a crate. The crates in common use about Chicago 

 are really trays. They are four feet long, three feet wide and four 

 inches deep. The bottoms are made of lath with half-inch cracks 

 between for ventilation; the ends are of five-inch boards, and the 



