The Canadian Horticulturist. 



271 



M Tl?C KitcbeQ ^ardeQ. W 



HARVESTINC; AND MARKETING OF ONIONS. 



WRITER in Far//i and Home says : " If dry weather can be de- 

 pended upon, there need be no occasion for sheds, for then the 

 onions can be cured on the ground out of doors. In a dry spell 

 the crop can even be left unharvested for a time after it is ready 

 for pulling, though this is not a safe plan, as onions quickly 

 deteriorate in value if left unharvested too long. It is time to 

 pull the crop when the tops fall over and begin to waste away. If then left in 

 the ground and rain should fall, the onions will make a new start, and nothing 

 will stop them from keeping on growing, and if not quickly used they will spoil. 

 The same result will follow if rain sets in while they are left on the ground to 

 cure. A few hot, dry days will be sufficient for thorough curing out of doors, 

 but in wet weather they must be placed under cover in a dry, airy shed, on 

 shelves, and not over nine inches deep. 



" Only bulbs that are perfectly cured are fit for winter or early spring use. 

 Onions should never be kept that are not capped over perfectly, and that are not 

 entirely dormant both at root and top. If perfectly cured they can easily be 

 kept over winter in a dry, cool and airy room, but they should never be stored 

 in large bulk together. Many farmers prefer to ship their onions to market as 

 soon as dried, rather than run the risk of carrying them over, and, as prices ruled 

 last season, this was the better plan. Good, new dried onions brought up to $6 

 per barrel in New York about a year ago, but this figure has not been touched 

 since. It is best to ship to market in good flour barrels which are strong, clean 

 and of neat appearance, a combination that always tells favorably in the selling 

 of any product." 



Mr. Charles T. Parsons, of Massachusetts, writes the same journal as 

 follows : " Generally, the early onions sell the best. If they are not too scarce 

 and high stemmed, let them stand until the tops turn yellow and fall over. In 

 pulling the earliest, I make selections. If it is a general harvest, I use a rake, 

 made especially for the purpose, and take care not to bruise the onions. When 

 they are dried pile them up in small heaps ; this is recommended, as it improves 

 their looks. I have found it convenient to draw them with a dump cart to the 

 tobacco shed, to be spread out ; the tops can be cut at leisure, when the market 

 the owner designed them for, requires. Those for bunching need not be cut at 

 all ; they will keep much better with the husks and tops on. They absorb 

 moisture, and in this condition can be stored several feet thick. They should 

 be carefully watched, as they are very sensitive to the changes in the weather. 

 The scullions and late gathered should be kept separate and marketed early. 



