i88 



factory as the crates, owing to the difficulty in pro- 

 viding the necessary ventilation and change of air 

 through the onions. Bulbs stored in bags or bins 

 must be more thoroughly cured than those stored 

 in crates." 



Potato onions are very largely used in many sec- 

 tions in producing bunch onions for spring use. 

 They are set in the soil in early September and 

 make some growth during the fall of the year. After 

 severe weather comes a mulch of two or three 

 inches of straw should be placed over them. With 

 the first approach of spring they start into growth 

 and produce onions ready for bunching in a very 

 short time. 



The yields and profits from the onion are, of 

 course, variable, but from the very nature of the 

 crop it permits of intensive cultivation, and under 

 proper soil conditions and good care yields large 

 returns. From 200 to 400 bushels per acre should 

 be secured on the average under good conditions 

 and with good care. Much higher yields are fre- 

 quently secured, but are the exception rather than 

 the rule. 



The onion is often seriously injured by insects 

 and diseases, as might be expected from the in- 

 tense nature of its cultivation and the lack of 

 proper rotation usually found in common practice. 



The onion maggot is the most serious insect pest. 

 The eggs are deposited on the plants near the 

 ground soon after growth is well under way. These 

 eggs hatch in a week or ten days, the larvae bur- 

 row their way into the bulb, where they feed for 

 two or three weeks and then pass into the pupa 

 form. Another generation soon makes its appear- 

 ance to continue the life cycle. Injured plants turn 



