ONION 



1465 



harvesting and marketing period is dur- 

 ing the spring months and is practically 

 ended before the Northern product comes 

 upon the market. 



Condition of Bulbs When Ready to 

 Harvest 



In the North the bulbs are allowed to 

 become as ripe as possible before remov- 

 ing them from the soil. Growers prefer 

 that the tops ripen down and shrivel and 

 that the outer skin of the bulbs be dry 

 before they are pulled. Fig. 3 shows a 

 field of onions in prime condition for 

 gathering. To the southward, where the 

 onions are not cured so thoroughly, they 

 are often pulled about the time that the 

 tops begin to break and fall. The ripen- 

 ing process may often be hastened by roll- 

 ing a very light roller or a barrel over 

 the tops to break them down. This pro- 

 cess is frequently spoken of as ''barrel- 

 ing." 



Methods of Handling the Bulbs 



Where the bulbs are practically upon 

 the surface they may be pulled by hand 

 and thrown in windrows consisting of 

 eight or ten onion rows. If the onion 

 bulbs are considerably covered with soil 

 it will be necessary to employ a one-horse 

 plow or a cultivator with a sweep at- 

 tached for lifting them. In any case it 

 will be necessary to gather them from 

 the soil by hand. After lying in the 



windrows for several days and being 

 stirred occasionally with wooden rakes 

 they are gone over and the tops removed 

 either by twisting or cutting with ordin- 

 ary sheep shears. In cases where very 

 bright color is important, as with fancy 

 White Globe onions, and this would be in- 

 jured by exposure to the sun and rain, 

 the bulbs are cured in long, narrow, low 

 ricks formed by two rows of onions laid 

 with the bulbs regularly to the center, 

 tops to the outside, the rows a few inches 

 apart at the bottom of the rick but com- 

 ing together at the top, and the top of 

 the rick covered by straw or boards to 

 shed the rain. As the tops are removed 

 the bulbs are generally placed in crates 

 for drying. In some sections onion-top- 

 ping machines are employed, the bulbs 

 being hauled from the field to a central 

 location and run through the topper. 

 These machines remove the tops, grade 

 the bulbs, and deliver them into the 

 crates or bags. If crates are not employed 

 for curing, the bulbs are allowed to 

 lie in the windrows for some time, and 

 are then either put into sacks or hauled 

 to slat cribs, where they complete the 

 curing process. Too long exposure to 

 hot sunshine will injure the bulbs. Fig. 

 4 shows a field of onions drying in wind- 

 rows, with crates ready for their removal 

 from the field. 



Fig. 4. Onions Drying in Windrows, Showing Crates Used for Curing and Storing. 



