350 



Brined Onion Industry. 



on a small scale in South Holland and Zeeland. The total 

 acreage sown with this variety does not, however, exceed 125 

 acres. The growers are mostly small market gardeners or 

 peasant farmers occupying about 2\ acres of land ; a few of 

 them rent larger areas, but their holdings seldom exceed 5 

 acres. They are nearly all tenants paying rents ranging from 

 £3 7s. to ^5 per acre according to the quality of the land, and 

 their cottages are rented at 2s. to 3s. 6d. per week. 



On the holdings of 2\ acres little outside labour is required, 

 as the occupier is usually able to work the land with the aid of 

 his wife and children : and large families are the rule rather 

 than the exception amongst the small growers. It is the prac- 

 tice to put children to work on the land at 10 or 11 years of 

 age, when they are taken away from school. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, and especially in cases where the area cultivated amounts 

 to 5 acres, occasional labourers are employed to help in digging 

 and clearing the land, and again at harvest, sufficient work being 

 found for two men for about three months in the year. But, 

 wherever it is possible, women and children are employed, as 

 their labour is cheaper. Children are largely employed for 

 pulling the onions. 



Adult male labourers earn from 2s. 6d. to 3s. 4d. per day. 

 Women are paid 2s., and children is. a day. No food or other 

 perquisites are given by the employers. 



After the onions have been pulled and dried they are sold 

 raw and unpeeled to the agents of the brining factories. The 

 price paid for them varies with the supply and with the quality. 

 This year the average price paid for the greater part of the 

 crop was exceptionally low, amounting to only 3s. 4d. per bag of 

 no lb. Last year the growers received from 5s. to 5s. iod. 

 per no lb. ; and in 1900, when silverskins were scarce, as much 

 as 1 6s. 8d. per bag was paid in some cases. These prices are 

 paid for the crop when pulled on the holding, all expenses for 

 bags and transport to the factories being borne by the factories. 



Owing to the frequent variations in the crop and the fluctua- 

 tions in prices, the cultivation of silverskins is looked upon as 

 a speculative business. On this season's crop, for example, with 

 prices as low as 3s. 4d. per bag, the cultivators have incurred a 

 loss. The Dutch growers, however, are a sober, hard-working 



