10 BULLETIN 1325, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Chief varieties are the Yellow Globe, Southport White Globe, and 
Eed Globe. Production is largely from seed. Very few are grown 
from sets. The shipping season varies somewhat from year to year, 
but usually begins about July 15, with the heaviest movement in 
September and October. The crop goes on the market in competi- 
tion with the other principal main-crop sections. 
Michigan, — Onions are grown extensively on the fertile muck 
lands in southwestern Michigan, with its cool planting and growing 
season and a dry, moderately warm late summer. Total car-lot ship- 
ments from the State averaged nearly 800 cars for the five seasons 
1918-19 to 1922-23. This average was affected considerably by 
the very large crop of 1922, when 1,867 cars were reported shipped 
to the end of the season. On the other hand, in 1919-20 only 224 
cars were shipped from the State. Figures for each of the five 
seasons mentioned are shown in Table 13. Leading shipping coun- 
ties were Allegan, Barry, Kent, Van Buren, and Ottawa. Doster, 
in Barry County, was the heaviest shipping point, averaging over 
200 cars per season from 1920 to 1924. Decatur, in Van Buren 
County, was next, followed by Martin, in Allegan County, and Byron 
Center, in Kent. The favorite variety in Michigan is the Southport 
Yellow Globe, but the Southport Red Globe is also extensively 
grown, being productive and a good storage type. 
Iowa. — Onions are grown commercially in Iowa principally in 
three counties : Mitchell and Cerro Gordo in the extreme north, with 
St. Ansgar and Clear Lake as forwarding points; and Scott County 
in the east along the Mississippi, shipping from 200 to 300 cars 
annually, mostly from Pleasant Valley. Production for the State 
averages 300,000 to 600,000 bushels and acreage ranges from 1,200 
to 1,600. 
Minnesota. — The State of Minnesota raises about 1,500 acres of 
main-crop onions, producing annually from 300,000 to 500,000 
bushels. The principal onion section centers around Minneapolis 
and extends for some distance northwest and southeast along the 
Mississippi River. Wabasha is the leading county in volume of 
carlot shipments. Plainview is the State's heaviest shipping point, 
from which 50 to 150 cars are forwarded annually. Dakota and 
Hennepin Counties follow in order, with Mendota and Minneapolis, 
respectively, as chief shipping stations. Dodge Center in Dodge 
County forwards about 50 cars each year. 
Kentucky. — A few hundred cars of mid-season onions are shipped 
annually from the Kentucky district, centering at Louisville. The 
principal shipping stations besides Louisville proper are St. Mat- 
thews and Buechel, which are suburbs of Louisville, and O'Bannon, 
Lyndon, and Crestwood. The bulk of the shipments from this sec- 
tion consists of a local variety that is halfway between the flat and 
round types, and of varying shades of brownish to yellowish red, 
known to the trade as Louisville stock, locally sometimes called the 
Strassburg. Harvesting begins about the middle of June. Ship- 
ments are widely distributed, for Louisville is centrally located, 
with practically uniform freight rates to many large markets in all 
directions, and occupies a rather unique position as a shipping center. 
Colorado. — Heaviest onion-shipping counties in Colorado are 
Montrose, Delta, Weld, and Adams, which had 95 per cent of the 
