MARKETING ONIONS 11 
onion area in 1923. Considerable quantities are shipped out of 
South Platte Valley, in the section from Denver to Greeley. Total 
production gained steadily from 258,000 bushels in 1920 to 590.000 
in 1923 and to over a million in 1924. Shipments are partly in 
straight car lots, but chiefly in cars of mixed vegetables. Colorado 
shipped over 1,000 carloads of onions in 1924-25, compared with 
about 900 the season before and 200 to 600 in previous years. 
Idaho. — Onions are produced commercially under' irrigation in 
Idaho, in the. vicinity of Filer, Buhl, Twin Falls, Rupert, Boise, 
Caldwell, and other towns. The leading variety is the Yellow Da li- 
vers. Yields exceeding 800 bushels per acre are sometimes reported 
on irrigated land, and the State has often led all others in average 
estimated yield per acre. The crop matures from late August to the 
last of October. It is usually sorted and sacked in the field and 
shipped at once. Very few onions are stored. 
Washington. — The district around Walla Walla is the principal 
onion section in Washington, with reported shipments over 1.000 car- 
loads in 1924^25. The onions grown here are reputed locally to have 
originated from Spanish stock. They are sometimes termed French 
onions or Washington Yellow Globe, but since only one kind is 
raised in the immediate vicinity of Walla Walla they are called com- 
mercially Walla Walla Yellow Globe. They are usually planted in 
the fall and thinned out in the spring for green onions. The rest 
of the crop, when grown, is pulled while the tops are still green. 
After cutting the tops they are allowed to remain in the field a few 
hours to dry. They are then packed without curing. 
Oregon. — The most important onion section in Oregon is in the 
Tualatin Valley, about 15 miles west of Portland on " beaver dam " 
land, some of which has been used for onions for 50 years. About 
400 acres are planted and the normal yield is about 500 bushels per 
acre. The onions are of a special type called the Oregon Danvers, 
which seems to have been produced by selection from Yellow Dan- 
vers, crossed with the Australian Brown. The result is a firm, long- 
keeping onion, somewhat globular in shape, which is sometimes seen 
in market in good condition as late as August. The growers harvest 
in September and October, cure the stock for several weeks in the 
field, store under cover on the farm, and sort and grade the onions 
when needed for market during the winter. 
HARVESTING, GRADING, AND PACKING 
BERMUDA ONIONS 
Domestic Bermuda onions are harvested when most of the tops 
have fallen (fig. 5), although there has been a tendency to harvest 
unripe stock in order to obtain high prices on the early market. 
Immature onions are spongy and of poor appearance and carrying 
quality. The onions are lifted with a light plow, and 10 to 14 rows 
are thrown together in a windrow. They are left to dry from 12 to 
48 hours and are then clipped with sheep shears. In southern Cali- 
fornia the roots are cut before pulling, by knives attached to a 
horse-drawn sled. Texas and California Bermudas are often sorted 
and crated in the field (fig. 6) . 
