MARKETING ONIONS 19 
be an independent buyer who ships to commission men or who sells 
outright on what are called f . o. b. orders. These orders or offers 
for carloads of onions usually come to him by wire, and the cars 
are sent on to the city buyer, who has the privilege of inspecting 
them before paying for them. Frequently early in the season, when 
the market is falling rapidly, shipments are made by express rather 
than by freight in the endeavor to reach the central market and 
sell at the higher price. Methods of purchase and sale vary greatly 
from year to year and depend on the character of the crop, com- 
petition on the market, and the conditions of transportation. 
Some difficult problems arise in marketing the early crop, 
because the quality is variable, the product deteriorates rapidly, and 
storage is not possible. Methods of grading and inspection are 
still frequently unsatisfactory. Another problem is that of car 
supply, which is further discussed on page 25. Considering the 
very long shipping distances, the wide distribution of this early 
crop is amazing. 
Until about 5 or 10 years ago the bulk of the Louisiana onion 
crop was consigned to New Orleans dealers. Since that time only 
about 10 per cent is consigned: the remainder is sold f. o. b., 
usually before digging. This stock is put up in Sacks averaging 
100 pounds. A considerable portion of the crop is handled by co- 
operative associations, and these onions are. as a rule, put up in 
new sacks and are fairly well graded: but the several Xew Orleans 
jobbers, who usually ship north, re-sort much stock before loading. 
No attempt is made to meet any grade requirements: only the very 
small onions and very bad doubles and bottle necks are thrown out. 
THE LATE CROP 
The late onion crop is marketed through regular dealers and is on a 
somewhat more stable basis than the early crop. The best of the 
onions can be stored for some time, grades have become fairly well 
established, there is usually no great haste in rushing the onions 
from the field to the market, and the distances shipped are not 
nearly so great as is the case with early onions. Exception must 
be made in the case of shipments of late onions from California, 
which appear on the market throughout the year, but even these 
late onions are more easily shipped than the early crop of Texas 
or the Coachella Valley. 
Few growers in the western Xew York section attempt to market 
their own crops. They grade the stock and sell it to the dealer by 
the bushel at the car door or loading point, letting him effect the 
sale to city dealers with or without holding in storage. The dealer 
sells on the 100-pound basis, f. o. b. usual terms. A few large grow- 
ers load their own cars and sell on the local track or consign to 
city dealers. 
In Orange County, N. Y.. growers generally sell most of their 
crop in the field at harvest time to local buyers. The balance is con- 
signed, stored, or taken by truck to Xew York City and vicinity, 
where it is sold to jobbers' or wholesale and retail grocers. Most of 
the local dealers, who usually are also growers, sell to city commission 
firms on a joint account basis, although some cars are consigned. 
