20 BULLETIN 1325, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
In Ohio shipping sections, onions are sold in bulk by the bushel 
and delivered by the growers to the dealers' warehouses. The deal- 
ers sort and grade the stock. The onions are then crated and stored 
until the dealer sells them, when they are again resorted and sacked. 
There are practically no buyers on the ground except the local deal- 
ers. A few of the growers have their own warehouses, but most 
growers are obliged to sell soon after harvesting. 
Conditions are very uniform in the onion-shipping districts of In- 
diana and other midwestern sections. About To per cent of the crop 
is sold in the field to local dealers at harvest time. Occasionally a 
grower consigns a car. Most dealers' sales are made on orders re- 
ceived by telegraph, but there are some consignments and some joint- 
account sales in which two dealers jointly furnish capital for buying 
and share the profit or loss. Many of the local dealers in these sec- 
tions are representatives of large city concerns. 
Onions in the delta region of California are mostly sold by the 
sack for cash along the river bank. Crops grown on contract or 
on the crop-sharing plan are sold by the contractor and shipper for 
the account of the grower. 
The Connecticut Valley crop is sold chiefly to large local dealers, 
who may either ship or store their purchases, according to market 
conditions and outlook. There are a very few traveling buyers who 
purchase direct from the grower. Dealers usually make sales f . o. b. 
usual terms, except when the city buyer is present, when the terms 
are cash track. Since most of the sales are made to firms who have 
no local buyers or are made late in the season after the buyers have 
left, f. o. b. usual terms is the prevailing basis of sale in this district. 
Onions grown in Kentucky are brought in barrels by the growers 
to the packing sheds of the local dealer and payment is made on the 
barrel basis. 
COOPERATIVE MARKETING 
Reports received by the Department of Agriculture indicate that 
seven associations handled onions in 1922 and shipped 974 cars val- 
ued at $464,826. Of the seven, only two handled onions exclusively, 
four handled other vegetables also, and one association handled both, 
fruits and vegetables. One association was located in each of the 
following States: Oregon, Texas, California, Minnesota. Michigan, 
Washington, and Virginia. One of these associations was organized 
in 1906, one in 1907, two in 1916, two in 1919, and one in 1922. All 
of these associations were of a local or regional character. 
In July, 1922, under the guidance of the Texas Farm Bureau 
Federation, the Texas Farm Bureau Onion Growers' Exchange was 
formed. This organization is a federation of seven local associa- 
tions, with headquarters at San Antonio. The exchange handles 
the sales of the locals, buys supplies for the grower members, and 
assists the growers in financing the growing and harvesting of the 
crop. From reports received by the department, this association 
reported, in 1923, sales of 944 cars of onions valued at $646,715. 
A second large federation was formed in the summer of 1923, under 
the guidance of the Indiana Farm Bureau Federation. It is known 
as the Indiana Farm Bureau Onion Growers' Exchange, and main- 
