22 BULLETIN 1325, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
to a dealer, the grower himself ships them to market or transfers 
them to commercial storage. 
Comparatively few permanent onion storages are found on farms. 
A survey of the Connecticut Valley a few years ago revealed a total 
permanent farm-storage capacity for 35,000 bushels of onions, and 
in nearly every instance the farmer having permanent storage 
found it necessary to obtain additional onions to fill his warehouse. 
The estimated farm-storage capacity of the Connecticut Valley, in- 
cluding both temporary and permanent warehouses, is about 250,000 
bushels. 
Commercial storage in the eastern onion-growing sections is some- 
what more important than farm storage. Probably it has been de- 
veloped to its greatest extent in the Connecticut Valley, where there 
are 20 or more commercial warehouses with a total capacity of ap- 
proximately 350,000 bushels. For this valley the total possible stor- 
age up to December 1 is something like 600,000 bushels. 
In producing sections of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois many of the 
local dealers are representatives of large city concerns which own 
storage houses. Frequently these buildings have a capacity of 75 
carloads, and stock is often stored in bushel crates just as it is pur- 
chased from the growers. Most of the onions stored in these dis- 
tricts are owned by such dealers, but storage space is sometimes 
rented by the crate. Few midwestern farmers have facilities for 
storing their own onions throughout the season. In California the 
storage stock is held in well-ventilated but weather-proof sheds or 
barns. Under favorable conditions it may be kept from October 
until March. 
Onions are usually stored in slatted 2-bushel crates which permit 
ventilation and so retard deterioration. (Fig. 12.) Since crates 
are relatively costly, some storages are provided with bins about 8 
feet wide by 15 feet deep fitted with portable shelves upon which the 
onions are spread from 6 to 8 inches deep. This allows circulation 
of air above and below the shelves and is fairly satisfactory, though 
there is greater loss by heating in this method of storage. A few 
onions are stored in sacks, which are placed on shelves in such a man- 
ner as to permit free circulation of air. Dealers agree that as a 
rule shrinkage is greater from storage in bags and that the onions 
discolor the bags, making them unsuitable for shipping. 
Commercial storages in Western New York are equipped with 
numerous windows to allow for free circulation of air, and are so 
built that they may be kept very dry. The onions are stored in the 
field crates in which they are cured. It is important to keep the 
onions dry and cool and the buildings frost proof. 
Comparatively few onions are kept in cold storage, and the greater 
portion of these only after January 1, at terminal markets. 
Onions will keep in prime condition in common storage until that 
time if conditions of harvesting and storage are favorable, and to 
save cold-storage charges most dealers wait until the first of the 
year before transferring stock. On account of their odor, onions 
present a problem when stored with other food products. 
One of the important problems of storage is to obtain a sufficient 
supply of storable onions. Out of a crop of late onions sometimes 
only 30 to 35 per cent is dependable storage stock. In other years 
