26 BULLETIN 1325, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
tected refrigerator cars to prevent freezing. The average carload 
of late onions contains 500 bushels. Heavy loading — 600 bushels or 
more — is likely to result in injury to the bottom layers. 
SEASONAL MOVEMENT 
The movement to market begins about April 1 and lasts about 13 
months, or until May of the following year. Occasionally the first 
early-crop shipments begin some time in March and on rare occasions 
the late crop does not get out of the way until early in June. 
The peak shipment of domestic Bermuda onions occurs between 
April 20 and May 20. after which the shipments fall off abruptly. 
One-third to two-thirds of this crop goes to market in May. The 
average June shipments are the lowest of any month : the movement 
is about one-third as large as during May. 
The late-crop movement begins in July, increases until about Oc- 
tober 10 to 20. and reaches its lowest point in late November or early 
December, depending upon the severity of the weather and the 
volume of the crop. Practically all onions have gone into storage 
before the end of November, and later shipments come out of storage. 
Between the Bermudas and late-crop movement, about 1.000 cars 
of intermediate onions are shipped, mostly from three States — 
New Jersey. Kentucky, and Virginia. 
Details of the production and commercial movement of the crop 
are shown in tables in the last section of this bulletin. 
The average carlot movement by months from the different dis- 
tricts for the five seasons 1918-19 to 1922-23 is shown in Figure 15. 
The short season for Texas Bermudas is followed by about 130 cars 
of later onions which come on the market from the last of July to 
late August and compete with the northern " set " onion crop. The 
late California crop also has a long season. 
In 1920. 1921. and 1922. 65 to 70 per cent of the northern crop 
was shipped before December. The year 1920 was one of large pro- 
duction and very low prices. Growers sold freely and a great volume 
was at once put on the market. On the other hand, more than half 
the crop remained for shipment on November 1. During November. 
12 per cent of the crop was shipped and 39 per cent was shipped 
after that month. 
In the fall of 1921 prices were rather high and prospects favor- 
able for still higher levels. The crop was light and the storing 
quality good. Nevertheless the comparatively high prices offered 
by the local buyers induced farmers to sell early. By November 1. 
about 61 per cent of the crop had moved. 7 per cent was shipped in 
November, leaving about 32 per cent in storage for winter shipment. 
This was about a normal quantity — 1,000 cars. 
AREAS OF DISTRIBUTION 
No records are available to show where all the onions from the 
different producing areas find a market. Some information has been 
gathered by field agents of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics 
regarding the principal destination of early shipments from loading 
points in Texas, southern California, and' a few other sections for 
