marketing of Bermuda onions 
43 
but increase and decrease in accordance with a variety of conditions, 
of which the price of onions in this country is only one factor. Other 
factors affecting importation are exchange rates, oceanic shipping 
conditions and rates, and market conditions in Europe. Table 7 
gives the imports of onions into the United States by months from 
1914 to 1922. Figures for 1923 were not available at the time this 
table was prepared. 
Table 7. — Imports of onions into the United States, by months, 1914-1922 l 
Months 
1914 1915 
1916 
1918 1919 
1920 
1921 
1922 
January... 
February 
March 
April 
May 
June 
July 
August 
September 
October 
November 
December 
Total 
Equivalent number of 
cars at 500 bushels 
each 
Bushels 
29, 549 
77,006 
82, 459 
88,929 
83, 302 
61, 682 
101, 442 
79,554 
83, 750 
143, 829 
36, 931 
72,488 
Bushels 
37, 482 
24,000 
56, 496 
54, 870 
74, 433 
63, 902 
32, 768 
30, 374 
91, 692 
129, 758 
128, 044 
30, 770 
Bushels 
64,899 
54, 468 
87, 577 
27, 649 
73, 105 
64, 768 
93, 725 
76, 533 
237, 344 
211, 345 
165, 476 
100, 914 
Bushels 
167, 458 
111, 699 
307, 063 
116, 229 
118, 100 
52, 062 
96, 023 
124, 696 
92,804 
164, 491 
205, 381 
378, 968 
Bushels 
69, 660 
73, 229 
6,822 
54, 167 
32, 434 
14, 727 
2,011 
1,307 
3,612 
152 
Bushels 
1,308 
9,930 
26, 006 
7,043 
44,439 
53, 607 
16, 790 
94, 490 
60, 414 
141, 082 
Bushels 
335, 569 
244, 153 
369, 262 
143, 371 
88, 452 
104, 942 
95,009 
35, 224 
59, 743 
177, 742 
119, 396 
46, 295 
Bushels 
20, 733 
63, 732 
41, 405 
7,243 
13, 016 
9,036 
32, 181 
125, 029 
261, 965 
306, 447 
652,883 
442, 413 
940, 921 
1,882 
754, 589 
1,509 
1,257,803 
2,516 
1,934,974 
3,870 
261, 029 
^22 
740, 686 
1,481 
1,819,158 
3,638 
1,976,083 
3,952 
Bushels 
38, 978 
20, 307 
181, 520 
241, 505 
155, 497 
28,840 
213, 254 
58, 147 
56, 171 
237, 484 
79, 373 
139, 222 
1,450,298 
2,901 
Source: Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 
MARKET INFORMATION AND ITS EFFECT ON GROWERS AND DEALERS 
Market forces do not influence the price in exact proportion to their 
actual importance, for market information can not be absolutely 
accurate, complete, and up to the day in all respects at all times. 
Moreover, the effect of* each of these forces is minimized or increased 
in accordance with the temporary attitude of the mind of the dealers, 
shippers, and growers. It was not so much the quantity of old stock 
remaining on hand at the beginning of the 1918 season, for example, 
that caused prices to open so low, as it was the exaggerated effect of 
this old stock on the minds of growers and dealers. If it had not 
been for the undue pessimism in the minds of growers and dealers in 
1918, that season's crop probably could have been marketed as 
easily and at higher prices. Likewise in 1919, the smallness of 
supplies of old stock on hand at the opening of the season exerted 
more influence on opening prices than the proportion of old stock 
to the Bermuda crop would seem to warrant. On the other hand, 
the influence of the light crop in 1919 was not fully appreciated until 
the middle of May, when prices rose sharply. 
In 1920 the pessimism of the middle of March, the extremely high 
values of early April, and the low prices of the latter half of the season 
can not be sufficiently explained by changes in actual conditions. 
The pendulum of sentiment of those interested merely swung too far 
in each direction. The influence exerted on price by other factors 
is modified in the same way. While actual conditions are the pri- 
mary causes that modify prices, what the dealers and producers 
think about these conditions is also a factor of no small import. 
The contrast between the wide shipping margin exacted at the 
beginning of the season and that usually required later, as described 
