106 JOHNSON & STOKES 
a crop of 800 bushels (fifty-six pounds to the bushel) per 
acre; though 500 bushels is nearer the average product. 
Storage. — The storage of onions and onion sets is sim- 
ple. The bulbs should first be ripened on the ground, by a 
brief exposure to wind and sun. This completes the wilting 
of the tops. They should then be spread out on ventilated 
trays or racks, or a few inches in depth on a floor, in a dry, 
shady place, where the air is good, preferably a loft; not a 
damp cellar. Freezing will not injure them, but they must 
not be handled when they begin to thaw, or they will rot. 
They must not be bruised during the operation of gathering 
or during the process of storage. 
A popular and excellent method of wintering onions in 
cold climates is to spread straw to the depth of 18 inches on 
a dry floor or scaffold, and put on a layer of onions from 6 
inches to a foot deep, and cover with 2 feet of straw. This 
will not always prevent freezing, but it checks all sudden 
changes. 
Onions not fully cured should never be kept in barrels, 
but spread out so as to be perfectly ventilated. Onion sets 
shrink greatly in storage; sometimes as much as one-half 
between fall and spring. 
Varieties. — There are many varieties of onions, some of 
American and some of foreign origin. The former are better 
keepers, but the latter are of milder flavor. The American 
sorts (Danvers, Southport Globe varieties, Wethersfield, 
Extra Early Red, Silver Skin, Strasburg, etc.) are usually 
considered to be the most profitable; but the foreign kinds 
(Prize Taker, Prize Winner, Pearl, Bermuda, Giant Rocca, 
Victoria, etc.) are profitable in those parts of the country 
where soil and climate warrant their growth from seed in a 
single season. 
The so-called tree onion is a perennial, of American 
origin, living out over winter. It is sometimes called Egyp- 
