The Delaware farmer., 1883-09-07
ORANGE COUNTY ONIONS.
A Rich Harvest From Reclaimed Bog.

A letter from Chester, Orange county
N. Y, says:
The Erie Railroad passes through the
finest parts Of Orange county-that ricE
agricultural region whence milk and
gilt-edged butter were wont to come il
days of yore. From the thriving little
town of Monroe on the east to the con-
servative hamlet of Howells on the west,
the eye of the traveller over the Erie is
greeted with a constant succession Of
meadow land waving in luxuriant green,
fields of tasselled corn, rank potato vines
and orchards of apples, pears, peaches,
and other fruits. At frequent intervals
herds of cattle pasturing in deep after
math are seen, among them the belted
Dutch, Ayrshire, and Jersey. The
farm-houses are neatly painted, with
large barns, giving evidence of the
general prosperity of the owners. The
roads are fine, and the ''turn-outs hand
some.
But there is one section of this county
which. at this season, attracts the atten-
ton of the traveller through the sense of
the olfactories as well as the eye. 1t is
the Chester onion meadows. Here 700
acres of land, lying on both sides of the
Erie Railroad, over half of which is used
in growing onions. The land is level,
and stretches far away in the valley.
At not very remote day this land was
covered with water-a small inland lake.
Later it became bog-meadow, covered
with almost useless wild hay. Foryears
the owners of this land were ready to
sell it at almost any price. 1t was not
supposed that any crop could be profita-
bly, cultivated thereon, and no attempt
was made to do so.
A quarter of a century ago Mr.. Viii
liam Conklin, the owner Of a large tract
of the meadows, attempted to grow
onions in a small patch. The venture
proved so successful that he gradually
increased the acreage year after year.
In time the few other owners of this
wild land followed the example of Mr.. |
the onion crop began to grow
profitable; the land became more valu-
able and found ready purchasers at con
stantly increasing prices; and to-day |
there is no farm land in Orange county |
worth as much as these same Chester
onion meadows, which not many years
ago were considered almost valueless.
OF these 700 acres, over $50 are used
exclusively in the cultivation of onions.
The ground is a black soil and very rich,
but it is found to do best by mixing with
it upland earth, coal ashes and manure.
The crop this year will be very large,
-he season having been a favorable one.
An average yield is $50 barrels to the
lcre, and the yield this year will proba-
ply be 200 barrels. This will give a
iotal of 10000 barrels.
1t is expected that the price will range
rom fifty cents to SO per barrel, with an
iverage of 81. so per barrel, making the
otal value of the crop $1O5, ,OOO-a valu-
.ble $50 acres of farming land, it must
,e admitted. At present the price of
lative onions is low. This is said to be
n consequence of the shipping to the
market some time ago of green onions
hat is, those which had not matured,
nd which do not look well in themarket,
he onions are now looking well, and ]
hese meadows will in a few weeks
e covered with busy workers, hurriedly
the odoriferous crop, the scent
f which now salutes all who come with :
/ half a mile of the fields. {