Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-16
An ONION PARADISE.
Half Million Bushels Every Year
From Lake County, Ohio.
GLORY OF A SMALL TOWNSHIP.
EoW the Tear-COmpelling Esculent Is
Grown for the Market.
A GREAT INDUSTRY FOR SMALL BOYS
L0RY OF A SMALL TOWNSHIP.
A GREAT INDUSTRY FOR SMALL BOYS

tCoRREsPoNDESCE OF THE DIsPArCH.1
PERRY, o, Aug. 15.-The long line of
yellow Lake Shore coaches whirling along
the low Southern shore of the blue Erie
carries the traveller through one of the
finest EARNING regions in the country. One
Of the most beautiful parts of this region is
the historic Western Reserve of Ohio, so
famous in wartime as the home of Ben
Wade and Joshua Giddings, and later Of
the iamented Garfield.
The Reserve has an even dozen of coun-
ties, and if any one of these is to be given
FIRST place, il must be Little Lake." the
sIla lest and one of the richest counties in
tee State, famed the country over as the
home of Garfeld-and the onion.
Lest year this little county shipped away of
onions nearly 900 bushels, and some
years as in 'SS, has rounded out full 600,-
090. OF these tremendous amounts nearly
half is raised in Perry, the smallest town
ship Of this smallest county, where, instead
Of the stereotyped ''Howdy do" the happy
granger meets you with "How's your
oniOns?"
THE MYSTERY OF MUCK
In Perry, no matter where you turn,
onions is king, and council, too. Field after
field, acre after acre of them meet the
onion-sick visitor on every hand. Onions
everywhere, and few soils are so poor as to
be sighted. CLAY, gravel, sand, loan all
do their share but the soil of all soils for
the onion is the rich black muck, made by
vegetable decay and growing onions of so
moRstroUS n size as to be beyond all belief.
A curious thing about muck is that it will
burn readily when dry, and has been known
TO burn to the depth OF foot or more, max
ing il completely worthless.
In the latter part OF March the onions
are s0wn in drills or rows, II TO Is inches
nnart. and IL & few weeks are large enough
for the first wedding. The rows are gone
over with a "Plunet Jr.." as the cultivator
Is called, and the earth made loose and
mellow. Then the BOYS fairly swarm to the
fields, and the patches" are dotted with
ELarers of all ages, toasting their bare shins
in the broIng sun, and wedding for dear
lie. The bevs generally use, to help their
tired fingers, ''weeders" made of thin strips
Of eel bent in triangular shape, and fast
euei 20 wooden haudles. With these the
work i' iessened by half and the boys liter
ally "kuuclzle in" in their haste to get to
She end OF the field
GREAT INDUSTRY FOR BOYS.
The wedding must be done over three or
for times at least, and if the season be
rainy enc the weddings must be doubled,
AID ell the bows out OF dresses, kept on
ti- qui yive fighting the miserable ''pusiev,"
.Ee plague of all onion fields. Boys OF 10
Jn = are paid from 81 TO 81 so day for
wedding and in the busiest times the town
EIn>I he sc, ured TO ind BOYS enough In
wei regulated fields the weeds are all gath
cred and lugged away and great care is taken
LEST any go to seed.
Few crops have more foes than the onion.
OHcH il Is attacked by kind of louise and
almost eaten up. The cutworms and wire
WORMS levy eAorbitant toll, too. Besides,
& form Of blight often spreads over the |
fields, ard the thrifty green tops are soon
yellow and shriveled. Through all of these |
trials the farmer must keep stout heart,
and If the crop has no serious setback it |
viii be ripe and ready for pulling by the |
Isl Of September. The pulling is generally |
done bv hand and the onions left on the |
ground TIL thoroughly dried. Then 'top-
? -Bg, or cutting away the dry tops, is in |
order, and the urchins have their hands full |
again. Snip, snip" go the shears and |
one at a time the onions 60 into the crates, |
while the lad reckons his probable earnings |
a. the rate of to 8 cents bushel.
THE MARKET Is VARIABLE.
After this the onions are barreled and are |
ready for the market, and if one wall alight |
= l4iC lAbIlt 4eFIk sJdllOu any Gllu6 IN Ine !
fall he viii find the quiet little village |
busting with business and the coopers |
working with might and main to keep the |
shippers supplied with barrels The onion |
crop alone brought into the county last
wear over Sl30, goo, and of that amount at
least $500 went to this little township.
Nothing is more variable, however, than
the market price of these fragrant treasures.
haze known of their bringing as high as
s. Dushel-last winter they nearly reached
that ti1ure-while three years ago they
would bring but seven cents, less than the
cost OF handling, and many thou
sand bushels OF choice onions were
c.~ted TO the fields and dumped.
These, of course, were extreme years, an
average price being probably from 50 cents
20 - cents, anu the grower who receives
more than 81 is counted lucky. There is
great danger in holding over the crop for
higher prices, as sometimes quite unex-
Vectedly the bottom suddenly drops out of
{ he market and prices go to smash. Specu-
lation in onions is source of profit to
Iaanv, but on account of the sudden iuctua-
ars in prices the successful speculator
sAould have the shrewdness of Wall street,
end must keep his weather eye on all the
leading markets, unless he wants to be
soooped." " BAYARD WYMAN