The Imperial press., 1905-07-29
POSSIBILITIES OF
 ONION GROWING
A Profitable Crop For ImperIai Val-
 ley Farmers

Onion growing. as business promls- ing large profits in the Imperial Valley, has been receiving considerable atten- tion lately, and we have enterviewed q nnm Der of people whoe are informed on the subject and they all are firmly convinced that the crop will be fully as early and fully as large and protita- ble here as it has proven to be in the famous onion districts along the Rio Grande river in southwestern Texas. We have endeavOred to gather all the information available on the subject, and find that there isn't so much to say about methods of culture, for every one who has ever raised kitchen gar den knows how to raise onions.
 Experience in growing them will teach the grower the best methods for his particular locality and it will be the sane with curing and handling tAen. la Texas they have to build barns to cure their onions for the mar ket and protect them from possible rains while in this process. Nothing of that sort will be required in our climate. There will doubtless be a number of points of difference in the handling of this vegetable in this coun try to the methods employed in Texas and no doubt most, if not all the points, U.i1l lAo in, f..,- nlI1nh fnr growing onions.
 The next point is as regards the variety to raise to insure successful crop and profitable one. Regarding this matter the concensus of opinion seems to be in favor of the Bermuda Onion which Is unanimously declared to be the kii:g of onions for the Amer ican market and the one naturally adopted to successful production in our climate It is further claimed that of the different varieties of Bermuda onions the Crystal White is pre-emi- mently the best and choicest and should therefore be grown by our farmers. The following extracts from a bulletin on Bermuda onlon growing presents the matter in a forcible manner. It must be borne in mind that results already attained in this Valley prove beyond question that we have soil and climate as well adopted to onion grow ing as the best parts of southwestern Texas.
 The importance of the Bermuda onion as a shipping crop has been brought iorcibly to the attention of the truck growers during tlle past few years and SO far as can be seen the crop has taken a high place among tlre vegetable crops which can be profitably grown and shipped to the markets of the country. Up to the present sgtime the profits realized from the crop have been phenomenal, and the success of the pioneers in tie busipess has en- conraged numerous other growers to take up its cultivation. Although the output has. been so enormously -increas- ed since the first large crop w;ts grown along the Rio Gfande, in southwest ern Texas, the demand has kept pace with it and there itas never yet been an over production of fret-cass stock, nor. have the growers wlo produced such stock failed to get goo,l returns from their crops. profits of from $400 to $T0O per acre having frequently been made. As the output increases from year to year, the price realized may possibly become less, but 1t do:.s not seem to us that there is any possibility of its eyer failing to be prof crop, and we believe that the grower who Is s;. situated that he can produce Bermuda onions to advantage, and who will learn clie best way iii which t6 grow the best onions, study carefully the best method of making, harvesting, curing and selling his crop, has before him as near ''sure thing in the money making line as is offered i'll any legitimate busi- ness.
 In the first place, lie has vastly less competition i'll this line. than in any other line of vegetable growing. The crop has been grown successfully only in the lower South, and not all of that section has soil fitted for onion grow