The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-15

p season of a little more than
S6O,00V 135 acres of land. Bermuda
onions were her sole crop She is the
largest woman Bermuda onion farm er
in the world. She is known among her
friends here as the Onion Queen
Mrs. Dodd does not mind the jokes Of
her friends SO long as she is success
ful in growing Bermuda onions. Her
crop this years was not extraordinary.
Most of the other onion growers in the
Laredo section did as we'll, but none
Of them had in as much acreage indi-
yidually as she had. This fact brought
her profits up to a figure that is as
tonishing to the ordinary farmer who
is content with a profit of SIS to $40
an acre on his land The average net
yield which Mrs. Dodd obtained on
her 135 acres was about S4OO an acre.
The gross revenue from the farm was
a bout 1925 an acre. Growing onions
is expensive, and it cost an average Of
about 1925 an acre to plant cultivate,
harvest and market the crop.
Mrs. Dodd is not book farmer"
She directs the multitudinous affairs
OF her place in person. She has capa-
BILE men who look after the details,
and every part of the business receives
her closet supervision. Her farm en-
braces 500 acres, but of this she has
as let only 200 acres under irriga ton
She has increased the acreage under
cultivation gradually each year as her
revenues would permit. It is planned
that much more than two hundred
acres of the tract shall be placed un-
der irrigation by the time of next sea-
sons onion planting.
Farms Ideal Location.
Mrs. Dodd found herself thrown
upon her own resources a few years
ago by the death of her husband Ca pt
T. w. DOdd. The land which she
has converted into productive union
farm and a cOmfOrta BILE home in the
town were all the property that was
left her. She decided that the land
must be made to bring in revenue
in order TO pay for itself and support
her. No tract of land in the Laredo
section s more advanta geously sit
uated. 1t has a frontage on the Rio
Gpande, the international boundary
stream, and runs back to the limits
Of the town.
When Mrs, Dodd took personal
charge of the property the success Of
growing Bermuda onions had been
proved A small part Of the land was
already under irrigation, the water
supply being obtained from the river
by means of a steam pump. After a
careful study of the situation. Mrs.
Dodd decided to clear and make avail
able additional land for cultivation
and to try her hand at raising onions
= =
irrigable tract to seventy acres. all of
which she planted in Bermuda onions.
That was three years ago. Conditions
We're favora BILE, and despite the many
difficulties that had to be overcome
she marketed the onion crop on the
seventy acres at a net profit Of S32,
900.
Profited by Experience.
The seasons work had taught her
many things in connection with farm
vng. particularly with reference to
that particular crop. She found that
the steam pumping plant was made
quate to the needs of the farms. sad,
furthermore. that it was situated so
low upon the bank Of the river as to
run the risk of being washed away by
an overflow. For such calamity to
happen in the midst of a crop growing
season might mean the loss of most
Of the onions Some of the onion
growers in the valley of the Rio
Grande We're at that time receiving
the power for operating their pumps
flom an electric transmission line
which had been built down the river
from the central electric power plant
in Laredo After mature considera-
ton of the matter Mrs. Dodd decided
to replace the old steam pumping
plant with an electric station. She
went over her farm carefully and de-
termined that the water from the
pump could be made to irrigate the
upper benches This was something
that other farmers along the river had
pronounced as impracticable. it being
declared that the water could not be
successfully lifted to such hight as
would be necessary to put it over the
upper lands.
Electric Pumping Station.
Mrs Dodd went ahead with her ar