The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-06-24
s400 AN ACRE FROM ONIONS.
How Mrs. E. c. Dodd, of Laredo,
Tex, is Growing Rich.

onions? This is the record Of Mrs.
Edward c. Dodd, of Laredo, Tex,
whom the people of that section call
the "Onion queen She grows
more Bermuda onions than any wo-
man j the world-135 acres-and is
getting rich at it.
Mrs. Dodd's crop this year 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 as she had. This
fact brought her profits up to a fig
ure that is astonishing to the ordi-
nary farmer who is content with
profit of SIS or $40 an acre upon
his land. The average net yield
which Mrs. Dodd obtained upon her
1876 acres was about S400 an acre.
The gross revenue from the farm
was about 1925 an acre. Growing
onions is expensive. 1t costs an av-
erage of about 1925 an acre to plant
cultivate, harvest and market the
crop.
Made $4,000 One Year.
Mrs. Dodd is not "book farmer"
She directs the multitudinous affairs
of her own place in person. She
has capable men who look after the
details and every part of the busi-
ness receives her closest supervision.
Her farm embraces 900 acres, but
only 200 acres are under irrigation.
In beginning onion growing she
knew exactly what to do, because the
possibilities of the business had
been proved by others. Being a
widow with only the land to de-
pend upon, she determined to make
it profitable, and she did. A small
part of the land was under irriga-
ton, the water being taken from the
Rio Grande by means OF steam
pump.
First Mrs. Dodd enlarged the ir-
rigable tract to- seventy acres, all OF
which she planted in Bermuda on
ions. That was three years ago.
Conditions were favorable, and de-
spite the many difficulties that had
to be overcome she marketed the
onion crop upon the seventy acres at
a net profit of $4,000. Then she
built an electric pumping station
and put in a pump with q capacity
of $500 gallons a minute. Besides
the 1875 acres of onions, Mrs. Dodd
this season had about sixty-f1ve acres
in grain, feed and variety Of prod
ucts. Besides furnishing water for
200 acres of her own, her. electric
pumping plant and system of irlga-
ton provided water for fifty add1-
tional acres which are owned by
others, good revenue being receiv-
ed for this extra service.
To be Her Own Salesman.
Mrs. Dodd has been doing the
marketing of her crops through an
association of growers, but she is not
altogether satisfied with this plan. 1T
is her opinion, after a thorough in
vestigation of the subject, that she
could do her own marketing to bet
ter advantage than through the
salesmen of the association. she
says that the commission and other
association charges during the past
season amounted to 10 cents a
crate of fifty pounds. Her expenses
from this one item alone ran up to
more than $4,000.
1T is my present intention to
market my crop myself next year.
she said. 81 will go to New York
and establish headquarters. l will
employ a woman or two to act as my
selling agents in Boston, Philadel-
phia and perhaps other Eastern
cities. 1 will have my crop shipped
direct to me in New York, and these
shipments will be made according to
existing market conditions. will
do my own selling and by being on
the ground in person I believe I will
be better able to obtain the top
prices"
Time for Society, Too.
The fact that she makes an an
nual profit off her farm much larger
than the salary of most bank prest-
dents has not caused Mrs. Dodd to
adopt extravagant living. She has a
pretty home in town. 1t is comfort
ably, but not luxuriously, furnished.
She finds time outside Of her farm
work to get much enjoyment out OF
social pleasures. She has been a So
cial favorite in Laredo, San Antonio
and other Texas cities for many years.
The onion growing season is during
the winter and cooler periods OF fall,
and spring. This leaves the warm
est months of summer for rest and
recuperation.
Before her marriage Mrs. Dodd
was school teacher. She has found
that her training in the schoolroom
is of much value to her in directing
the work upon the farm. She makes
it a point to investigate thoroughly
every phase of the business and to
adopt the most improved methods
of cultivating and handling the crop.
She knows the analysis of the soil on,
different parts of the farm; she has
experimental with many other
kinds of products besides onions and
knows just what can be grown sue
cessfully upon the farm, and she
knows approximately the cost by the
acre of cultivating all the kinds OF
crops to which the farm is adapted.
Laredo, Texas, special to Kansas
Hifv Star