Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23

m HERE are many onions consumed
in the United States. and it is
safe to say that by far the great
err portion of these are called Der
muda." though they come from almost
every other place than that colony
They have even, in the event OF
shortage in the Texas crop, been
brought from Egypt.
AS a matter of fact. Texas supplies a
large part of the onions which Ameri-
cans eat. Around Laredo, on the MeXl-
can border. and within radius OF
fifty miles north, east and west there
of, is the onion center of Texas. La
redo is the onion capital
Something like 10000 acres are plant
ed to onions in this district. The re-
turns are large when the seasons are
good and the farmer is experienced.
On rare occa sions they will net as high
as $500 an acre. But that is about the
maximum. There are few other crops
that require such careful nursing from
helpless infancy to robust maturity as
that of Bermuda onions.
First of all, the seed must be import
ed. This seed is a very fragile prod
uct. subject to quick deterioration. The
seed derived from one Texas crop is
useless for planting the next. Only 10
per cent of 1t will terminate. There
fore, for each crop thousands of pounds
of seed are brought each year from
the Island of Tenerife, one of the
Canary group. off the west coast of
Africa 1t ripens there just at the
proper time to allow fresh seed to be
brought to Texas in time for planting.
1t comes in Theoretically sealed pack
ages and begins to pass through New
York in August in order to reach Tex
as in time for the September planting.
The onion beds must be prepared most
carefully-plowed. narrowed, disked. pull
verified with hand rakes and generally
fixed" The seed is put in a quarter
of inch deep, and the land is flooded
two inches deep with water from the ir
rgation bitches. The onion belongs to
the lily family, and requires q great deal
of water. The onions are plowed and
watered alternately until they are as
large around as lead pencils. when they
must be transplanted. Here enters work
is performed by MeNicans, who are paid
from so to Is cents day. If it were
not for the ample supply of this cheap
labor. the onion industry would not
flourish it does in the Lone Star
state. Transplanting onions consists
in pulling each separate plant out of
the seed bed, clipping the roots and
top, carrying the plants to the onion
field proper and setting them anew in
rows sixteen inches apart with a space
of three or four inches between each
plant.
The transplanter works on his knees.
In his right hand he carries a stick,
with which he makes a hole in the
in which he places the young onion.
Then he knees his way painfully to
the next hole. There are about 10000
onion plants to the acre. This means
that number of jabs with the stick, the
same number of planting motions with
the left hand and considerable travel
on the knees. Then comes the long
season of wedding. cultivating and irri-
eating. At last the onions are SO ripe
that nine-tenths of the tops have fallen
Then they are plowed up and laid out
carefully in windrows, SO as not to
bruise them. The tops and roots are
cut off with sheep shears. and the on
ions are then packed in crates that
have been distributed along the rows.
About ten years ago the Southern
Texas Truck Growers Association was
organized at San Antonio, and about 20
per cent of the onion growers Joined 1T,
agreeing to consign all their crops
through the sales department of the as
ISOLATION. From the beginning all the
officers of the association have been
practical onion men.
The Texas onions used to be shipped
to New York by rail. Now most of
them come by water from Galveston. A
plan of ventilating the boats SO that
the onions are kept in good condition
has been worked out The water route