Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-04-19
have AN Onion
Do You Know Human System Has
Special Need For Them?
The MARKET Is NOW GLUTTED
Two Great Producing Regions In
United Statco-One Great Belt is in
The South.
BY Frederick J. Haskin.


cut down the cost Of living by buying
what the market offers at n bargain
you will feature onions on your table
this spring.
The market is gluttcd with onions
There arc said to be $500 carloads OF
them on hand, which will soon be usc-
less if not eaten. And at the same
time the human system has special
need for onions. They are. according
to experts, one Of the very best OF
spring tonics. Not only do they con-
tain yitamincs, and the mineral salts
in which q civilized dict is so poor, but
also certain essential oils that have
the specific effect Of stimulating the
liver. And the liver is usually an i'm
pouant factor in that springtime feel
! inE Of lassitude and general indiffer-
! cnce which the poet does not sing.
The present glut. in the onion market
has forced down the price Of that vege-
table, which took rank as a luxury
during the war. to two cents pound.
In the producing regions you can buy
them for as little as half cent. This
situation, which is 50 happy for the
.onion eater and so sad for the onion
grower, is a part of the general COL
lapse of the value Of farm products
Il collapse which is undermining the
economic health of the whole country
But it is also due in part to pecu-
Iiality Of Tic business Of onion grow
ing.
There are two great onion producing
regions in the United States. The
more important OF these is In the
north. 1t runs from Massachusetts to
Michigan in an unbrokan belt across
the country, then jumps the prairie
states and appears again in Colorado
and northern California. THIS region
produces So per cent. Of all our onions.
From it como the. big white, red and
yellow onions which you can buy all
winte. at tho grocery store. They are
barvt sted in the carly fall and arc
placcd in special onion storage houses
whic! are so constructed as to resist
the frost. These storage houses may
be owned by the onion growers In some
cases. but more often the property oil
,,-,, arft,crs. The onions are sent To
market us they arc needed.
Southern Crop.
In the south. especially in the gull
states, there is another onion belt
which produces the other Is per cent.
of. our onions. These arc the Bermuda
onions which you SOC figured on menus
,houl this time Of the year. They are
plantcd in December and harvested
early in the spring. They are sup
posed IN come on tho market just as
the northern crop. stored the tall pc
fore is becoming exhausted. in this
,.lsc. the northern crop hes not been
exhausted. Thousands OF tons OIL
northern onions remain in the Market
to cumnctc with the southern crop.
And the southern crop wont keep.
Harvested in warm weather, 1t must DC
moved and eaten within three or iour
weeks, or it will spoil. Hence. not only
is the grower of northern onions bcli'E
f,rcrd 10 take very low price for MS
nan hut the southern onion man IS
up To- see his crop rot in storage.
This situation is typical uf the con-
1i,;n,s which arc causing the Amcrl-
can farmer so much distress. nc
price that he grt:; for his pl'"auct u
regulated by demand and supply. In-
Fortunately he cannot cnntr"! the dr-
n,nd at all, and he can cnntfol INC
supp,y very lite. Ecs.dea lhis "neh
m,irrs fail. a disp:nport0natc share "i
rho loss falls upon tn" farmer. INC
Other agencies which handle MS pro-
dur; us,,ally suffer very liltlc Whoh
u,.icrs fail and they usually make most
,r IN. extra profit when they rise
Thn dcnartmcnt If agriculture tries
70 hr!r the farmer by telling MN ho"
much ,n plant. 50 that he may aFo'''
..'u;;in.. The market and forcing doW"
,hr n-irc ur his own product. For c:'-
awhile n,s snnn rs it has learned tnr
size nf the northern onion crop, thr de-
r,rt,ncnt advises tho southern onlM.
men aiuur how much they may safely
n,,n, In the same way thr% advise
t,r farmers rs ~ their p"tato iliIht-
iups and about man. other crops
uuch Temporary glOd il; accomplished