The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-15

you are one Of those thrifty per-
sons who cut down the cost OF liv-
ing by buying what the market Of
fers at . bargain. you will feature
onions on your table this spring.
The market Is glutted with onions.
There are said to be $500 carloads
Of them on hand, which will soon
be useless il not eaten. And at the
same time the human system has
a special need for onions. They
are. according to experts. one Of
the very best Of spring tonics Not
only do they contain vitamines and
the mineral salts in which . civil
ICED diet 10 30 poor, but also GER
tain essential oils that have the
specific effect Of stimulating the
liver. And the liver 10 usually an
important factor in that springtime
feeling OF lassitude and general in
difference that the poet does not
sing.
The present glut in the onion
market has forced down the price
of that vegetable. which took rank
as q LUXURY during the war. to two
cents a pound. In the producing
regions you can buy them for as
little as half . cent. This situa-
ton, which is SO happy for the
onion eater and 30 sad for the onion
grower, is a part Of the general
collapse Of the values Of farm
products-a collapse which is un-
dermining the economic health Of
the whole country. But it IL also
due in part to q peculiarly Of the
business of onion growing.
There are two great onion-pro-
ducing regions in the United States.
The most important of these is in
the north. It runs from Massa-
chusetts to Michigan In an unbro-
ken belt across the country, then
jumps the prairie states and ap-
pears again in Colorado and north
ern California. This region pro-
duces IS per cent Of all our onions.
From it come the big white, red
and yellow onions which you can
buy all winter at the grocery store.
They are harvested in the early
fall and are placed in special onion
storage houses, which are so con-
structed as to resist the frost.
These storage houses may be own
ed by the onion growers in some
cases, but are more often the prop
erty Of local dealers. The onions
are sent to market as they are
needed.
1 In the south. especially in the
gulf states, there is another onion
belt, which produces the other Is
per cent Of our onions. These are
the Bermuda onions which you see
figured on menus about this time
of the year. They are planted in
December and harvested early in
the spring. They are supposed to
come on the market Just as the
northern crop, stored the fall be-
fore, is becoming exhausted. In
this case, the northern crop has
not been exhausted. Thousands OF
tons Of northern onions remain in
the market to compete with the
southern crop. And the southern
crop won't keep. Harvested in
warm weather. it must be moved
and eaten within three or four
weeks. or 1t will spoil. Hence, not
only is the grower Of northern
onions being forced to take a very
low price for his crop. but the
southern onion man is apt to see
his crop rot in storage.
| This situation is typical OF the
conditions which are causing the
American farmer SO much distress
The price that he gets for his prod
uct is regulated by demand and
supply. Unfortunately. he canno,
control the demand at oil, and he
can control the supply very little
Besides this. when prices fall, 9
disproportionate share OF the loss
falls upon the farmer. The Other
agencies which handle his product
usually suffer very little wher
prices fall, and they usually make
most Of the extra profit when they
rise.
The department Of agricultur,
tries to help the farmer by tellin,
him how to plant, SO that he maj
avoid Cutting the market and fore
ing down the price Of his own prod
uct. For example, as soon as il
has learned the size Of the north
ern onion crop. the department ad
vises the southern onion men abou
how much they may safely plant
In the same way they advise tn,
; farmers as to their potato plant
ings, and about other crops. Mucl