' . 1^91 In^^HI ^n KHI HvvV H H %* THE UNIVERSITY ft OF ILLINOIS '** 4 LIBRARY . r * - -* * *T. ie - ***' :'.'. Tfc Hr OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS NQN CIRCULATING UNIVERSITY ^ILLINOIS Agricultural Efpfalent Station BULLETIN No. 175 EXPERIMENTS IN ONION' CULTURE BY JOHN W. L,L,OYD URBANA, ILLINOIS, JULY. 1914 SUMMARY OF BULLETIN No. 175 1. Experiments in onion culture have been conducted at the Illinois Agri- cultural Experiment Station for six years. Page 337 2. The application of unleached hard-wood ashes, in addition to manure, usually increased the yield of onions, as compared with the use of manure alone; but in only three years of the six was the increase in yield sufficient to make the use of the ashes profitable. Page 338 3. Early planting of onions resulted in much more profitable yields than late planting. Page 339 4. Attempts to grow onions without thinning resulted in the production of a high percentage of undersized bulbs, except when the original stand was comparatively thin. Page 346 5. Larger yields of onions were produced from sets than from seed. Page 351 6. CONCLUSIONS. Page 361 EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE BY JOHN W. L,L/OYD, CHIEF IN The Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station has conducted ex- periments in onion culture on the Station grounds at Urbana for six years. The chief objects of the experiments have been to determine: (1) the effect of time of planting upon the yield and size of bulbs; (2) the relative merits of thinning and of not thinning; (3) the feas- ibility of producing ripe onions from bottom sets ; and (4) the effect of supplementing manure with wood ashes as a fertilizer for onions. METHOD OF CONDUCTING THE TESTS The land used for the onion experiments was part of the area formerly occupied by the "Farmer's Vegetable Garden" reported in Bulletin No. 105 1 of this station. The soil is the typical upland prairie soil of the corn belt, technically known as brown silt loam. During the five years from 1900 to 1904 inclusive, when the half-acre in ques- tion was used as a "farmer's garden," ninety-eight loads of manure were applied ; and in the fall of 1904, thirty-six loads were applied. The land was used in 1905 for the growing of carnations and other flowering plants. In 1906, eight loads of manure were applied in the spring and nineteen loads in the fall. The land was used for growing a general assortment of early vegetables in 1906, and was plowed late in the fall after manuring. Thus, during the seven years preceding the beginning of the onion experiments in 1907, the land had been fertilized with manure at the rate of 322 loads per acre, or an average of forty-six loads per acre per year. It had also been kept relatively free from weeds, and was therefore in good condition for starting the onion experiments. Each year during the progress of the onion experiments, the land was given a dressing of manure in the fall at the rate of approxi- mately thirty-six tons per acre. The manure was usually plowed un- der late in the fall, and the land was allowed to lie rough in the furrow until spring. At the very earliest date in spring that it was possible to work the ground to advantage, the land was thoroly disked, and harrowed and planked repeatedly until a fine seed bed was pre- pared. It was then laid out in plats one rod wide and four rods long. 1 No longer available for distribution. 337 338 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, Each plat thus consisted of exactly one-fortieth of an acre. Sixteen rows of onions were planted lengthwise of each plat. The seed was sown by means of a garden seed drill. The sets, when used, were planted by hand after the land had been marked off with a sled marker. The growing crop was invariably given good care thruout the sea- son. As soon as the seedlings were up so that it was possible to dis- tinguish the rows, tillage was started. Cultivation with wheel hoes, equipped with various attachments, was repeated at frequent inter- vals until the plants were so large that further tillage was imprac- ticable. Hand weeding was commenced early and repeated as often as was necessary in order to keep the plantation clean. A complete record was kept of the time employed in each opera- tion on each plat. When the onions were harvested, the product of each plat was graded and weighed, and the bulbs were counted. The crop was then sold on the local market. Thus the cost of production, the yield, and the profits for each plat could be determined. Except where noted, the Southport Yellow Globe was the variety of onion used in all the tests. EFFECT OF USING WOOD ASHES IN ADDITION TO MANURE AS A FERTILIZER FOR ONIONS Since it is generally conceded that the onion requires a large amount of potassium, and since the potassium in wood ashes is in a readily available form, a test was made to determine the value of ashes for the onion crop on land of the type in question that had already been heavily manured. Each year, fifty pounds of commer- cial unleached hard- wood ashes were applied to Plat 1. This was at the rate of one ton per acre. During the first two years of the test, the ashes were applied as a top dressing between the rows of the growing crop shortly after the seedlings had appeared. During the other four years, they were applied broadcast during the final fitting of the land immediately preceding the sowing of the seed. Plat 2 received precisely the same treatment as Plat 1 thruout the season, except that no ashes were applied. The yields of onions from these two plats, calculated to the acre basis, are given in Table 1. TABLE 1. YIELDS OF ONIONS, WITH AND WITHOUT ASHES (Bushels per acre) Plat Treatment 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 Aver- age 1 2 Manure and wood ashes. . Manure alone 540.17 413.46 308.94 312.81 466.59 456.91 369.82 307.66 103.86 89.06 522.11 494.56 385.25 345.74 Difference in favor of ashes . 126.71 3.87 9.68 62.16 14.80 27.55 39.51 1914} EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 339 These figures show that in five of the six years the plat treated with ashes in addition to manure outyielded the plat treated with manure alone, and that the average increase in yield per year evi- dently due to the use of the ashes was 39.51 bushels per acre. The ashes used were purchased in Chicago at $8.00 per ton. The cost of freight, handling, and application was $4.75 per ton, thus making the cost of the ashes treatment $12.75 per acre, since one ton per acre was the amount used. The onions were sold at market price soon after the harvest. The value of the crop from the plat treated with manure alone, and the value of the crop from the plat treated with manure and ashes minus the cost of the ashes, are given on the acre basis in Table 2. TABLE 2.- NET VALUE OF ONION CROP PER ACRE, WITH AND WITHOUT ASHES Plat Treatment 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 Aver- age 1 2 Manure and wood ashes. . Manure alone. . $392.38 310.10 $200.54 212.77 $336.01 341.65 $281.44 242.91 $58.13 60.13 $299.78 295.95 $261.38 243.92 Profit for ashes $82.28 $-12.23 $-5.64 $38.53 $-2.00 $ 3.83 $17.46 It will be seen that altho the yield was increased five years of the six by the use of the ashes, the net value of the increase was suffi- cient to make their use profitable only three years of the six. The average for the six years, however, shows that the use of the ashes resulted in a net profit of $17.46 per acre per year, if no account is taken of the slight differences in the cost of harvesting the different crops. INFLUENCE OF TIME OF PLANTING UPON YIELDS AND PROFITS Directions for the culture of onions usually specify that the seed should be sown as early in the spring as the ground can be worked. This date varies from year to year in the same locality, and is es- pecially variable where the soil is of such a nature that it does not quickly become workable after being thoroly wet. However, in four years of the six during which the onion tests have been in progress, it has been possible to prepare the soil at Urbana and sow the seed between the 20th and 26th of March. In the other two years, plant- ing was delayed until April 1 and 11, respectively, by reason of the soil being wet. In order to make a thoro test of the influence of the time of plant- ing upon the yield of onions, one planting was made each year at the very earliest date that it was possible to prepare a good seed bed, and subsequent plantings were made at intervals of as near fourteen days as the soil conditions would permit. In 1907, 1908, 1909, and 340 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, 1910, four plantings were made each year, and in 1911 and 1912, three plantings. The plats for the entire series of onion experiments were treated alike when being fitted for the earliest planting. Areas to be occupied by later plantings were harrowed or otherwise culti- vated at intervals so that the soil would retain moisture, and the growth of weeds would be prevented, until the plats were needed for planting. The actual dates of the different plantings each year are given in Table 3. TABLE 3. DATES OP PLANTING THE ONIONS Plat 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 Aver- age date 2 7 8 9 Earliest planting . . .. Second planting Third planting. Fourth nlantinff Mar. 20 Apr. 3 Apr. 17 Mav 2 Mar. 26 Apr. 13 May 2 Mav 20 Apr. 1 Apr. 16 May 3 Mav 15 Mar. 22 Apr. 2 Apr. 20 Mav 5 Mar. 22 Apr. 17 Apr. 26 Apr. 11 Apr. 25 May 9 Mar. 27 Apr. 13 Apr. 28 Mav 11 The onions from the earliest planting usually continued growing almost as late as those from the second planting, and sometimes fully as late. For the six years, the growing period averaged 13 days longer for the earliest planting than for the second, and 11 days longer for the second than for the third. The actual dates of har- vesting the onions from the various plantings each year are given in Table 4, together with the length of the growing period for each plant- ing. It will be seen that, in general, the period of growth decreased as the date of planting was deferred. YIELDS That the shortening of the growing period by reason of late plant- ing had a decidedly unfavorable influence on yield is clearly shown in Table 5, which gives the yields, in bushels per acre, from the dif- ferent plantings each year. It will be seen that every year that the fourth planting was tested, it gave a smaller total yield than the third planting; tha,t in every year except 1907, the third planting gave a smaller yield than the second ; and that in three years of the six, the second planting gave a smaller yield than the first. The smaller yield from the first planting in 1907 was plainly due to a poor stand resulting from too thin seeding. In average yield for the six years, the first planting was clearly superior to the second and the second far superior to the third. The fourth planting was made only four years of the six, but each of these years it resulted in a lower yield than the third planting. Thus there appears to be a fairly close relation between the time of planting and the yield of onions. 1914] EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 341 O o- w M w Ol i>> t~ -* CO O c? CO Oq rH rH B be p rH rH rH rH 03 i > C<1 O OS OS rH rH rH CO CO I cq oq f be bb ft %3 ' CO co oa ^< as 03 Tt( CO iH O P rH rH rH O rH OS CQ CO Oq rH O O P rH rH rH O> O 05 rH 03 O O O 00 rH Oq -> * CO OS O o3 co 03 o oq P rH rH rH rH 00 O 05 rH 3 rH rH rH 03 be bo be p> ft ^c ^c ^C OQ CO 0? rH rH CO OS CO <* CO rH fc- p rH rH rH rH O OS I 1 5 oo oq oo os oq oq oq oq 03 bb bb bb bb P P P P P y'bc be .2 fl be a "tn ^3 H V> B rt 1J3 P ^ 43 a 42 III! 03 O> rfl O H OQ EH PH "cS oq t oo os PH PH H e ^ be 13 t^ 00 oi od 10 . rH"* I . IO rH rH rH 00 rH M t~ Tt< C5 O * O 9 U5 . IT3 * t- rH be "3 Od (M t~ OO (M O t- CO D CO t rH CO CO a rH *^ A rt H t~ O 00 Cvl t^ CO Tf* Oq rH (M CO O us rH oq 1-1 ea OS rH oq ft nd "3 n i-i TjH iH CO IO rH O O 00 OS ^ CO "^ CO "^ !8 CO ft U Ol 0) 13 t* "*f ^^ !> CO CO rH t~ CD CO cq OS H 1 H 1 ;>.'* d o IM' ;00 rH N rH Cvl Qi CO OS iH 4 t^ 00 OS a, O O CO rH i-l i-H IO O OJ co 4^> -2 s S*H o S CO m rH 6C P A -w CO O C<5 CO in 00 QJ oo -u T3 o o -H O f-, + O ft Tj< O (M 5O N t~ CD O O t- OO O O O rH O 9>rH rH rH rH rH O rH 2 ft o t- in I-H co in rH t- CO O rH OJ (M OS 4-2 cS s ^"^ {5S o ei I-H ocj cJ in rH rH TjH * ?O O5 CO C3 CO OQ ^ 348 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, approximately three inches. The date of thinning varied from May 31 to June 10. Unavoidable gaps in the rows, due to unequal dis- tribution of seed, failure to germinate, accidents during tillage, etc., made the stand in the thinned plats less than the theoretical number of onions that there would have been if an onion had occupied each and every three-inch space in the row. The plats to be left unthinned in 1908 and 1909 were sown much more thinly than the plats to be thinned. The stands were not uniform, the onions being more or less in patches, with vacant spaces between. In 1911 and 1912 all the onions were sown thickly. Thinned and unthinned plats were treated alike in reference to all matters of tillage and care except the thinning. EFFECT OF THINNING ON SIZE OF BULBS When harvested, the onions from each plat were graded into large and small, and each lot was counted! and weighed. The number of bulbs and the average weight per bulb in each grade are given in Table 11. TABLE 11. NUMBER OF LARGE AND SMALL ONIONS AND AVERAGE WEIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL BULBS, FROM PLATS THINNED AND UNTHINNED (All weights expressed in pounds) Year Plat 2: Thinned Plat 3 : Unthinned Large Small Total Large Small Total No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. 1908 1900 3755 1975 3722 .169 .172 .045 .188 1660 139 1992 165 .075 .042 .019 .023 3560 3894 3967 3887 .125 .167 .032 .181 2000 5309 597 8383 .166 .135 .039 .083 2249 1267 16712 2893 .066 .045 .013 .022 4249 6576 17309 11276 .113 .117 .014 .068 1909 1911 1912 Average . ... 2838 .155 989 .044 3827 .126 4072 .109 5780 .021 9853 .057 This table shows that in 1908, when the unthinned plat contained only about 20 percent more bulbs than the thinned plat, there was not a large amount of difference in the average size of the onions from the two plats ; but that in 1909, when the unthinned plat con- tained approximately 70 percent more bulbs than the thinned plat, there was much greater difference in the average weight of the bulbs. On account of dry weather in 1911, none of the onions attained nor- mal size, but those from the thinned plat were, on an average, over twice as large as those from the unthinned plat. Nearly the entire crop from the unthinned plat consisted of bulbs less than 11/4 inches in diameter, while approximately 50 percent of the bulbs from the thinned plat were above that size. It should be noted in this con- nection that the unthinned plat contained over four times as many 1914} EXPERII CENTS IN ONION CULTURE 349 bulbs as the thinned plat. In 1912, a season favorable to the pro- duction of onions, the bulbs from the unthinned plat were, as an average, only slightly over one-third as large as those from the thinned plat. RELATION OF THINNING TO YIELD On account of the excessive number of bulbs produced, the total yield of onions was greater every year from the unthinned than from the thinned plat. The yields of large and of small onions from each plat, in terms of bushels per acre, are given in Table 12. These fig- FIG. 1. THINNED ONIONS AT LEFT; UNTHINNED ONIONS AT EIGHT ,ures show that the increase in the yield of the unthinned plats was due more to an increase in the yield of small onions than to an in- crease in the yield of large onions. In fact, in the two years that the unthinned onions were especially thick, the yields of large onions were actually less from the unthinned than from the thinned plats, the increased yield being due to the superabundance of small onions. The average yields of large onions for the four years were practically the same from both plats. 350 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, TABLE 12. YIELDS OF ONIONS, THINNED AND UNTHINNED (Bushels per acre) Year Plat 2: Thinned Plat 3 : Unthinned Large Small Total Large Small Total 1908 225.44 452.77 62.39 491.93 87.37 4.14 26.67 2.63 312.81 456.91 89.06 494.56 232.46 501.30 16.14 489.65 103.68 40.21 158.25 45.61 336.14 541.51 174.39 535.26 1909 1911 . 1912 Average 308.13 30.20 338.34 309.89 86.94 396.83 COST OF THINNING The principal reason assigned for growing onions without thinning is that the labor and expense of the operation are avoided. It is true that thinning onions is a tedious task, and that while thinning can be combined with one of the weedings, it is considerably more ex- pensive than weeding alone, especially on land that has been properly handled to keep it comparatively free from weed seeds. The expense avoided by not thinning may be partly balanced by the greater labor of harvesting a crop of small, unthinned bulbs. The relation of these two items of expense in the production of the four onion crops con- sidered in this connection is set forth in Table 13. TABLE 13. DIFFERENCES IN COST OF GROWING ONIONS WITH AND WITHOUT THINNING 1908 1909 1911 1912 Average Plat 2: Thinned Cost of weeding and thinning Cost of harvesting $27.00 17 00 $28.80 18 75 $47.50 1460 $40.50 1740 $35.95 1694 Total two items 4400 4755 62 10 57.90 52 89 Plat 3 : Not thinned Cost of weeding $ 7.00 $12.70 $ 3.50 $14.40 $ 9.40 Cost of harvesting 18.70 38.10 37.60 48.90 35.83 Total, two items 25.70 50.80 41.10 63.30 45.23 Difference in favor of Plat 3 . . $18.30 $-3.25 $21.00 $-5.40 $ 7.66 The figures in this table indicate that the thinning cost from $16 to $44 per acre (the difference between the cost of thinning and weed- ing Plat 2 and the cost of weeding Plat 3). This wide difference from year to year was due mainly to differences in the thickness of the original stand. The extremely low cost of weeding in 1911 was due to dry weather which was unfavorable to weed production. This table also shows that the cost of harvesting the thinned onions was fairly uniform, while that of harvesting the unthinned onions varied with the number of bulbs produced. In 1908, when the number of 1914} EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 351 bulbs in the unthinned plat was not much, greater than in the thinned plat, the cost of harvesting wag likewise not much greater. In other years the cost of harvesting was considerably greater for the Tin- thinned than for the thinned plat. In 1911 the unthinned onions were so small and numerous that they were handled like onion sets, and the cost of harvesting was thus made smaller than it would other- wise have been. This, combined with the low cost of weeding, al- ready mentioned, shows a greater saving of expense by not thinning than would otherwise have been the case. The average for the four years shows a saving of $7.66 per acre in favor of not thinning. GROWING RIPE ONIONS FROM SETS In this part of the country, onion sets are used chiefly for the production of green bunch onions. In order to test their adapta- bility, as compared with seed, for the production of ripe onions, like areas were planted with seed and with sets, and records were kept of the labor and cost of production, the yield and size of bulbs, the time of ripening, and the selling price of the product. These tests extended over a period of six years. During the first three years, only yellow bottom sets were used ; during the last three years, Prize Taker sets also were employed. The yellow bottom sets were usually purchased, while the Prize Taker sets were grown on the Station grounds, since they could not readily be obtained in the trade. The home-grown yellow bottom sets that were used were from the same strain of seed as the ripe onions grown from seed. The variety and strain of the commercial yellow bottom sets were unknown. The Prize Taker sets and seeds were always of the same strain. For the first two years, the commercial sets were planted as re- ceived from the dealers, without screening. They included many large, overgrown sets, and quite a high percentage of the plants sent up seed stalks. For the last four years, the sets were screened be- fore planting. They were first thrown on a %-inch screen and those that would not go thru were discarded; then the remaining sets were passed over a i/^-inch screen and all those that dropped thru were discarded. Thus, only the medium-sized sets were used for planting. A considerably smaller quantity of sets was needed for planting a given area when the screened sets were used than when the unscreened sets were used, and a smaller percentage of the plants sent up seed stalks. Data regarding the kind and quantity- of sets planted each year and the percentage producing seed stalks are given in Table 14. The area of each plat employed in these tests was one-fortieth of an acre. In calculating the quantity of sets needed to plant an acre, it was assumed that the sets weighed 32 pounds per bushel. 352 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, I 1 s o z ,_, "2 2 s s '3 1 e^^I "5 S3 VH Cl rH O5 i 1 Comme | 33 gg | " t t rX r-I O ^P ^^ 3S rHrH ry rv* rr^ e comm cu a * rH iH 04 | * P e^t^ so* oo 3S i 35 gg Sg S3 V*- o> ^3 rH S " t j Tji U3 CO o (M J rH rH r-< ^ W M % rS 1 " 9 S ,,rH rH '3 o Sj?oj J5 .3 ^ ^ 3) 3 i t i t ^ rQ OO Cvl -2-2 KK 32 '' 11 ^ aa sis Oflj r>r> S EH s g P t O ^ oo 3 O Cl & o M > 10 oc c rH 5 ^J 06 c w * rH ^" "t ^ 00 & 03 q 3 o3 3 S r= M a a -4- Ci i s jp in w w cc P b s o U 1 a s & 'a a ^ c i i T3 4- >5 ^ | q J c J 05 i j, O r * 00 C5 tn -|J 1 1 P< rt \ o O (B Ol 8 < > "^ o oo m -J '3 CO E H t- t ,0*4 X!^ ^5M 2-C k< C o di (HCU !>H Cu yHCu > rl 1914] EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 353 Each year of the tests, the seeds and sets were planted the same day, in soil that had received identical preparation. The seeds were sown with a drill, and, except in 1907, when the stand was very thin, the Yellow Globe seedlings were thinned to a distance of approxi- mately three inches, and the Prize Taker, to four inches. The sets were planted by hand in drills made by a sled marker, and were placed at approximately the same distances as those to which the onions from seed were thinned. The planting of the sets was a tedi- ous operation, requiring from twelve to twenty times as much labor as the planting of the seed. However, the crop grown from the sets FIG. 2. ONIONS FROM SETS AT LEFT; FROM SEEDS AT EIGHT developed rapidly and did not require so much tillage (owing princi- pally to the shorter period of growth) nor nearly so much labor in weeding, as did the crop grown from seed. Furthermore, there was a uniform stand from the sets without any expense for thinning. Data regarding the comparative amount of labor employed in planting, tillage, and weeding and thinning, in the two ways of grow- ing the onions are given in Table 15. The figures for the last three years represent the average for the two varieties. It will be seen that while the labor of planting the sets was enormous, it was usually more than balanced by the saving in the labor of tillage, and weeding and thinning. 354 BULLETIN No. 375 [July, 02 2 ^ O O i-l O * Oi > bo - P ., ^i r-] -g'^-M EH x C3 I > I! 33 O O 1C il 1C O "* O CO b- O CO Ci 1C od to C\l ee- * !M rH rH CD rH eg rH Iff SJ 73 O O eg oo 1C C * rH 01 00 rH b- o> CO eg TjH b- rH 1C rH CO rH O rH ee- OB o o O 1C O O ic eg 01 co O 1C 1C b o 1C s CO b- oa -ee- ^ i 1 ^ O CO Cvl rH 01 01 rH b- eg rH rH 73 o o o o c C 1C CO b- 1C 1C 00 00 b- b- 01 <*< 00 rH O rH 1C b- CO rH 1C o rH OB O Ol O 1C 1C rH -^1 00 O CO O S rH r-l CO l^ 23 I-H eg CO O I-H eg CO ! 1 rH rH 73 O O O 1C ic o eg oo 1C O O rH b- S- * CD i-H Oi oo eg O tl ee- oo O O Ci O O 1C O b- 00 T O rH OJ CO 01 & Tfl rH Oi CO O "* eg co co 1C l-H i 1 73 o o C 1C 1C O o o O b- 1C 02 b- Cg ee- 4< co I-H eg i-H Oi eg CO i-H CO o rH CO o o eg o o 1C CO O O O 1C 00 * b- o OS O * b- c I-H Oi rH 73 c o w co ic eg 00 1C b- Oi eg t- 01 Tt< b- rH CO i-H Ol b- eq i i o i-H J.- B o o O CO O C 1C CO O CO 00 O rH oo 0) 02 l^ 01 -ee- * oi b- eg co eg I-H b- 00 CD b- i-H ee- 73 o o o o o ic 1C O 1C i-H O O 1C CD CO 01 ee- ^H b- rH O OO b- cg I-H 1C o rH 09 o o ic o o co o o Ci O O O i CO b- Cvl <* 1C i-H i-H b- oq eg CO TjH eg b- I-H rH 73 o 1C O 1C b- o o 00 CO O l-H O> CO b- 01 Tt< O i-H i-H I-H eg Tj< 01 rH rH Oi Oi 93- Manure Preparations for planting Seeds or sets. Planting . . . Tillage Weeding and thinning. . . , Harvesting . . "o EH EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTU&E 355 RELATIVE COST OF GROWING ONIONS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS As shown in Table 15, the excess of labor in planting the onion sets as compared with sowing the seed was usually fully offset by the saving of labor in tillage, weeding, and thinning. Since the same amount of manure was used on each plat and the same preparation was given the land, any differences in the cost of growing the crop the two ways, in addition to the differences already mentioned, would depend upon the relative cost of the seed and the sets, and the cost of harvesting the crop. The prices both of the seed and of the sets varied from year to year, but except under the abnormal conditions of the onion-set market in the spring of 1911, the sets for planting a given area cost from somewhat less than four to nearly ten times as much as the seed. The various items of expense in growing the crops from seed and from sets, calculated to the acre basis, are shown in Table 16. The figures given represent the average for the two varieties, except in the case of the sets in the years when only one variety was used. The cost of the seed each year is figured on the basis of four pounds per acre at the actual price paid for the seed that year. High-grade seed was invariably used. The cost of the sets is based upon the market price of sets in this locality at planting time each year and the actual quantity planted. The cost of labor is figured at the uni- form rate of 15 cents per hour. In commercial practice, much of the labor in growing onions would in many cases be done by women and children at a lower figure. Likewise, the cost of manure would vary in different places. In this estimate it has been figured at 75 cents per ton. However, since the same amount of manure was used on each plat, the price would have no influence on the relative cost of growing the onions the two ways. YIELDS OF ONIONS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS Table 16 shows that on account of the much greater cost for sets than for seed, and the greater expense of harvesting the crop from the sets, the cost of growing onions from sets averaged nearly 50 percent greater than the cost of growing the crop from seed. There- fore, unless some other compensating feature can be found, in addi- tion to the saving of labor in tillage, weeding, and thinning, there is no valid reason for growing ripe onions from sets. Table 17, which gives the yields, in bushels per acre, of the onions grown from seed and from sets each year, throws some light on this point. 356 BULLETIN No. 375 [July, PQ 'c- . . . O> CM l- Tft O Tf CJ OS E-l '. '. '. si rH Oi * i-H IO CO 00 CC CD ' o ' D X "3 . . . oq -^ o t^- QO l> OS o r/J & I -Jfc" 1 co' h <0 tr . . . t~ QO t . . . |, rH 1- OS 0) ,M CS H t~, a A '. '. '. *' o 5 . O IO CO OO CO CO ; t-^ . o CD a s 'a t^ -* OQ 00 t- i-H -^ o EH CO (M CO Ti< rH U3 CO CO 10 Tjt * 00 CO CO CO -a iH l>- iH (M rH rH OO 0-J rH t>- OS CO oq Tj) O CD EH CO IO O iH CO CO CO C OO CO IO * 1C' CO CO IO (M * OS rH 10 rH TjH TH OQ I 15 S 02 . Tjf n i-i cxi o O CO CO r-J -* ' -* O5 O rH r-5 I ^ ^ b- * rH"* co' < P bC T-( CO CO i-H Oi TH CO CQ -* O5 t~ Oi IO O oo oq B a rH- co i i o o in * CO O5 t>- CXJ 1C * IO (M CO 1C (M -* oq b- 10 TfH -# ^O 5 'rt CO rH rH CO O CO * CO OJ CD O U3 Tt< . b- . 1 m o EH CO Cvl CO t- O5 * rH r-i m O OO OS * cc * co i* *& ', -* co fi D OJ 1 1 | t- Tf TjH t- CO I eo r-j t-. cq cq . bJ rj? o CD H a %s % t* g ca >* b- CO OS O rH oq O O O r-l rH rH OS OS OS OS OS OS &$ .HrS OQEH 1914] EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 357 It will be seen that except in 1912, the yield of large onions (i. e., onions of standard market size) was greater from the sets than from the seed, and that except in 1908 and 1912 the total yield also was greater. The six-year average shows an advantage of 129 bushels of large onions per acre in favor of the yellow bottom sets as compared with the Southport Yellow Globe seed; while for the three years in which Prize Taker sets were used, the average yield of large onions is shown to have been 247 bushels greater from the sets than from seed of the same strain. The marked superiority of sets over seed in certainty of producing a crop is clearly shown by the yields for 1911, when conditions during June and July were so unfavorable for the growth of onions (see Tables 7 and 8). The vigorous growth made in April and May by the onions from the sets enabled them to pro- duce a fair crop in spite of the drouth in June. The smaller, yield from the sets than from the seed in 1912 can be accounted for when the difference in the stage of development of the respective crops is considered in connection with the weather conditions at certain peri- ods. The onions grown from sets ripened normally during a dry spell in July (at approximately the average date), but on account of late planting their period of growth was shorter than in any other year of the six. About the time these onions ripened, there was a heavy rain, followed by temperate weather, which was very favor- able to the development of the onions grown from seed. These latter continued to grow fo'r a full month after the crop from the sets had been harvested. In 1910, when the Prize Taker sets produced their highest yield, the crop from the sets continued growing until within ten days of the time of the ripening of the crop from the seed. SIZE OF BULBS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS The larger yields from the sets were due sometimes to a more complete and uniform stand, and sometimes to the larger size of the bulbs. In 1907 and 1910, the stands from Yellow Globe seed were rather thin and the bulbs grew larger than those from the yellow bottom sets, yet the better stands from the sets resulted in much larger yields. In 1909 and 1911, altho the stands of Yellow Globe from the seed were almost perfect, the bulbs from the sets were so very much larger that the yields greatly exceeded those from the seed. In 1910 and 1911, the stands of Prize Taker from the sets were thicker than the stands from the seed, and the bulbs were also very much larger. Under these conditions, the yields from the sets were greatly in excess of those from the seed. In 1912 the Prize Taker onions grown from seed continued growing until very late, as already noted, and reached an enormous size. This gave the seed an advantage in yield over the sets that year, in spite of the thicker stand from the sets. 358 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, Notwithstanding the variations from year to year, the averages for the six years and three years, respectively, for the two varieties show that the bulbs grown from sets were substantially larger than those grown from seed. The most striking difference in size of bulbs ap- peared under the trying conditions of 1911, when the sets were able to produce fair-sized bulbs regardless of the drouth. Detailed data regarding the number of large and small onions and the average weights of the bulbs for each variety each year are given in Table 18. TABLE 18. NUMBER OP LARGE AND SMALL ONIONS PER PLAT, AND AVERAGE WEIGHT OP BULBS GROWN PROM SEED AND PROM SETS (All weights expressed in pounds) * Tear Seed Sets Large Small Total Large Small Total No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. No. Av. wt. Yellow Globe 1907 2278 1900 3755 1974 1975 3722 .259 .169 .172 .214 .045 .188 2278 3560 3894 2254 3967 3887 .259 .125 .167 .194 .032 .181 3689 3140 3350 4163 3240 3102 .206 .132 .285 .178 .113 -.204 3689 3720 3496 4386 3294 3172 .206 .117 .277 .173 .111 .201 1908 1660 139 280 1992 165 .075 .042 .055 .019 .023 580 146 223 54 70 .034 .094 .069 .030 .029 1909 1910 1911 1912 Averasre . 2601 .177 706 .044 3307 .149 3447 .187 179 .049 3626 .180 Prize Taker 1907 3884 .214 3884 .214 1908 1730 m 460 .087 2190 .198 1909 2921 .178 201 .040 3122 .169 1910 2302 .221 317 .091 2619 .205 3006 .382 153 .072 3159 .367 1911 609 .046 1235 .018 1844 .027 3016 .165 39 .031 3055 .164 1912 2591 .388 109 .026 2700 .374 3462 .275 33 .030 3495 .273 Six-year average . 2340 .234 387 .044 2727 .207 Three-year aver. . 1834 .280 554 .035 2388 .223 3161 .274 75 .059 3236 .269 TIME OP RIPENING OF ONIONS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS As already intimated, the onions grown from sets ripened earlier than those from seed. The date of harvest and the number of days from planting to maturity are given for each variety each year, in Table 19. This table shows that the crop from the sets normally ma- tured in July and the crop from seed in August, and that altho the difference in the time of the ripening of the two crops varied from 9 to 42 days, the average difference was 25 days for the Yellow Globe and 23 days for the Prize Taker. 1914} EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 359 TABLE 19. TIME OF EIPENING OF ONIONS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS 1 fellcw Globe Prize r . raker Year See* 1 Set 3 See< 1 Set 3 Date Days Date Days Date Days Date Days 1907 Aug. 28 161 July 17 119 Aug. 21 154 1908 " 7 134 " 13 109 ' 7 134 1909 " 6 127 " 28 118 ' 16 137 1910 " 12 143 " 27 127 ' 12 143 Aug. 2 133 1911 July 24 124 " 1 101 134 July 7 107 1912 Aug. 23 134 " 19 99 ' 23 134 23 103 Six-year average Aug 12 137 July 18 112 Aug 14 139 Three-year average . . " 12 137 July 21 114 RELATIVE PROFITS IN GROWING ONIONS FROM SEED AND FROM SETS The true value of the difference in the time of the ripening of onions from seed and from sets can be appreciated more fully when considered in connection with market conditions at different times in the season. Since comparatively few ripe onions are grown from sets in this part of the country, the local markets are normally not very fully supplied with onions at the time the crop from the sets matures ; and unless the crop of Texas Bermudas is large and late, there is likely to be little competition from onions of any kind until the main crop from seed matures. There is usually, therefore, an opportunity to dispose of ripe onions grown from sets, immediately after they are harvested, and prices at that time are likely to be good. The large onions from the experimental plats were sold to a local whole- sale dealer; those grown from sets were disposed of as soon after harvesting as they could be cured, and brought a higher average price than those sold later that were grown from seed. The small onions were usually sold to peddlers or to private parties for pick- ling. The prices received for each type of onions each year are given in Table 20. TABLE 20. PRICES PER BUSHEL EECEIVED FOR ONIONS Yellow v Globe Prize Taker Year Se ed Se ts Se ed S ts Large Small Large Small Large Small Large Small 1907 $0.75 $1.25 $0.75 1908 .75 $0.50 .80 $0.50 .75 $0.50 1909 .75 .50 .80 .50 .75 .50 1910 .80 .50 .80 .50 .80 .50 $1.00 $0.50 1911 .75 .50 1.00 .50 .75 .50 1.00 .50 1912 .60 .30 .60 .30 .60 .30 .60 .30 Average .... $0.73 $0.46 $0.88 $0.46 $0.73 $0.46 $0.87 $0.43 Since the onions grown from sets had the advantage of those grown from seed both in yield and in price per bushel, the average 360 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, -1-3 0, O Oi CC O5 i-l r>\ C5 o E PH ' CO iH T}I t>- ' CO c >O O oo Oi l>- CO 1 I eo 1 -*a 'Tj O MOV* SB 43 O ft * -* oo \fi * O & Oi t~ CO CC 00 i-l O O O i-l O O i ( i-< i 1 i 1 i 1 i I ee- 1- t~ O O rH rH 4 3 ft r}< > I IO 1- -^ CM CM j -u O O3 CO 1 00 Tj< ' o> 43 ft CO O O Tfl lO l- CM O CM i-l CO CO IO o O 5 fr -3I O T-H 0H O i-l OO t~ Ol O to M o co * 10 ao CM iH 2i| rH | I-l 4fe CM * Ttl * rH ' W o| B iH rH I-H rH CM Oi l^ ' t- 0> OQ -^ ^3 O gg'-S O ft fT> -t< rJH CO O Oi 00 O O Ol i-l O iH -H i-H rH i * O . ' 2 ft o t- in -H co m i-l 1 CO C55 i-H OS (M . OS . 3 H o 03 O v, ;> O 55 rH CM O in rH rH Th * > OS co 3- >H 2^ o> - w e3 V, c3 l>> ~~ 00 OS O rH CM O O O tH rH rH .33 Ol OS OS OS OS W 0) !>> 9) .Hr5 COH 1914} EXPERIMENTS IN ONION CULTURE 361 value of the crops produced from sets was considerably greater than that of the crops produced from seed. Table 21 gives the 'value of the crop, the cost of production, and the net profit for each of the crops of onions from sets and from seed. Altho the cost of growing the crop from sets was every year greater and usually very much greater than that of growing the crop from seed, the higher yield and the higher prices combined usu- ally resulted in the crop from the sets being much more profitable than that from the seed. The only exceptions occurred in 1908 and 1912, when the crop from the sets was smaller than that from the seed, as already mentioned, and the prices little or no higher. The six-year average shows an advantage of $102.23 per acre per year in favor of growing the Yellow Globe onions from sets rather than from seed. For the three years that the Prize Taker sets were used, the average annual profits per acre were $254.14 greater for the crop grown from sets than for the crop grown from seed of the same strain. This average is not comparable with the six-year average for the other type, on account of the very low yields from seed in 1911 and the higher price received for the Prize Taker onions grown from sets in 1910. However, it shows something of the possibilities in the line of the profits that may be secured from Prize Taker onions grown from sets, as compared with the same variety grown from seed. CONCLUSIONS Wood Ashes as a Fertilizer for Onions. The results show that, on the type of soil used in these experiments, the use of wood ashes as a fertilizer for onions is not attended with sufficiently regular profits to warrant its recommendation. Time of Planting. The results of the tests herein reported in- dicate that onions should be planted within two weeks after the soil first reaches workable condition in the spring ; and that planting at the beginning of this period is likely to result in larger average yields than planting at its close. Furthermore, there is more certainty of getting the onions planted sufficiently early if they are planted at the earliest opportunity, than if the first period of good planting weather is allowed to pass. It is therefore advisable to plant onions at the very earliest date in spring that a good seed bed can be prepared. In central Illinois this is usually some time between March 20 and April 1. Thinning. The chief objection to thinning onions is the expense. On the other hand, if onions are not thinned, there is likely to be a large percentage of undersized bulbs, and even those that are of marketable size (that is, more than li/4 inches in diameter) are likely to be much smaller than those that have been thinned. The tendency of the market at the present time is to give preference to large-sized 362 BULLETIN No. 175 [July, onions, so that altho the accepted minimum standard size for market onions is 11/4 inches in diameter, unless most of the onions in a given lot are considerably above the minimum, it is difficult to sell them on some markets, even at a reduced price. Therefore, if onions are to be grown without thinning, great care must be taken in sowing the seed to secure 'a thin and uniform stand. This involves testing the seed for germinative power, and adjusting the seed drill with ex- treme precision. Growing Onions from Sets. On the whole it appears that altho the cost of growing onions from sets is considerably greater than growing the crop from seed, the sets are more certain than the seed to produce a paying crop, especially under unfavorable weather con- ditions ; the crop is likely to be larger ; it ripens earlier, ' and can usually be disposed of promptly at harvest time. The chief objection to the growing of onions from sets is the enormous amount of labor involved in planting them. However, this is usually offset by the saving of expense in weeding, thinning, and tillage. The excess cost of sets over seed and the increased labor of harvesting the larger crop from the sets are usually more than balanced by the greater value of the crop ; thus, under present conditions, the growing of onions from sets for local market in Illinois towns appears to offer greater opportunity for large profits from small areas than growing onions from seed. The growing of ripe onions from sets may well form part of a general market-garder^ng business, provided the quan- tity grown in a given locality does hot exceed the capacity of the available markets. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA Q 630.7IL6B COO BULLETIN. URBANA 166-181 1914-15 30112019528436 - %?