Mr. J. Chas. McCullough: We have most carefully audited the books and vouchers of the Secretary-Treasurer, and we find that everything is correct. It was then moved and seconded that the report of the Auditing Committee be received and accepted, which was agreed to. At this point the meeting was adjourned for a brief Executive Session after which the paper by Mr. C. F. Wood was read as follows: GROWING AND KEEPING ONION SETS. By C. F. Wood, President Wood, Stubbs & Co., Louisville, Ky. The custom of growing onion sets no doubt originated from the fact that onion sets planted out in the spring will yield a very much larger crop of onions at an earlier date than if the seed is sown and not transplanted; for transplanting this crop in this section and the south usually improves its yield more than one hundred per cent. In the locality of Louisville, onion sets have been grown in large quantities for more than fifty years, as the soil and climate are particularly suited for producing them satisfactorily. In early times twenty barrels was considered a large crop when sowing had to be done by hand, and all the weeding and cultivating by hand hoes, but with the introduction of modern seed sowing machinery, wheel hoes, etc., the acreage has been largely increased until now some of our larger growers produce as many as thirty-five hundred to four thousand barrels, there being about four bushels to the barrel. SOIL PREPARATION, ETC. Onion sets require rich, loamy soil, which will not bake or get hard, and which can be easily worked. It should be as free of weeds as possible, well drained and moderately flat. Manure applied a year previous is considered best, as fresh manure does not suit this crop well, for it burns and produces lots of weeds. Cow peas and commercial fertilizer on large areas are used to splendid advantage, and it is a practice of some large growers, after their crop of sets is dug and harvested, to sow the land in cow peas for enriching for the following year. A good commercial fertilizer, say ammonia three per cent., phosphoric acid eight per cent. and potash six per cent. is also applied just before the seed is sown, or as a top dressing, and should be put on at the rate of 800 to 1000 pounds per acre if applied when preparing, ог 300 to 400 pounds as a top dressing. Plowing is done with a two-horse plow very deep, followed with harrows and boarded to get it perfectly smooth and clean. Too much pains cannot be taken in preparation, for if not thoroughly smooth, firm and clean, the land will become rough after a rain, the stand will be uneven, and the cultivation will be very much harder to accomplish. SOWING AND CULTIVATING. Seeding usually commences about March 15th. and continues as late as April 15th., but from March 20th. to the 25th. is about the height in this locality. Planet Jr., or new Model Drills, are generally used, Planet Jr. being preferred. They are equipped with a special shoe which distributes the seed a little wider than the ordinary shoe which is on the drill. The seed is sown in rows II to 12 inches apart, and in this locality single rows are preferred, though in some sections as many as four rows are sown together, leaving a space of 11 to 12 inches between each four rows. It takes from forty to eighty pounds of seed per acre, the average sowing being about fifty pounds. As soon as the plants are up so that they can be seen along the row, wheel hoes with scrapers are run as close as possible to the plants for weeding in between the rows. A special disc attached to the scrapers is used by some growers when the plants are very small, as they can get closer to the row without throwing dirt on the young plants. These wheel hoes with scrapers are used three or four times during the season, and hand weeding must be done in the rows probably once or twice, or as often make their appearance in the row. as weeds The amount of cultivation of this crop depends very largely upon the season and what sort of stand is obtained from the seed. If the seed comes up thickly or the season is very dry, more cultivation is given than if there is a thin stand or the season is wet. The more cultivation the larger the sets are apt to grow, hence the grower has to watch his crop to give such cultivation as circumstances demand. Cultivation one to one and a half inches deep is done with wheel hoes with three or four cultivator teeth on them, and with a special small wheel cultivator with five teeth. Usually it requires two or three workings during the season from the time the seed is sown until the crop is harvested. Loose thoroughly pulverized soil is essential for best results. HARVESTING. The average yield of sets is about 300 bushels per acre, though sometimes the yield is as high as 500 bushels. The digging is usually done in July, commencing about the 5th., and ending about August 15th., which however is late, as some injury is done by allowing them to remain in the ground too long. This is done by hand entirely; one man usually goes along to loosen up the ground with a hoe fork or spade fork, and the pickers following lifting the sets by the tops, shaking off the dirt, twisting off the tops, and putting the sets into baskets, whence they are carried to storage trays. Where large areas are grown, special machinery is sometimes used here for shaking the dirt out and assorting. Many machines for digging sets have been devised, but as yet nothing practical has ever been invented which will lift the sets out of the ground and clean them. It costs about 30 to 50c per barrel to dig Onion Sets, and as this is one of the most expensive parts about the production, the cost will be considerably cheapened if an Onion Set digging machine is ever devised which is practical. The first sets that are dug have a certain amount of green top on them, and are not as good as those which are allowed to dry in the fields. Small gardeners immediately haul their sets to outhouses or barns, putting them in trays or crates which hold from one to two barrels apiece. These trays are from four to six inches deep, and vary in size from five to seven feet long by three to three and a half feet wide. A tray 5 x 3 feet is the best size, as it holds about one barrel, and two men can easily handle it full of sets so as to rack it up. They are made with slatted bottoms for ventilation, and have four upright pieces in the corners which extend four to six inches above the tray. Large growers stack these trays in double tiers right out in the fields, and a roofing of rough boards and tar paper is put over them to prevent the rain from getting in. Sets in trays at first are put from four to six inches deep according to the condition they are in, the amount of room, and how much circulation of air can be given. At the approach of winter all sets that are stacked in fields or open sheds must be removed to warmer quarters. They can be put in trays thicker at this time, as there is not the danger of heating and sprouting. The grading of Onion Sets usually does not take place to any great extent until the sets are marketed. It is usually done by hand fans which separate the pickle onions, dirt and chaff from the clean sets. The grade usually sold in this section is of a size one inch in diameter and under. When sets are very rooty or chaffy, they have to be rubbed on the top screen when going through the fan. SHRINKAGE IN KEEPING ONION SETS. Sets are sold at all times in the market from the time they are dug and hauled out of the field until very late in the spring. They are usually much cheaper in the fall than in the winter and early spring, because the growers in many cases need money, and after they have been carefully stored for winter, they do not care to move them unless good prices are paid. During the fall there are always quantities to be bought, and dealers usually buy their sets then and store in their own warehouses for the winter. It is becoming customary also for dealers in middle and northern latitudes to buy their sets in the fall from this market and store until spring, and for the past two years this has proven to be one of the most profitable investments, netting one to two hundred per cent profit. Dealers here prefer to sell sets in the fall, as they can be handled to better advantage, and there is no danger of freezing and less danger of injury in transit. The loss in keeping Onion Sets is largest from the time of digging until September 1st, which is approximately about 15 per cent. From September 1st to January 1st the loss is very small, and does not average more than 10 per cent. From January 1st to February 1st about 3 per cent. From March 1st to April 1st 10 per cent. Hence five bushels of sets weighing 160 pounds on September Ist would weigh approximately about as follows: On January 1st 144 pounds. On February 1st 140 pousds. On April 1st 117 pounds. These are approximate shrinkages under ordinary conditions. The greatest loss will be noticed during the month of March, as at this time there is great lightening in the stock due to their commencing to sprout. HANDLING AND STORING. Sets can be stored in any room whether above or below the ground providing there is no dampness and a certain amount of air can circulate through them, and where they can be protected during severe freezing weather. The more air that circulates through them, the drier they will become, and there will be somewhat heavier shrinkage, hence if sets are stirred very much they will lose more than if allowed to remain without turning. Freezing sets in transit or in houses does not hurt them to any great extent unless the temperature goes very low and provided they are not handled in this condition. A temperature of fifteen or twenty below freezing does not seem to hurt them with the exception it makes them somewhat lighter in weight. Dealers use both trays and boards for storing sets. The trays have already been described. If boards are used the space can be used for other storage, as Any empty crates take up almost as much room as full crates. kind of boards will do for storing Onion Sets, though in large quantities even lengths are better. When we use boards they are usually about fourteen feet long, ten inches wide, seven-eights of an inch thick. With these boards scantlings 6x2 cut to five feet lengths we have found best. Four of these scantlings are laid on the floor edges up about 4% feet apart. The first sets are poured on the floor in between these scantlings, and after this space is full, six boards are placed on the top of the scantlings without nailing; then more scantlings are put and more sets. In this way they can be stacked up ten feet high without danger of falling over, and after the sets are removed, these boards and scantlings occupy very little space. When sets are received by rail it is imperative that they be taken out of the bags or barrels they are shipped in just as soon as possible and spread out. A little watching at first to see that they are not spread too thickly is all that is necessary, and by running the hand into the trays to see that they are perfectly dry is all the care that is necessary in keeping them. In damp weather especially if the sets are a little damp, the windows in an onion set storing room should be closed, and on bright clear days unless very cold, plenty of air should be given them. It is becoming a common thing by nearly all dealers who buy Onion Sets to have them shipped in burlap bags rather than in barrels. In the first place barrels weigh about twenty pounds apiece, and in addition to the freight on the sets, the weight of a car load of barrels amounts to from three to four thousand pounds. Barrels also are very much more expensive than bags. If sets are shipped early, say in September, cattle cars, ventilated cars, and box cars slatted are used. If shipped in November or December, ordinary box cars are generally used, and after the middle of December, refrigerator cars, especially for northern points, are the best. VARIETIES. Louisville is becoming one of the most important markets in the United States for Onion Sets, and annually supplies many car load of sets to large centers such as Chillicothe, Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis, besides points from Manitoba to the Gulf, and from Maine to Oregon. In this locality Yellow and White Onion Sets are almost exclusively grown, though a few Red Wethersfields, Creole, White Pearl, Bermuda and Yellow Potato Onion Sets are supplied. Globe shape onions are not suitable for sets, as they are too elongated, not readily salable and do not keep well. The strain of onion used for White and Yellow Sets is what |