The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-22
New method of Bean Growing.

Correspondence to the Country Gentleman
With good yield and frir quality of crop,
bean culture is quite profitable. They are
not exhaustive, and have never found q
better crop to prepare the land for wheat.
Belonging to the same botanical family as
clover-the leguminosae-they leave the
land in condition extremely favorable for
growth of the wheat plant.
The navy bean will in ordinary seasons
mature in eleven weeks from planting, snd
this will enable the farmer to grow a crop of
rye 10 turn under before planting to enrich
the land. or if he has piece of land full of
foul seeds he can by early blowing and sub.
Tequent stirring get most of the weed seed to
start, and destroy them before the beans are
planted; so it is seen that rightly managed
beans are a cleansing crop.
In several counties in Southern Ohio
beans have been grown largely field crop
by a method which have never seen else
where. The land is plowed early and fire.
Quentiy cultivated, so as to kill the weeds
and get 1t in nice condition, and about the
10th of June the beans are drilled at the
rate of about one bushel OF seed per acre,
with the wheat drill, with every third noe
stopped. This gives two rows, eight inches
apart, then a space of sixteen inches, and
two more of the close rows After sowing,
the field is rolled 60 as TO leave it level, and
nothing more is done to the crop until mstu-
~. when they are cut with the moving ma
chine, thus doing away with the hard and
slow work Of pulling. 1t is wise to plant as
soon after rain as the ground can be
worked, and 1t is very desirable that there
should be no heavy rains until the beans are
up and have good start, for, IL heavy rain
falls soon after planting they are likely 10
rot in low spots, making an imperfect
stand, aud the weeds will start
with them and choke the crop. II, how.
ever, the conditions are favorable for the
first few days, and the crop gets good start
they will soon cover the ground so as to keep
down the weeds and produce good crop.
If the beans are to be cultivated SOW with
the wheat drill and make the rows two feet
apart Cultivation should be shallow and
level, so as not to heap any earth up at the
rows, and, with favorable weather, will need
10 be repeated but once, as the crop Will
soon take possession OF the soil. Harvesting
should not be deferred until the pods are
dry, or there will be loss from Smelling. As
soon as half the pods are yellow the crop
msy be cut or pulled, and should be cured
IS rapidly as possible and taken to shelter as
soon as possible. If lofts with open floors
can be bad to store them on there is little
danger Of damage 10 them in the barn, as
they do not pack closely, and the air will
circulate through quite bunch OF them.
The best time TO thresh beans is in clear,
cold weather in winter, bat IL IL is not con-
venient 10 keep them, there are usually dry
ing, windy days through the autumn when
they are in prime condition. The quickest
and best way to thresh is to tramp with
horses, but care must b taken not to let the
horses step on the bare floor. or to have thin
places, or the beans will many of them be
split, which will detract from their appear.
ST &c and injure their sale.
II the weeds have been kept down in the
crop it viii be better not TO plow the land
for wheat, but simply mellow the surface
with the cultiyator o. harrow and drill in the
seed, as the land where beans have grown
will be found TO pulverizs easily. have
spoken only OF the navy bean. because il Is
standard variety. On some soils and for
certain markets, some other variety will