Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-12-27
BEANS FOR THE WORLD.
Something About the Circunscribed Area
of This Staple Crop.
= 1c.aatai -.-.-

Something About the Circunscribed Area
of This Staple Crop.
Especial correspondence.l
NEW YORK, Dec. 13.-There Is no product
OF the soil whose virtues are more generally
recognized than the ordinary white bean, and
there is no crop that is more likely to be uni
formly profitable. And yet there is no
branch of farming that is SO restricted in area
in the United States, with one possible excep-
ton, as the raising Of white beans. OF course,
market gardeners the world over raise "string'
beans, and every one who hasa quarter of an
acre garden patch plants a few Whitesboros
or marrowfats for his own use, but the syste-
matte culture of beans in the United States is
mostly limited to a small area on the south
shore of Lake Ontario, near Rochester, N. Y.
There, in the northwestern portion OF Monroe
and the northern portion of Orleans counties,
the Whitesboro OF "medium' bean is q staple,
dividing the honors with the apple only, and
often being planted in fields OF fifty and even
a hundred acres. From the railway stations
in that circumscribed region 60 out at least
three-fourths Of all the beans sold to con-
sumers in the United States. A large pro-
portion Of the rest comes from Chill, South
America.
1t may seem strange that the raising of
beans should receive the attention Of the far
mers in SO small q section Of country, but the
fact is that the crop is a very tender " one,
easily and disastrously affected by either wet
or dry weather, by too great heat or too
early frosts, and requiring skillful and care
full cultivation. II the vines are touched
after they begin to fiower, the crop ia ruined,
early frosts are safely5passed by, The pods are
n1lNupnl 70 hApNr~A kDr J-xy Lnfn,r~ n ulank
ing, they arc sure to "shell,n and the crop Is
infinite dismay. gs G1a1 ~ gfgt StTa3 -a4.
Beans will not do well too far south, and
the contiguity OF the lake, which keeps off
early frosts, coupled with certain favorable
features of the soil, particularly adapt this ~
gion to their cultivation. ~ S9fatd %sI
The care and skill required In harvesting
beans-they have to be pulled up by the roota
have created a special class OF laborers In
the bean country. These people work but
little during most Of tho year. IA good bean
puller can earn IS q day and the harvest
lasts some six weeks, furnishing the ready
cash required for purchase Of clothes, etc.
The rest Of the year is spent by the PROBES.
sional bean puller in; fishing and loafhg and
the doing Of such odd jobs as present them
selves. m ,as r. <,
or course, all who "pull beansn do not be-
long to the Professionals but there Is In
these counties a distinct slass who goifrom
farm to farm in gangs" beginning as carly
in the morning as they can see and continuing
at the work until twilight hai faded into the
darkness of night. The experienced puller
will take two rows Of beans alta time and 60
across the field at about the rate Of q slow
walk, never leaving an unpulled stalk. and
Smelling but very few, even if they are dry.
Most OF them work on their knees, which ara
usually well padded with = leather.
The bean pulling season Is with these
people a season of frolic as well as
hard work, and directly they leave the
field they usually tramp of to the nearest
"store" in a body, where they buy smoked
herring, cheese, and crackers,Eard then pro
coed to gorge themselves on those. delicacies
or course, stories and songs sometimes moi
OF the most refined, go round; and the shiiaritJ
of the occasion Isl greatly increased II they
have CHANGED to secure a jug Of hard cider
But the festivities OF the night never inter
fere with ttiiie, work. u tie Day fof they know
that the harvest is short, and q daylost ha.
gone forever. The next mornings sun in
variably finds, them in the field ahead of him
Most farmers still thresh their bean crop BY
spreading it out on the barn floor and driving
a team Of horses around upon it, though! th,
bean separator" a modification Of the grair
separator, has of late years been introduces
to a limited extent. c. s.