The Columbus journal., 1896-06-10

Lima Beans.
Prof. L. H. Bailey, Of Cornell Univer-
sity. writes on lima beans as follows:
The lima beans are natives Of warm
countries. The large fiat limas are per-
ennials. or at least plur-annuals, In
their native countries. They therefore
require a long season, and one who ex-
poets to grow them in the north should
endeavor in every way to shorten tho
period of growth. This may be done. in
the first place, by planting the earlier
varieties; and, in the second place. by
exercising great care in the selection
OF soil and in giving particular atten-
ton to cultivation. Light and so-called
quick" soils are best Soils which are
naturally sandy and loose, but which
have been enriched in previous years
by the addition Of manure. are excellent
for lima beans, especially IL they have
q warm exposure. The soil should also
be dry. Coarse, raw manure should be
avoided on lima beans. because 1t tends
to make too rank and too late growth.
II any fertilizer is applied the year in
which the beans are planted, 1t should
be such as will become available very
quickly and therefore tend to hasten
the maturity of the crop. We prefer,
therefore, to use some of the c0ncen-
trated fertilizers. especially those
which are rich in potash and phosphoric
acid, and avoid those which contain
very much nitrogen. II nitrogenous fer
tilizers are used at all, they should be
applied in comparatively small amount
and be Of such kind that they will give
up their fertility early in the season.
II ordinary stable manure is used. II
should be applied in the fall In order
that it may become thoroughly incor-
porated with the soil and be ready for
use at the earliest moment In the
spring.
Our lima beans were planted In 1895,
on the 31st day of May. They might
have been planted a few days earlier,
no doubt, with perfect safety. II one
desires to get his beans ahead very
early he can plant them in a forcing
house or cold-frame in pots or on in
verted sods. or in refuse berry boxes,
about two weeks in advance of the time
they are to be set out Of doors. From
these receptacles they can be trans
ferred easily to the ground. One of our
constituents says that he always
greases his lima beans thoroughly with
lard when he plants them, and is there
by able to plant his crop a week or ten
days ahead of the usual time. because
the grease preserves the beans from rot
ting. We have not tried this method
and do not know what value 1t has. 1t
is an easy matter to transplant lima
beans. even when they are not grown
in pots or boxes, If the ground is moist
when they are taken up SO that large
lump of earth adheres to the roots and
il the weather is somewhat humid fol-
lowing the transfer. But, In spite ct all
that can be done, nearly every variety
of the large lima beans will fail to ma
ture its full crop in the north before
frost. II half the pods which the vines
have set should mature before frost
comes, the grower may feel that he has
been very successful. The green pods
which remain at frost time, If the beans
are partially grown. can be picked, the
beans shelled out and dried, and these
can be used in the winter time to as
good advantage as If they were thor
oughly ripe. If these dried beans are
soaked in water for some time before
they are cooked. they are scarcely in
ferior to green beans directly from the
vine.
Cost Of Raising Corn In Kansas.
Kansas is certainly a great corn state.
Statistics show that the average an
nual yield for all the thirty -four years,
bad seasons and good, since 1861, has
been twenty-seven bushels per acre for
the entire state, ranging in different
years from nine to forty-eight and four
fifths bushels. The product for twenty
five years ending with 1895 has had an
annual home value averaging more
than $31, ,00O. 900. and total value in
that time exceeding $776, ,OOO, 900.
Secretary Coburn in the March quar-
terly report of the State Board of Ag-
riculture, presents a detailed showing
from sixty-eight longtime extensive
growers, in forty-iive counties which
last year produced 14Q, ,O00, 900 bushels,
giving from their experience ION such
a basis as others can safely accept"
each principal item of cost in growing
and cribbing an acre of corn, esti-
mating the yield at forty bushels.
About two-thirds of those reporting
prefer planting with listers, and the
others use the better known check-row
method, after the land has been plowed
and narrowed.
The statements of all the growers
summed up, averaged and itemized,
show as follows:
COST OF RAISING AN ACRE OF
CORN.
SEED ...................$ O.O7
Planting with lister, or with
check-r0w planter, including
cost of previous plowing and
harrowing) ................. ~
Cultivating .................. 1.U3
HuSkicp and nutfi0p in crih 70