The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-27

Editor Morning News: AS many of your
readers are largely interested this season
in growing the new forage plant-the Flor
ida velvet bean-and as I have had wide
experience in its culture 1 want 20 give
them some points that will be of great
value to them. When it is possible it is
always better to give the growing vine
support TO keep pods off the ground, thus
largely increasing fruitage. To do this
1t is a good idea to mix corn with your
bean seed, and vine will climb stalk, CIV
ing it the necessary support. A full,
we'll developed crop, VIII give you from
twenty to twenty-five bushels to the
acre
The green forage is eaten ravenously by
all stock on the farm but 1 would not
continue stock on It steadily for moro
than a week or so at a time, owing to iis
81 per cent. of nitrogen. A few days on
to other feed would be advisable. Should
you want 10 sacrifice your bean crop you
can cut vine up at any stage Of growth.
and cure il as hay. All farm stock VIII
eat il greedily, or what would be better,
plant a field later, which you could use as
green forage for a time. and finally cut
and cure as a dry feed. A good average
acre will yield you nearly four tons.
When your bean is ripe in the fall, PICK
1t. Be careful to place pods in an airy,
drying place-a scaffold is best-for rear
of heat and mould, Most all your STOCK
will eat the beans, huls and all, but IL
is better to have them ground up Win
hulls and feed equal parts of bran or
shorts. This Is an excellent feed for new
mich cows, increasing the flow OF mliA
largely.
After picking your bean in the fall you
Will most like want TO turn your dry lea.
and vine under for fertilizer. You VIII nhu
vine exceedingly tough, and plow Will not
l. On Ipxr hot
over field with harrow, before plowins'
and this will break the vine comple'ey
Now comes the important part me
Smelling. You will find the pods wonder
fully tough and leathery, and exceed'nsly
hard to shell, and they can only be shelleI
at all, excepting when pods are crisp uly
from exposure to sun, and even. then they
often she'll hard. If you want TO pracly.
economy, and use your muscle freely you
can she'll them fairly well by placing tns
crisp dry pods in a bag, and pouhd'ns
them with all your might with piuu
geon. In this way a good, strong MAJ.
will pound out six or eight bushels h
day. with us we have passed beyonu
this stage, and have found a better way
We have sheller-a two-men machlhe
made expressly for the business, thal ~
capable of turning out from five to eisns
bushels an hour the bean couilns
through 9S to 80 per cent. commerciay
clean. This is labor saver to us. anu
one we appreciate, as many of us nav,
as we do from ten to eighty acres Of Deans
to shell.
The Florida velvet bean is the coming
forage crop of the country. There can
be no question, and as fertilizer, ana an
up-builder of overworked land, there -
nothing that begins to equal It, 1t IS Ger
tainly the finest all-around feed, 1orase,
and fertilizer, that can be placed upon ulo
farm. 1t Is having a broad test the pres
ent season, 1t having gone on orders ~
all the states of our union, to HoholuIIt
Canada, the nineteen Central and 9ou','
American republics, England, lIeldnu'
Scotland France, Germany, Italy, EsypH
and TO far-away Japan and China.
Capt. Z. A. Wilson,
80 Orlando, Fla'