The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-11-09
Raising Beans In Catherine.


soil to the cultivation of foreign products
was never more wildly demonstrated than
in the growth of the Lima bean. 1t was
in the spring of 1867 that this nutritious
commodity was first introduced from Peru
by the pioneer farmers of California.
Prior to this time the only varieties grown
in this section were the small white navy
bean and the Mexican frejole, the great
Lima having been regarded as luxury
distinctly peculiar to the region indicated
by its name. Hence its introduction was
altogether in the nature of an experiment,
says a Pasadena (Cal. letter to the St.
Louis Globe Democrat.
But, whatever the theory that prompted
the venture, its soundness was speedily
manifested. Within FIVE years from the
time the first Lima beans were planted in
California the world output of the pro-
duct was increased from about 500, 900 to
more than 5000, 900 pounds annually.
The experiment proved to be the founda
ton of an industry of more substantial and
permanent value to California than the
richest of her gold mines. The district of
Carpenteria, an exceptionally fertile sea-
coast valley near the south boundary of
Santa Barbary, was for number Of years
the center of the Lima industry. This
locality seemed specially suited to the re-
quirements of the new product, and the
annual yield increased to an enormous fig
ure.
Notwithstanding the immense gain in
the total production, however, the supply
was inadequate to meet the demand, which
resulted in the extension of the industry
into the neighboring colonies of Ventura
and Los Angeles. Here conditions devel-
oped that were quite as favorable as those
obtaining in the Carpenteria district, and
thenceforth the annual output Of Lima
beans rapidly increased, until today the
average yield in southern California aggre-
gate some %, 900, 600 pounds, or more
than three-fourths the total production
throughout the world.
In California, the recognized realm OF
the Lima bean is confined to succession
of valleys situated within the limits of 100
miles along the southern seacoast The
principal reason for this lies in the frequent
fogs prevalent in the districts referred to,
which constitute one of the principal re-
quisites in Lima bean culture.
The most extensive of these favored
wales is situated in the county of Ventura,
and contains many bean ranches of i'm
mense acreage. The largest covers an
area of l 800 acres, representing the most
extensive bean field in the world 1t re-
quires 40 tons of seed beans each season
to plant it, and produces an average Of
2,460, 900 pounds. While the revenue
from such yield is immense, the expense
of cultivating and harvesting 1900 acres
of beans is proportionately large. As ar
instance, the planting and tilling of the
field in question requires the services Of
100 men with horses
Originally the Lima bean, like numerous
kindred varieties, grew in the form of a
vine and was trained to entwineitself about
pole after the method commonly pursued
in the east. In course Of time, however,
through propagation, this vine was reduced
to small, densely constituted bush, after
which the bean pole no longer entered into
its cultivation.
As the cultivation increased, the latter
process was found to be inadequate, and
was succeeded by the treading oat method.
This consisted of throwing the harvested
plants into circular pen, the ground floor
of which had been packed down to the
hardness, of cement. Into this inclosure a
band of half tanned horses were driven and
made to race about over the crisp leaves
and pods, until the whole was thoroughly
pulperized. After this the waste was
carefully raked from the surface, and the
dust and chaff beneath gathered up and
run through tanning mill, whereby the
separation of the bean was effected. But
such original, if somewhat plebeian, meth
DDS were eventually abandoned in favor of
the more practical contrivances necessitated
by the subsequent colossal development of
the Lima bean industry
The latest process in harvesting is to
cut the plants, three rows at time, by
means Of machine fitted with knives,
which pass horizontally over the surface OF
the ground, the implement being drawn by
team of horses. In view of the erst-
while thrashing floor, the plants are run
through steam grain separator, which
method not only economies in time, but
obviates all waste or damage to the pro-
duct.
Tho common valuation of land suited to
the cultivation of Lima beans s necessari-
ly high from the fact that almost every
acre of land available to the industry is
being utilized, and is, therefore, difficult
to purchase. When, occasionally, trans
fers are effected, the bare land brings in
the neighborhood of $500 an acre And
when it is considered that the average acre
Of the Lima bean country yields its owner
upwards of 500 each season, such an in
vestment might well be regarded as bo-
nanza.