The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-10-20
Navy Bean Culture.

navy Bean Cultures
These are the common " hite beans o.
the stores, sometimes called, too, i'll
Florida Soldier pcans," tho materiol
from which Boston baked beans" are
made. Mr.. C. X. McQuarrie writes
about them to the Southern Ruralist as
follows:
It seems as il newly awakened in
terest is being taken in Dean culture
among some Southern farmers, judging
from inquiries being received bearing
on this crop. Beans are probably a
more suitable crop to plant in peach
orchards than. the cow pea propagating
the root knot wherever it is grown.
Many peach orchards are to-day entire
~ worthless from the ravaces Of the
root knot, all originating with cow pea
culture in the orchard. This objection
cannot be urged upon the navy bean
because II is free Of that tendency and
moreover is fully as profitable crop
as the cow pea. There Is always de.
mand for good grade Of navy beans.
They sell higher per bushel than COW
peas, and the yield per acre In bushels
|: Is not less, and they will grow and give
q good account of themselves, on ,the
sandiest of our pine lands and apart al
together from their use In the grove or
orchard as Q farm crop. they are hard
to beat-for a profitable and saiisfac-
tory return for time, labor and fertil.
izer used. This crop can be made
catch-crop, coming in between seasons
as it were; it is very suitable for fol-
lowing an early spring crop such as
wheat, oats or Irish potatoes, all or
which come off in May. and the beans
can follow them and give good crop
in from ninety to 100 days time.
After the bears have been secured
a good cutting Of hay can generally BE-
depended on from the same land. II
this crop is made 10 follow oats or any
Of the small grain crops, then the stuG-
bic must be carefully p.owed under
and the land made free and loose, so as
TO give n good seed bed for the hPan
crop. If it follows Irish potatoes the
same rule holds good. only that the po-
tato crop Will leave the soil in more
mellow condition than a grain crop.
consequently the same attention to the
plowirC is rot so necessary. l nave
found this crop 10 90 ve"y well Sic
ceeGing a winter turniD crop. but l"t
the previous crop be what it may, pro-
per attention to the seed bel and the
fertilizer used are tie prime essentials
rs q preliminary to good and profit
able yield at harvesting. The for,iliZ-
ing of the crop is really very imno:-
tant matter. because OH the grace used
depends the quality and quantity OF
the returns made. A perfect plant
food for the bean crop SHOULD ana:yze,
say, six per cent. piospEoric acid, ten
per cent. potash and one or two pr
cent. nitrogen. This analysis cannot
be found. rs fer as Know Of, in any
of the grades on the market to-day,
therefore the successful bean grover
must either compound his own ferti!-
izer Or buy the nearest lie can find ard
add the necessary potash to bring up
the grades to the necessary point.
This is not very difficult to do for it
IS not really necessary to miS.the addi-
tional ingredient. Applying it broa4-
cast in the proper ratio is all that Is
necessary, but care must be taken thar
all the fertilizer is properly mixed with
the soil few Gays or week before
planting time. This crop Goes best with
considerable attention by cultivation in
its early stages. but it must not be cul-
tiyated when the leaves are either wet
with dew or rain. The rows should he
about three feet apart and the seed
we'll scattered in the furrow at plant
ing. A peck of seed should plant one
acre. At harvesting the crops can be
cut the same as grain crops and tied in
bundles and shocked in the field until
properly cured, when 1t can be thresied
whenever convenient. The leaves AMI
stems of the bean pant made good
forage for cattle and horses. In fact,
cattle are quite partial to 1t and Its
feeding value is high. In sectors
where the crop is made speciality.
yield of forty to fifty bushels per acre
is not uncommon, but In the South If
we get half of that amount we are
doing we'll, but by using about 800
pounds per acre Of suitable fertilizer,
as already indicated. one can reason
ably expect thirsy-five bushels per acre,
and at $3.50 per bushel. which Is low
figure there are few farm crops that
will pay any better than navy bean
crop.
Rape.
This crop has long been grown IN
Europe, but it is comparatively Few
@.an