El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-14
u 4 BULLETIN written 81 20 Il

IN A BULLETIN written by Prof. r
". CIothier, of the University Of
l. Arizona and soon to be published
by the Arizona experiment station, en-
titled Dry Farming in the Arid South
west" Prof Clothier will introduce to
the world a new dry farming crop
which has wonderful possibilities for
the arid section Of the world having q
short rain period This crop is the
tepary bean. obtained from the Pa
page indians by director #. H Forbs,
Of the Arizona experiment station, in
the spring CO 1909. ana placed in the
hands Of Prof. Clothier at that time to
be tested for its dry farming possibili-
ties. Writing Of this bean, Prof. ClO-
thier says:
After three years Of experimenting
with it. am prepared to say that 1t is
one Of the most wonderful plants ever
presented to the dry farming public. If
1t has growing season Of IS days. it
will make a fair crop, and If it has 90
days, 1t will make a good crop. If it
is struck by a drOuth, it will ripen the
pods already set, and when the drOuth
breaks it will set and ripen a new crop
II II has 1--WE weeks in which TO do it.
In 1911, beans planted June II were
struck with drOuth July 20 after but
5.34 inches of water had penetrated the
soil The drOuth continued until Aug
ust p and was accompanied by ex-
tremely hot weather, the Fahrenheit
thermometer frequently reaching a
maximum Of 105 to los degrees and
averaging 90 degrees as a maximum
for the entire period.
Beans Yield Well.
Notwithstanding these adverse con-
ditions, these beans ripened an average
Of 319 pounds Of seed per acre during
this drouth. Then when the rains re-
CURED, the beans again began setting
pods and matured an additional 456
pounds Of seed between September
and October 10, on 4.97 inches more Of
penetrating rainfall, making a total
yield OF rs pounds per acre for the
season. Moisture determinations in the
soil made before planting showed thar
there was not over 3 inches Of GTater
available for plant production in the
first four feet of soil and none in the
subsol below that depth, when the
beans were planted. When we consider
the extremely dry character Of the at
mosphere in the arid southwest with
its consequent great power to absorb
water from soils and plants these
yields under such conditions are re-
markable. The pink bean, which has
a reputation itself as a drOuth resister
made nothing whatever during the
drOuth and only 100 pounds per acre
for the entire season under exactly the
same conditions.
Average Yield Large.
During three years of experimental
ton Is plots of one quarter acre each
of tepary beans have been grown and
the average yield on all of them has
been 473 pounds per acre. Many of the
plots have had extremely Door stands
and on many Of them the soil was so
dry at planting time that the beans
remained in the ground six weeks be-
fore enough rain occurred to sprOut
them and bring them I'D. Eleven SINH
lar plots of pink beans grown during
the same period averaged only 14O
pounds per acre under the same condi-
lions. Three plots of red Indian beans
averaged 131 pounds; two plots of
Leopard wax rs pounds and two plots
Of Hansen beans 107 pounds per acre.
In 1909 only GIL inches of water
penetrated the soil during the growing
season and only 80 inches had pene-
trated it since August of the proceed
ing year and yet tepary beans aver
aged 457 pounds per acre with a poor
stand. In 1910 the total water peuc-
trating the soil during the growing
season was 9.34 inches and the soil had
received no water other than this since
the preceding August. Tepary beans
aVera ged $40 pounds per acre with eX-
tremely poor stands in that year. In
1911 a small amount OF arm had pene-
trated the soil since the preceding Aug
ust but it had all dried out at planting
time. The penetrating rain during the
growing season was S.31 inches. Four
plots of tepary beans averaged 521
pounds per acre on this rainfall while
two plots that had three and onehalf
inches of irrigating water added to
the soil two months before planting