The Yale expositor., 1913-05-15
BEANS.
BY L. J. CrandaII, St. Clair County
Asrieulturist.
Soil.


and perhaps give fair yield on soils
not strong enough to produce good
potatoes or corn, nevertheless, profit
able bean growing, requires soil well
adapted to the crop and in good or
higher state of fertility. Limestone
soils are the best. Clay loans IL well
drained or sandy or gravel loans IL
well supplied with humus and properly
fortified will grow profitable crops or
beans. Heavy clay and sandy soils
are less suitable Peaty soils are not
desirable as they produce rank
growth of vines that are subject to the
diseases and also the seed ripens I'M
evenly. Beans can he grown where
wheat or corn can be grown but they
will not thrive as well as wheat Will
on a very rich land and they can not
grow profitable in light land that
grows a fair yield of corn. Beans Will
not thrive on low, wet and poorly
drained soils but they do seem to pro
duce good crops on soil somewhat de-
ficient in nitrogen when well supplied
with potash and phosphorus. Con,
trary 10 a prevalent notion, beans VIII
not produce well on very poor soils
but require a fair degree of fertility.
Planting.
The time of planting varies with
the locality and the kind OF beans
grown. Very early planting of beans
is not recommended for if the beans
are placed in the ground while it is
cold or too wet for quick termination
the seeds rot quickly and even If a
fair stand is secured the young plants
do not get an even start. The strong
est and best seeds terminate first UNI
der favorable conditions causing an
uneven stand in size and vigor This
uneven stand causes an uneven ripen-
ing at harvest This trouble is not
likely to be encountered when the
beans are planted later and conditions
are more favorable for rapid 9ermina-
ton and growth The seed should be
planted shallow just deep enough to
cover well in a fine, moist soil. Mr..
Cook gives the following statement.
To do this, press wheels on the hoes
which are carrying the beans are
great help They regulate the depth,
press the soil slightly and assist ma
terially in securing an even stand and
evenness at maturity.
One of the best machines for plant |
Ing DEANS Is the 6lGN6u
grain seeder with seven inches space |
between the tubes. Stop up all the |
tubes except the second, sixth and |
tenth and let the drill wheel follow |
its own outer wheel mark instead OF |
i nthe last drill mark as in sowing |
grain. This will plant three rows at
a time twenty inches apart which is |
about the proper distance. In plant |
ing. the large varieties of kidney beans |
a bean attachment or special bean drill |
should be used. Some makes of grain |
drills have the attachments for plant |
ing beans. Planting in rows produce
better yields of beans than planting in |
hills or checks rows.
Place in Rotation.
Don't delay blowing your bean land |
antil you are ready 10 plant the crop. |
| know that time is valuable and that |
the farmers are busy with other work |
at this time, but it will pay to pillow
the land for beans are one of the best
yielding crops. The blowing should be
done five or six weeks before planting.
This method produces three principle
benefits. First, plant foods are more
readily available when the crop is
for the needs lateer on in the season,
and third, the son is in large meas
ure freed OF weeds, before sowing,
which would otherwise interfere with
the crop.
Harrow the land frequently SO as to
bring the land into the very best pos
slbie conditions. BY so doing the mois-
ture is retained in the soil and subsoil |
and this becomes available for the |
crops later on in the season. The |
weed seeds terminate and are killed |
before planting, and this makes the
cultivation later ON less expensive |
Beans are carried over the drought, |
and are better when the land is plow-
ed early and the moisture has been
conserved. Nearly every year the
beans suffer at some time in their
growth from drouth. Late and hast
lily fitting the bean ground causes a
large amount of loss to the farmers
when the drouth strikes the crop.
Fertilizer.
In growing beans on light, sandy
soils or other lacking in fertility it
will be found profitable to top dress
with fine or well rotted stable ma
nure after blowing. If manure
spreader is used from six to eight
loads per acre will be sufficient If
applied by hand more may be supple
mented by commercial fertilizers con-
tanning the following amounts of avail
able plant foods per acre, viz: From
10 TO 20 pounds muriate of potash
and from 20 to 80 pounds acid phos-
plate. These materials may be even
ly distributed over the field by spread
ing them over the top of each load
of manure applied by the spreader.
These applications of fertilizer should
be followed by the disc harrow in
order to intermix the materials with
the surface soil This method tends
to conserve moisture in addition to
supplying plant food
Cultivation.
Much of the cultivation work of the
beans should be done before the seed
is planted by producing a good clean
seed he'd Rpang camp IN ouiolxIv opd