The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-04-28
M'BR|DE ADVISES
PLANTING WHITE BEANS
SAYS GOOD CROP FOLLOWS PROP
Err CULTURE
Claims Seed Selection Very Important,
and Tells How 1t May
Be Made
Michigan Agricultural College.
Extension Division
East Lansing. April 12. 1915


East Lansing, April IL, 1916.
This office has many inquiries regard
ing the bean situation which involves
the question of growing primarily, this
leading to marketing ultimately.
AS to market probabilities one can
advise that in anticipation of the bean
crop of 1916. the crop of 1915 will be
cleaned up before the new crop will be
available and none of the crop left over
to affect the prices of the crop of 1916.
There will be no beans imported, an
under war conditions it is impossible
and the prices are higher abroad than
here. Michigan had higher priced
beans last year than in other parts of
the United States because of organiza-
ton.
The future of the bean market as a.
consideration for planting in 1916 under
these circumstances is most promising.
The higher prices prevailing in Michi-
gan this year promise to bring Idaho,
New York and California into line with
adequate prices through market com
missions in these states.
One of the largest buyers has said
that with adequate organization, beans,
even with large crop. need never go
below So so per bushel basis to the
farmer. Owing to the peculiar climatic
conditions of Michigan-being practi-
cally peninsula bounded by large
bodies of fresh water on both sides.
the beans grown here are the very best
variety produced anywhere in the world
for canning purposes.
The Michigan Bean Growers will
meet in Grand Rapids about September
l, 1916. at the time the crop is known,
and after deliberation on the cost of
crop and statistics which will be pre-
pared under the direction of the Mar
kets' Office, compensatory value can
be placed on the crop.
The present county organization of
bean growers should be maintained and
aid in bringing to the state meeting the
last word as to crop estimates. A. B.
Cook, of Owosso, is president, and
Alex Pullar. of Freeland, secretary of
the Michigan Bean Growers Associa-
ton.
Under normal conditions advices as
to growing the crop would not be in
cluded, but last year conditions were
such that the best advices as to seed
conditions are eagerly sought.
In 1915 Roy Bailey. of Shiawassee
county. sold 1,961.00 worth of beans
from % acres and retained % bushels
for seed When this can be done under
the seasons condition it is we'll worth
while to consider growing beans, and
when, as County Agent Brody says,
1.-The time to grow certain crop is
when everybody else proposes to grow
some other crop"
Mr. |. X. Maystead, one of the able
young men engaged in the extension
work of the college, says that, 'Un-
ceasing rains aud cloudy, damp weather
are the calamitous causes of bean dis
eases.
If Michigan farmers will meet the re-
quirements demanded to grow a sue
cessful crop of beans-that of obtain
ing disease-free seed either from dis
ease-free fields or proper selection
from their own fields. and also practice
the best methods of culture possible
there is little question as to Michigan's
possibilities for holding up the record
of highest production this year and for
many years to come.
1t was strikingly noticeable that
those fields planted from selected, prae-
tically disease-free seed were the best.
Practical field selection-by taking only
those plants free from disease, gives
better results than hand-picked seed
due probably to the fact that seed may
be affected internally, which makes it
impossible to detect by the eye, also
impractical to treat with caustic solu-
tions.
Three pecks to an acre of this class
of beans will yield very much more
beans and good beans than bushel of
lower grade would yield. With only
three pecks to the acre required to pro-
duce good crop and in putting in ten,
fifteen or twenty acres on farm. it is
not long job nor a difficult one to
spend few days picking over seed and
picking out any deteriorated or decom-
posed pea beans that may have been
stained through either blight or any
other diseases which beans are heir to.
The advice of the most eminent plant
pathologists is that under normal wea-
ther conditions, crop of beans nor
mally free from disease can be ex-
pected when the best seed obtainable Is
planted.