Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-10
FARMERS ARE
SELECTING SEED
BEANS CAREFULLY
San Miguel County Leading in
Campaign for Planting More
and Better Grade Of VaIu-
able Product,


striking example of what may be
accomplished by county agent, with
Knowledge of local conditions and CO.
nneration on the part of the farmers,
e that of the development of the bean
Industry in San Miguel county under
4ho direction of County Agent NJ. Il.
Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales, with the help
If the farmers in San Miguel has rev.
authorized the bean industry in that
section has made it possible for the
farmers to make much more money
an beans than they ever made before
and has started an energetic campaign
10 mako the New Mexico pinto bean
a standard by which all other western
grown beans will be judged.
Interesting Start.
The start Of the bean boom in San
Miguel county is story In Itself. Mr.
Martinez has been more or less in
terested in bean growing and has i'm
messed on the farmers the need OF
careful selection of the seed beans.
MANY months ago while on one of his
Trims TO the country. Mr.. Gonzales Wis
tied the ranch Of Julio Pacheco, an
old man, 65 years old. who lives on
q homestead thirty-five miles east of
Las Vegas, with his two sons. For
several years they had planted corn,
beans and other forage crops. In
talking to Pacheco, the county agent
discovered that the old man was
much Interested in suggestions for
bean seed selection. On invitation of
Pacheeo, Mr.. Gonzales remained at
the ranch for the night. During the
evening four or five of the farmers
living in the community arrived at
Pacheeos house. Bean growing was
the principal topic of conversation.
Mr.. Gonzales told the farmers that
common beans were good enough for
seed, but that they should be hand
picked. AS the farmers were then
preparing their lands for planting,
they were unusually interested.
Bcan-piclsing Contest.
Paeheco brought quantity of
beans and placed them on the table.
All PlNStli tIbaSNu III a. manu- pNNHT
picking contest. Mr. Gonzales instruct
ing them as to the best beans insist
ing that they should pick those that
were of uniform type, of one solid
color At the close of the contest, Pa
checho promised to plant the hand
picked beans and notify all present
as to results
County Prize Winners.
Mr.. Gonzales dismissed the matter
from his mind until at the county fair
in Las Vegas, he saw Pachecho's
beans grown from the hand-picked
seed. They were superior to any that
had ever been grown in the county.
Winning the prize in the county, the
beans We're taken to the state fair in
Albuquerque, where nineteen other
counties We're competing for the prize
on the New Mexico pinto beans. The
judges, after careful consideration. de-
eided that the Pachecho beans were
entitled to the first prize. They were
accordingly awarded the blue ribbon,
the judges basing their decision on
the ground that they were superior
for uniformity of size, type and color.
Fewer Make a Pound.
1t takes 1900 of the Pachecho
brand Of beans to make one pound,
while it takes 1900 of such beans as
the prize winners were originally Sc
lected from.
Mr.. Paehecho raised %, 900 pounds
OF these beans during the year. plant
ing forty-two acres and averaging 675
pounds to the acre.
All the land planted by Mr.. Pache-
enc was measured carefully and all
beans planted were weighed and re-
corded. The cost of the different ac-
tVitles was also recorded. From
these carefully prepared figures, the
cost of raising an acre of beans is
SHOWN; Interest on value of land
fence at $40 per acre. 81; blowing an
acre of land, 81; narrowing, rs cents
use narrowing, % cents; tooth har-
rowing, % cents; seed, fifteen pounds.
AT cents, so cents, planting, $3.50:
harvesting, SO cents; threshing, IS
cents per hundred weight The total
COST Of producing an acre of beans
was s6.Sl. The profits above the cost
" production We're SEAS.
New Mexico's Asset.
When Mr.. Gonzales first went to
oan Miguel county, he discovered that
one Of the best things that New Mex
ieo mad was the bean crop. But the
question was, which beans were the
pest and which should be standard
Neu. Wholesale merchants reported
mat the Rosillo bean was being ex-
ported in greater quantities than any
other variety. Study Of the bean
problem showed that there were fiji
zen or twenty different grades of
leans raised in New Mexico, all called
mexican beans. The merchants prize
me New Mexico pinto bean more than
any other variety. There is differ
e"ee IN the price of from l to , and 3
cents per pound.
New Mexico Pinto Bean.
Mr. Gonzales, because of the CON
fusion regarding the different varie
''es OF beans, recently issued an APP
peal TO the people asking that the
lean commonly known as the Rosillo
"edh be known hereafter as the New
.ieAleo pinto bean. 1t is believed that
= me one brand of bean--the New
''eAieo pinto bean, is grown and
P"shed IN the markets. and if the To-
val wholesalers and their customers
an depend upon this bean TO be uni
~ N and OF standard variety, that the
~,'hahd will be greater than the sup
p.y and the prices fancy enough to
'"eourage every farmer in the county
to raise beans.