Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1917-05-09
BEANS A GOOD CROP
PROFESSOR TELLS OF CULTIVA-
TION AND ADVISES GENERAL
PLANTING MONEY IN 1T.

At this time when the country will
soon be in need Of many food supplies
it seems wise for us to turn a little at
tention to the culture of beans. They
are crop which can be kept almost
Indefinitely and are very. easy to move
from one section of the country to
another. Aside from these facts, we
should remember that the returns
from such crop are very large.
Beans like all other plants do we'll
on a rich soil but due to the fact that
they draw on the nitrogen Of the air,
are so able to grow on soils that are
even too light for cereals.
Thinking that some would perhaps
care to plant beans as a crop due to
our food shortage, few suggestions
as to ways and means of doing so may
prove helpful.
Beans follow corn as to time Of
planting. They should be planted in
this state about June 9Th on land as
free from weeds as possible. 1t would
be wise to pillow your land for beans
in a couple of weeks and allow all
row and disc at intervals Of one OF
two weeks, that you may eliminate
as many of the weeds as possible.
The planting of the beans in our
eastern states is carried on by a
special bean planter, which places
them in rows from "a to 80 inches
apart, dropping them about inches
apart in the drills. Undoubtedly you
do not possess bean drill but that
does not stop you from planting them.
A grain drill may be used for this if
you will close up the remaining holes
them in rows somewhere near the re-
quired distance apart. On heavy soils
it is best to plant them about IL to
2 inches deep, in lighter soils 21a to 3
inches.
The cultivation of the bean crop IS
easy. Secure a clean seed BED 10
start with, cultivate shallow, and new
err when there is any moisture on the
leaves. for doing so is apt to cause
the leaves to rot.
The harvesting of the crop is not
the same as oats, however, as we
should pull rather than cut them
They should be pulled and allowed to
dry in little punches and then hauled
to a place of shelter and stored away
until threshed, which is done by the
common thresher, which is provided
with blank concaves so as to not
split the beans
The storing of the beans is not a
hard matter. They can be put in large
but shallow bins. tat
| If the beans are found a little moist
at threshing time it would be we'll to
| shovel them over few times and run
sticks of dry pine into the heap that
the moisture may be taken up.
A few things to remember:
That beans should not be plant
ed until all danger of frost is
past
That they are a shallow feeder
upon the soil, so making the roots
close to the surface, and making
shallow cultivation advisable.
That they enrich the soil.
(. That stalks of deans after
threshing are good feed for dairy
stock, hogs or sheep.
That they are selling now for
$13 across the counter.
That we are going to need food.
That beans are one of the foods
used by our army.
That y bushel of beans will
plant an acre.
That you as an American owe {
little thought to this great question
of producing more food stuffs to sup
ply the demand of yourself and tht
nation.
If you will notify me of your in
tention of raising some navy beans
I'll be glad to get seed for you or in
form you as to where you may OBJ
tain some. Let's grow some if NJ
more than an acre or two PlOw III
an acre of that hay field. 1t will pa,
= you.
Prof. J. B. keenan,,
Fennimore, Wis