Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-01-04
G1oAUN6Ce 6GAN Is
HELPING 6WlN tie WAR
Ovl<OOeVI ~ 1OlulO'N inns

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longer cheap. For plant
ing, they cost the farmer this sea-
son from $40 to So bushel. The
food price at retail is consider
ably higher. Therefore, 1t becomes
no man to refer irreverently to
the bean, whether it be red, white,
black or notified, or whether 1t be
baked, boiled or made into soup.
Professor Corbett, although a horti-
culturist by profession, knows more
about beans than anyone else In the
country. We may accept his state
ment, therefore, that the bean, which
grows practically everywhere except
at the North pole, is going to play
large part in helping to bring Ger
many to terms. He says 1t was the
bean that put down the Civil war, and
then whipped Spain in 1893. So why
shouldn't it make as fine a record In
the present conflict?
Previous to 1861, according to Pro-
fesS0r COrbett, beans were not much
used in this country on the table-bar-
ring, perhaps, the city Of Boston. AT
that time our railroads were very
crude and they found it almost impos-
sible to keep the federal armies sup
piled with guns, ammunition and cloth
ing, so in the matter of food bulk was
eliminated as far as possible. Beans,
being light in weight and, moreover,
very nOurishing, made an ideal food
under the conditions prevailing, so the
Northern quartermasters began to buy
them in large quantities and ship them
to the soldiers at the front.
The soldiers waxed strong on beans !;
likewise their taste for them grew
amazingly, so that when the war was
over and they returned to their homes,
they asked for beans. Thus a market
was created, where no market existed
before, and farmers began to grow
them. The bean industry, therefore,
may be said to have been created by
milliOnaires, they increased the pros
perity of farmers in the North and in
time became a valuable crop through
out the South.
For years beans have formed one of
the principal articles of food for the
soldiers in our regular army. During
the Spanish war they ate great guam
titles of them, down on the Mexican
border they did the same thing, and
now in France the story is being re-
peated. 1t Is not only our troops, how
ever, that are being fed on beans.
British and French soldiers are living
on them, and the American produ&, at
that. When autocracy has been con-
quered and democracy rules the world,
credit should be given to the bean for
the part git has played in bringing
about such a condition.
Fifty years ago the acreage in beans
in this country was small, but 1t has
been growing steadily. Last year $780,
900 acres were planted to beans, the
yield being 100000 bushels. The 1915
crop did better, 92S,000 acres yielding
something like 100000 bushels. Last
wear there were a good many foreign
buyers in the market, and this fact
coupled with the smaller crop, caused
the farm price of beans to jump from
So. 80 a bushel In 1915 to $500 bushel
in 1916.
Farm value means the price that
the grower receives. Very few, if any
consumers bought beans even for sc
bushel. AS the stock disappeared
from the market the price mounted
higher and higher. 1t might be sup
posed. then, that the acreage this year
would break all previous records. But
with seed selling as high as ST.
bushel. or 20 cents a pound, anc
mighty little at even such unheard-o1
prices, farmers preferred to take s
chance on some other crop with which
they were more familiar.
Beans are planted late in the sprins
after the ground gets warm. The croI
"a easily cultivated and readily shipped
and stored. Under average conditions
a WELD of ten to fifteen bushels pei
acre can be expected In most states
The greatest amount of labor is need
ed at harvest time. On account OF th'
lack of special bean machinery expe
rfence in handling the crop ana the
labor market, it is probably a deslr
able policy for many to grow SINAI
acreages rather than for a few 10 at
tempt large acreages.
The navy or pea bean is the leading
commercial variety of dry beans. 1t Ii
also called the soup bean. The demand
for this variety is well established
point which is much In the grower
favor. 1t is also probably the mos
prolific variety under most conditions
II is listed under various trade names
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