The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-04
Culture Of The Castor Bean
Questions Answered by an Elk crt in Florida Grower)


about covering the beans in the rainy sea-
son?
Answer. The same as we did in Kansas.
Sometimes the rains continued there for a
week or ten days. Remember of course,
that we are dealing with an oil beam Water
will not readily affect an oil bean perma.
nently. 1t will stand being wet for a con-
siderable time. l don't anticipate any great
trouble on that score here, for as soon as
the rain is over few hours of sunshine will
dry them out and they dry very rapidly. 1t
may be well to provide little shelter, like
tarpaulin, to place over the beans, which
can be ridged or pyramided and covered the
same as hay or grain in rainy weater.
@. How long after planting was it be-
fore you began harvesting?
A. From As to 60 days after planting they
will begin to ripen spikes, and from then on
every ten days or two weeks you will have
additional ripe spikes to cut I am of the
opinion that owing to differences in the soil
this time will be little longer here in
Florida
A. would first prepare it by blowing 1t
little deeper than l would for corn. II
would depend to some extent as to how
the ground had been prepared previously to
getting 1t ready for this crop. am favor.
able to deep blowing, but would not 20
too deep on account of disturbing the sub.
soil
q. You would pillow and borrow?
A. Yes and turn all trash clear under,
ana TINS should be done as early as posi-.
Die III the season. then would harrow and
smooth down thoroughly and pulverize the
soil so as to have it well packed for seed
bed.
@ Between the young citrus trees how
would you plant?
A. Between young citrus trees | would
plant right between the rows both ways.
and keep as far away from the tree as
possible. ! would recommend about four
leet apart IN the rows and six feet from the
stock of the trees. Now, if was not check
ing it would plant the rows four feet apart
and three feet apart in the rows, but in SOL
III acreage ! would check the rows four
feet. The castor oil bean root does not
reach out to great distance. 1t spreads
its foliage and receives a great part of its
nourishment from the air.
Q. How long after planting does the bean
come up?
A. Eight to ten days
Q. Explain the method of cultivation.
A. We always cultivated until the leaves
began to shade the ground | might here
state that in my own opinion that it will
overcome Bermuda grass
O. How deep would you plant these cas-.
tor bean seeds?
About two inches. In Kansas we used to
plant three to four inches, but here | be.
lieve that two to three inches will be
enough
c. After the plants are three feet high
is any further cultivation necessary?
A. Not after the leaves once begin to
shade the ground
c. (Mr d. c. Gillett) | note that the
government bulletin advises planting IN
to inches While our soil here dries out
In summer yet by frequent cultivation the
moisture is conserved. Is not that so?
A. No, sir.
O. want to ask right here, do you plant
the castor bean as deep as you plant corn?
A. That is the idea exactly.
O. Explain the method of loading, cutting
and hauling spikes from the field
A. We would have a man go through the
field with a wagon and on one side we
would put up a high side-board and we
generally had on a thumb-stall on the right
thumb, and the spike would be pulled down
with the left hand then taken with the
right hand, and with single motion we cut
the spike off and throw it into the wagon
The object was to save all the motions DOS
sible. You know the object of successful
farming is to save the extra motions of the