Imperial Valley press., 1918-05-04
By W. W. Stockberger, U. S. D of

III BY w. w. StockDefgef, u. >. II OF y
The castor-oil plant or Palma Chris
H ii (Ricinus communis L. is a mem
Der of the family Euphorbiaeceae, ant
is not legume or true bean as some
| suppose. The seeds of this plint
| called castor beans" or mole beans,
yield the castor oil OF commerce
| About one hundred years ago small
local crops of castor beans were pro.
duced III Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia and other
Southern States, and later in Ken
lucky. Texas and California. Between
1860 and 1900 the castor bean was an
important crop in certain sections of
Oklahoma. Kansas, Missouri and Hi
nois, but during recent years its cul-
ture has been practically abandoned.
The decline of the industry in the
United States is attributed to the
growing Importance of other crops and
the reduction in prices brought about
by heavy importations of castor beans
from India.
For the commercial production of
castor beans, the warm climate and
longer growing season of the more
southern states is necessary. IT
planted much further north than St.
Louis, Mo-, ;or Washington, D. c.,
the crop is very likely to be caught
by frost. In general. any fertile soil
which produces good crops of cot
ton or corn is suitable for castor
beans, but a very fertile soil favors
the growth of the plant at the eX
pense of seed production and early
maturity. The Ian dis prepared in
much the same manner as for cotton
or corn; that is, plowed, disked and
narrowed level before planting, which
may be done by hand or with corn
planter with specially prepared
plates. The seed should be planted
early in the spring. as soon as the
soil is warm, but still moderate moist.
The time of planting varied according
to locality. but in general corresponds
to that of cotton. A good time for
planting in central Oklahoma would
be about the first of May and cor
respondingly earlier in localities to
the south. In central peninsular Flor
ida, conditions will probably be suit
able any time after the middle Of
March.
Before the beans are planted they
should be placed in warm water, and
allowed to stand "a hours without fur
ther heating. This treatment softens
the hard seed-coat and tends to in
sure quick and uniform termination.
The depth of planting varies accord
ing to the time, soil and moisture. In
the extreme south the beans are pref
erably planted about one inch deep;
further north, from one to two inches.
The spacing of the rows and the
plants in the rows should varv ac-
cording to the variety of castor bean
planted and the nature of the soil.
The varieties having small seeds are
usually planted more closely than
those having large seeds. Toward the
north. the rows are usually made
four feet apart, and the plants spaced
three feet apart in the row. Further
south the rows should usually he made
about six to eight feet apart. On very
light land the hills may be four feet
apart in the row: on heavier land six
to eight feet apart. AS a general
rule. three seeds should be planted to
the hill, and not less than two should
he planted. When the plants are from
four to six inches tall, the weaker
ones should be removed, leaving one
plant ma hill. In the extreme South,
where frost does not often kill the
castor bean plant, the beans are some
times planted in hills 5x5 feet, and
as the plants develop they are thinned
to stand 1Ox10 feet apart. With the
closer PLANTING it is well to leave
space about eight feet between every
sixth and seventh row. to permit the
passage of wagon when the beans
are harvested.
The cron is cultivated similar to
corn, until the plants are large
enough to shade the ground In case
the field becomes foul with weeds
and gress, some hoeing may be neces-
~ 49,