The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-17
The Way 1t Was Done in Kansas II
Told by Writer in the Mon
ticeIo News.

Time is near for gathering the cas-
tor bean crop, which is new to this
section and therefore, growers Will
be interested in the method employed
in Kansas, where these beans were
grown for years as money crop,
The following article which appeared
in The Monticello News Of July 18th
will be of interest, although 1t ap-
pears that the beans alluded to were
"poppers," whereas the growers In
this section are growing "nonpop.
pers" The article is by L, Majew-
ski, who says:
Having obtain some information
about the growing of castor beans, |
am sharing same through the column
of your valuable paper, with grow
ers of beans in our county.
"The castor oil bean has not been
grown as commercial crop in the
United States to any great extent
in any other States than Kansas,
Oklahoma and Missouri-in Oklaho-
ma and in Missouri in few isolated
instances, and in Kansas in several
counties. About thirty years ago,
tanners of the above mentioned
States were planting castor beans as
money crops at S125 per bushel and
made good money at this price, but
after several years, the price dropred
to Toe per bushel, when they quit 1t
ceased to be grown because Of impor-
tation from other countries and the
forcing over of the castor oil mills
by the Standard Oil Company There
are three undeveloped crops in Flori-
da which will soon be given atten.
tion-castor beans, fax and broom
corn
Castor beans placed first because
of war necessity. 1t may be grown
on almost any soil, without too large
an amount of humus or acid If toe
rich in humus, the plant will run toe
largely to foliage, producing lin
tied number Of spikes, and these o
small size II the soil is sour, thu
stalk will be spindling the spikes
will be weak. the blossoms turnin,
brown and not developing the beans
'There is no insect pest that will
attack them; no fungus will thirty
upon them. and as for animals, moles
ground squirrels, mice. prairie dogs
the so-called salamander, none wi
trouble the beans-in fact. will
driven out entirely by the beans fro1
the field. To a man who has wor
out his land with corn or other CT
reals, it will be a great help; b
properly disposing of the stalks an
foliage, he can put larger per Ger
of humus into the soil than with othe
crops.
ut is too late now to take up tn
matter of cultivation, because ha
besting time is coming will say
few words of the manner Of gathe
ing crops of beans in Kansas. A
the spikes begin to mature they al
cut off with a knife and thrown i
to wagon which is driven alor
the vacant space, usually every Sc
enth row. A bean yard is prepare
by clearing off and leveling down
space about sixty to eighty fe
square, surrounding 1t with musl
or burlaps, about four feet high,
keep the beans from throwing too ia
as they pop out. Unload the beal
on one side of the yard, and thin Il
spikes from day to day, workil
them to the opposite side until tn,
have thoroughly popped out VIII,
thS bCuho hdSO DOpp'
out 1t is time to scoop up, r,
through tanning mill and sa
them, ready for delivery. In ca
of rain, the beans have to be heap
in piles. and If possible. covered
tarpaulins.
"The cutting of the spikes to
done at intervals of tens days to t,
weeks, continuing until frost or t
maturity of the stalk. There are t.
varieties of beans-India and Hay
an, the latter being the popping
riety, the other is non.popper FRI
which the beans must be extract
by huller or thrasher. Water "
not affect an oil bean permanent
and it will stand being wet for a c,
~AfA~~>~eA ~