The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1918-01-05

NSSLSIu VIII Tic WAL. Oo says AOA'
I&H1&l L. G. Corbett, bean expert
ISNENSA in the department Of agri-
IANlp culture. But the bean is no
longer cheap. For plant
Ing, they cost the farmer this sea-
son from $40 to S12 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 horti-
culturlst 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 a
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 1898. So why
shouldn't 1t make as fine record in
the present conflict?
Previous to 1861, according to Pro-
fessor 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 1t 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
vas created, where no market existed
before, and farmers began to grow
them. The bean industry, therefore,
may be said to have been created by
the Civil war. While beans made no
millionaires, they increased the pros
perity Of farmers in the North and in
lime 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 product, at
that. When autocracy has been con-
quered and democracy rules the world,
credit should be given to the bean for
the part 1t has played In bringing
about such condition.
Fifty years ago the acreage in beans
In this country was small, but 1t has
been growing steadily. Last year 95O,-
900 acres were planted to beans, the
yield being 5000, 900 bushels. The 1916
crop did better, 92s000 acres yielding
something like 10000 900 bushels. Last
year 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
$3.50 a bushel In 1915 to $5.O6 a bushel
10 1916.
Farm value means the price that
the grower receives. Very few, II any,
consumers bought beans even for Sc
a bushel. AS the stock disappeared
from the market the price mounted
higher and higher. It might be sup
posed, then, that the acreage this year
would break all previous records. But
with seed selling as high as $12 a
bushel, or 20 cents pound, and
mighty little at even such unheard-of
prices, farmers preferred to take a
chance on some other crop with which
thew were more familiar.
Beans are planted late in the spring
after the ground gets warm. The crop
~
IL 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
cd at harvest time. On account OF the
lack of special bean machinery, expe'
Renee in handling the crop ana the
labor market, it Is probably desir
able policy for many to grow small
acreages rather than for few TO at
tempt large acreages.
The navy or pea bean is the leading
commercial variety Of dry beans. 1t Il
also called the soup bean. The demant
for this variety Is well established,
noint which is much In the growers
favor. It is also probably the mos
prolific variety under most conditions
II Is listed under various trade names
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Just ehucks.
A great deal has been said and writ
~ hu-nHnh