Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-18
Data on Bean Cultivation

When the girls began the canning
work in Georgia they were primarily
concerned about putting up tomatoes
A beginning had to be made some
where, and what more important or
desirable crop could have been used
than tomatoes? There is no vegeta-
BILE Of more Importance to the human
dietary. There is none more extern
sively cultivated. 1t grows under
the most varied soil and climatic
conditions. It is indeed one of the
good gifts of God to his children.
Such excellent work has been done
with tomatoes, however, and so many
are now engaged in the work of the
Girls Canning clubs that 1t is but
| natural an effort should be made to
extend canning enterprises so that
they will include other crops. One
Is the bean. Like the tomato, it
grows Everywhere. 1t is a staple
crop and one of the most wholesome
in our dietary. 1t is easy to put up
and can. When so handled it fur
nishes the equivalent of a fresh
that considerable period of the year
when the garden is not yielding
much. I am satisfied that enough
beans go to waste on many of our
farms to provide a sufficient sur
plus for canning. Let us therefore
give more attention to this important
crop.
In order that our young gardeners
may be advised as to the best method
Of procedure their attention is direct
ed to the following data relative to
the cultivation of beans. This ma
terial has the approval Of those who
are most intimately associated with
the canning club enterprises, and
represents the mature opinion and
Cd nf tho nptC of 1on Cnnroj q
State College of Agriculture.
duces an early crop of the dwarf
bean, while the pole beans, limas and
other kinds are also grown quite eX-
tensively. In central and south Geor-
gia the great opportunity in bean
growing is in the fall crop; in north
Georgia, in the summer crop.
The dwarf beans which are some
times spoken of as Snaps" or
bush" are numerous and are per-
hapS> the easiest of all truck crops
to, grow. Little experience is neces-
Safy to have fair success with them.
Beings a legume, it is sometimes
stated, that the poorest soils may
true that beans will do fairly well
on poor land, but large productions
are obtained only from fertile soils.
Beans are not as heavy feeders upon
the soil fertility as asparagus and
cabbage. Muck soils are not suited
for their production, but the sandy
loans of the southern part of the
state, as well as the types bordering
on loan in the central portion of the
state, and the shaly and cove lands
of north Georgia are excellent
adapted.
In selecting a variety of the dwarf
type, the characteristics desired are
tenderness of pod, quick maturity
and heavy production. Some of the
varieties which come nearest filling
these requirements are stringless
Green Pod, Refugee, Red Valentine,
Early Mohawk and Black Wax.
A light coating of we'll rotted sta
BILE manure with 500 to 1000 pounds
of good fertilizer per acre; one that
will analyze 9-2-5 g per cent acid, 2
per cent nitrogen and 5 per cent pot
ASH with the nitrogen from an Or
ganic source, will give good returns
if the soil is deep and naturally fer
tile. If muriate or sulphate of pot
ash is not obtainabIe, use kainit. The
manure should be worked with the
soil in the rows. Nitrate of soda
should be used at blossoming time
unless the vine growth is very lux
uriant.
In order to have good tr':",,i..r
soil. which is the first essential in
growing truck crops, it is necessary
to get plenty of humus, Or partially
decayed organic matter, into it. This
can best be accomplished by turn
ing under leguminous crops or stable
manure.
If the land is plowed in the fall
it should be plowed deep enough to
turn up about one inch of the soil
that has not been turned before. This
will gradually increase the water
holding capacity <of the soil. The
land should be double-disked in the
or the fall blowing. The disc har-
row should go from three to four
inches into the soil. Following the
disc harrow, an Acme harrow, spring
tooth harrow, or spike-tooth harrow
ize the soil before planting.
After the crops are planted, a
Planet, Jr type cultivator, the Lit
tie Joe harrow or some toll Of like
character should be used to main
tain the soilmulch between the
rows.
The bean is frost tender and
should never be planted until the
danger Of frost is past. The seed
should be clean and bright for such
diseases as anthracnose are carried
through the seed. In the garden
the rows may be planted as close
as eighteen inches and in the field
as close as the cultivator will per-
nit, thirty to forty-eight inches. Dis
tribute the seed so as to have a
plant every two or three inches.
Cover the seed with one and a half
to two inches Of soil. The early
crop should be covered deeper than
the later crop, but too deep plant
ing often causes a poor stand.
AS the dwarfs beans are quick ma
turing, they should be cultivated
early and frequently. Start as soon
as the plants come up and continue
at frequent intervals until the beans
begin to mature.
liar to that of the snap beans ex-
cepting that they are usually planted
in hills and must be staked. The
rows should be three to four feet