Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-12-12

can be reasonably expected IN an aver
age year If the price remains at d =
level.
The growing of Great Northern bean
has increased four-fold since 1873
the same section was producing q cfop
valued at $500, 900. The crop has PROVED
attractive because of the good mel re-
turns, and the lesser labor costs, espe-
cially in the elimination OF the need
Of a large amount Of hand labor: Inc
crop has also proved valuable IN TO
tation. In this connection, 1t may b.
noted that the Great Western sugar
company, recognizing its value III m
creasing the fertility of the soil, in
cludes the Great Northern bean In the
crop rotation which it recommends to
beet growers.
Great Northern Best
The Great Northern bean has proved
particularly we'll adapted to climatic
and soil conditions in the YelloWstone
and surrounding valleys and the crop
may be raised with a good degree OF
certainty of large yields nearly every
year.
This type of bean requires about l00
days to reach maturity, which Is about
10 days less than the average frost Tree
period in southern Montana. Beans
are usually planted the latter half Of
May and mature the first of September.
Beans planted early in June are likely
to miss danger of late frost, but on
the other hand are more apt to be
damaged if frosts come early In Sep
tember.
The most common practice is to
plant the beans in lows about % inches
apart with about 30 pounds Of seed
to the acre. On dry land the rows
are spaced to about twice that distance
with correspondingly less seed. Expert
mentS are being conducted at the Os-
born experiment station and by the
state extension service in developing
superior strains of Great Northern
seed.
Preparing Seed Bed
The seed bed is well prepared by
successful growers and cultivation is
given through the growing season, US
ing light harrows and fine-tOoth weed
ers, while machinery especially de-
signed for bean cultivation is coming
into vogue. Increased use of special
machinery to be used with motor
tractive power is also noted.
The ground is usually narrowed just
before the plants come up. Cultiva-
ton must be shallow, as the plants
are not deep rooted and is repeated
two or three times. Beans do not
need a great amount of water in irri-
eating and careful growers irrigate
from n to six times, depending upon
the season, keeping careful watch Of
the dryness of the soil and the need
of the plants. One wedding with hoes,
to get the weeds missed by the cult
vator, is the usual rule.
Harvesting is started about the time
the leaves start to drop off and when
the beans are at the stage where they
will ripen off without shriveling. The
bean vines are pulled and piled in small
piles to cure until they are threshed.
Preparation of beans for the market
is an important industry in southern
Montana. In years when practically
all the beans are harvested and
threshed without damage from frost,
practically all Of the beans can be
placed on the market after being run
through a cleaning mill. Few of the
mills require more than eight or 10
men for milling, sacking, trucking and
loading and other operations necessary
in preparing mill run" beans.
Operating Two Shifts
In years like the present, when there
are many frosted, discolored or withered