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Show BEANS, A 1916 CROP . W. H. Olin, Agricultural Commissioner, Com-missioner, D. & R. G. The writer has received reliable'infor-tation reliable'infor-tation that the demand for beans for Hport during the past eighteen months rs absorbed all beansobtainable, from we end of this country to the other. Eyen the no:mal demand for beans for the next twelve months can not be applied, and the added call, occasioned f,v the European war, will tend to make 'm demand even stronger. This is the year when a farmer with 3everal acres in good tilth will do we'l to Plant this crop. Beans contain as "inch protein as meat and because of ir low cost, palatability and high VA value, they have become an important im-portant article 'of daily diet for the 'Ci-r at the front, for the prisoner in c'finement, among all nations and it is 'possible to overestimate their present port value. Today, wholesale dealers are offering "Wand $5. 00 a hundred, in carlots, ot beans. Our annual supply in the mted States is from five to seven """ion bushels only. This is hardly enugh to supply home consumption, to idy nothing of the present enlarged jPt demand. The great majority of e beans of the nation are grown in Michigan, New York, California, while """ne, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wa. Florida, Virginia ana West Vir-Bma Vir-Bma are imp0rtant bean growing "ates. The average yield taken by the U. S. roP Statistics Dept., is 600 pounds to e acre- Under irrigation, in Colorado, J3 h'gh as 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre 38 been obtained. A person who will 'vate his beans as ne would his corn, J anted on anything like reasonably wil, should be able to- obtain fro m to 1200 pounds per acre. The mar-et mar-et will justify him counting on obtain-- 1 ing better than 4 cents per pound, or $4.00 a hundred. ! This crop should not be planted until all danger of frost has passed and great I care needs to be given to irrigation of the crop. Consult your County Agent j or the State College crop man, in refer-j refer-j ence to both proper cultural methods and irrigation for this crop. Choose that type which your local seed dealer or the special crop man of the College ! recommends is best adapted to your I locality and local market. (Continued on page 4) I Il'll. A 1916 CROP (Continued on page 4) The principal thing is, plan first of al ti plant at least a few acres as one side line cash crop. Second, plant in rows sufficiently wide for use of a horse cultivator. cul-tivator. Third, keep the crop growing vigorously from the start. Fourth, harvest in the irrigated section early in the morning before the intense rays of the sun render the pods so dry that the beans shell badly. Do not harvest in the field during the heat of the day. The crop should be allowed to come to maturity, to prevent any shrinkage of the bean. Mexican bean, the Martha Washington Washing-ton (a type of small navy bean) and the kidney bean, seem to be western favorites. The amount of seed required to plant an acre varies "with the variety, from 40 to 75 pounds. Probably the best harvest returns have been obtained when beans were planted in drills rather than hills. For this, an average grain seeder can be used for planting, stopping stop-ping up as many seed tubes in the grain seeder as you find necessary to give the average width for successful cultivation. cultiva-tion. The seed should bo planted medium shallow, with just enough dirt to cover to give a moist seed bed and insure quick germination. One of the requirements require-ments of a good bean crop is quick, sturdy germination, producing a good stand. The writer believes that beans can be successfully cultivated and irrigated in rows 28 inches apart. It is to be hoped that in small orchards where trees have not yet come into bearing, ground can be accupied between be-tween rows with this crop, without injury in-jury to the trees and with profit to the grower. Let us consider a few acres of beans or our farm crop plans for 1916. |