Some Practical Poia^ts ix Bean-Growing. 51 



and deep plowing and the thorough preparation of the soil before 

 planting, as a deep, thoroughly-prepared soil will hold more 

 moisture than a shallow and cloddy one. Frequent cultivating 

 breaks any crust and checks evaporation, leaving most of the 

 moisture for the use of the plant. In plowing deep and culti- 

 vating shallow you give the largest amount of root room for the 

 plant, giving them every chance to produce a full crop. 



As soon as pods are ripe, and before dry enough to shell, 

 they are harvested by a machine made especially for this purpose. 

 Two knives, running about an inch below the surface, pull the 

 beans by the roots, two rows at a time, the knives set ai proper 

 angle, to bring rows together. They are then thrown into bunches 

 with forks to cure, two or three of the double rows being thrown 

 into one, leaving room to drive a wagon to haul to barn. They are 

 mostly threshed by a machine built for the purpose, somewhat 

 similar to our grain threshers and requiring the same power to 

 run it. Where only small lots are raised, they are often tread 

 out on the barn floor by horses, in frosty weather. Produce deal- 

 ers take them as they come from the machine and run them 

 through screens, after which they are picked over by hand, and 

 stones, earth and damaged beans removed. Dealers buy them by 

 the bushel (62 pounds) and deduct five cents for each pound 

 wasted in picking. This is often a serious shrinkage to the 

 grower. The price paid here (Lin wood, ]^. Y.) for hand-picked 

 beans is about 35 cents below New York quotations. 



Beans grown as above outlined, on soil adapted to them, in a 

 favorable year ought to make a crop of 18 to 20 bushels per acre, 

 although this is considerably above average. They pay as well, 

 perhaps, on an average as other common farm crops. The fodder 

 makes excellent feed for live-stock; sheep, especially, are very 

 fond of it and will thrive better on it than on hay. 



