416 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS. 



Spring. This same gentleman also plants Early Rose potatoes 

 in the Fall and gets potatoes twenty days earlier tliau by the 

 earliest Spring planting. He also plants black seed onions in 

 the Fall and Winter. 



It is important to have castor beans planted early, so as to 

 insure a long maturing season, as they will continue to lipen 

 generally until the frost comes. The gathering commenced in 

 1879 in July. 



SECURING THE CROP. 



All the preparations for gathering must be made before 

 the crop begins to ripen. The floor or bed to spread the spikes 

 upon may be made by scraping perfectly smooth a i)iece of 

 ground about six to eight square rods for every ten acres 

 planted, leaving a wall of sod or dirt about two or three feet 

 high, to keep the beans from flying off and wasting. Tliis 

 floor should be free from gravel, as that will work up in sweep- 

 ing. If tlie floor is near the field, it is very convenient to 

 gather the crop on a sled, with a long and high box, narrow 

 enough fo pass between the rows. One horse can draw such a 

 sled. If the floor is not near enough to be convenient to use a 

 sled, the two-horse wagon may be used by driving over the 

 ninth row, and gathering four rows on each side. At each 

 picking I always drive over the same row, in the same direc- 

 tion. In gathering, only those spikes are to be cut tliat have 

 some of the pods cracked open. If they are cut too green the 

 pods will dry up without opening, but if left too long the pods 

 will open and drop their kernels. These are to be spread upon 

 the floor thinly enough to permit the sun to open the pods and 

 let the grains out. This work may be hastened by stirring 

 them with a rake. No threshing is necessary. When the 

 pods have all burst open, the stems must be raked out, 

 the gathering swept up, and the beans separated from the 

 hulls in a fanning mill. If the mill is so arranged that the 

 beans may come out at the side in a spout, it is better than to 

 come down behind the mill. When thus cleaned, they are 

 ready for market. Great care should be taken that none of 



