72 BEAN CULTURE 



guarding against this contingency. Deep plowing, 

 not less than 6 inches, is recommended. Some farm- 

 ers plow the fall before, but this is the exception 

 rather than the rule. Inverted clover sod is ideal for 

 beans. A common rotation in large bean growing 

 sections is clover, beans, wheat. 



Time of planting varies with locality, season and the 

 variety of beans used. Here the best judgment is 



FIG. 22 A STANDARD BEAN PLANTER. 



required. The aim should be to have beans start 

 promptly after planting, and keep growing until they 

 reach maturity, suffering no setbacks. As a rule do 

 not be in too much of a hurry to plant. If beans are 

 put in cold ground, many will rot and others lose 

 their vitality. Some of the strongest will come up, 

 and their neighbors if they come up at all, will be two 

 or three weeks late. This results in uneven ripening, 

 one of the things to be avoided by bean growers. 



