FIELD BEANS 149 



stock food. Its feeding value is very similar to 

 wheat. The yield runs well, anywhere from 25 to 

 60 bushels to the acre in the arid Western wheat 

 district. Both winter and spring varieties are 

 grown, the spring varieties being the most popular. 

 It is doubtful if emmer will enter very largely into 

 the stock food crops of the country. It can be used 

 in sections where the soil and climate suit, but the 

 area is likely to be limited. 



FIELD BEANS. Beans do their best on an in- 

 verted clover sod. The larger and later varieties 

 seem to be more grown where the agriculture is 

 more diversified, where more potatoes and corn are 

 grown, and a four or five-year rotation is followed. 

 In these localities the beans are usually planted on 

 inverted sod land; but sometimes follow corn or 

 potatoes. Since they come off the land too late to 

 allow of proper fitting of the latter for wheat, they 

 are usually followed by oats or other spring sown 

 crops. Early plowing is essential to best results 

 with beans. The time of planting varies somewhat 

 with locality. Early planting of beans is not to be 

 recommended. The seeds rot quickly if placed in 

 soil too cold or too wet for quick germination, and 

 even if a fair stand is secured the young plants do 

 not get an even start. At harvest time, this un- 

 equal start results in uneven ripening one of the 

 troubles of the bean grower. If planting be de- 

 layed until the soil is thoroughly warm, uneven 

 ripening is not so likely to occur. 



Nearly all growers plant beans in drills. The 

 distance between drills varies from 24 to 32 inches, 

 and is usually 28 inches. The ordinary grain drill 

 is used almost exclusively for planting the small 

 varieties, stopping the tubes that are not needed. 



