IRRIGATION OF FIELD CROPS. 225 



thoroughly irrigated. When sufficiently dry plant the 

 beans in rows twenty-eight inches apart, three or four 

 beans to every foot. Irrigate as soon as three or four 

 leaves appear, which will be within a week after they 

 come up. As soon as dry thoroughly cultivate. Irri- 

 gate again about the time that they are in bloom, and 

 give one or two light irrigations afterw^ard, thoroughly 

 cultivating the ground after each irrigation. We have 

 found that the best method of irrigating is by ditching 

 with a single-shovel plow and irrigating in every other 

 row alternately. The water .should not be permitted 

 to come in contadl with the plants. Beans should be 

 planted as soon as danger of frost is past. The prepa- 

 rations for irrigation may be made with the first culti- 

 vation, and the space between the rows should be util- 

 ized for the watercourse. Irrigation should take place 

 in ordinary dry weather at least once every ten days, 

 and the crop needs plenty of moisture, especially while 

 the plants are in blossom. If after the blossom is com- 

 plete the weeds show a preponderance of growth, 

 threatening to choke the progress of the crop, a shallow 

 cultivation should be given, and this will terminate the 

 work for the season. After the pod has fully formed 

 there will be less necessity for water, and as a rule the 

 bean requires no irrigation after the legumes are half 

 grown, for the crop is then made and the harvest cer- 

 tain. The best way to harvest is with a machine 

 working something like a horse-rake. Threshing se- 

 cures the beans. For field varieties we prefer such 

 sorts as the Mexican, Red and White Kidney, Lima 

 and the Marrow, rather than the Navy, which, how- 

 ever, is largely produced by some growers. 



