THE LIBERTY-OIL PLANT 



613 



at the expense of seed production and early maturity. The 

 land is prepared in much the same manner as for cot- 

 ton or corn : that is, plowed, disked and harrowed level 

 before planting, which may be done by hand or with 

 a corn planter with especially prepared plates. The 

 seed should be planted early in the spring as soon as the 

 soil is warm but still moderately moist. The time 

 of planting varies according to locality, but in gen- 

 eral corresponds to that of cotton. A good time 

 for planting in central Oklahoma would be about the 

 first of May, and cor- 

 respondingly earlier in lo- 

 calities to the south. In 

 central peninsular Florida, 

 conditions will probably 

 be suitable any time after 

 the middle of March. 



The depth of planting 

 varies according to the 

 time, soil and moisture. 

 In the extreme South the 

 beans are preferably plant- 

 ed about 1 inch deep, fur- 

 ther north from 1 to 2 

 inches. The spacing of 

 the rows and the plants in 

 the rows should vary ac- 

 cording to the variety of 

 castor bean planted and the 

 nature of the soil. The 

 varieties having small 

 seeds are usually planted 

 more closely than those 

 having large seeds. 

 Towards the north, the 

 rows are usually made 

 four feet apart, and the 

 plants spaced three feet 

 apart in the row. Further 

 south the rows should 

 usually be made about 6 

 to 8 feet apart. On very 

 light land the hills may be 

 4 feet apart in the row ; 

 on heavier land 6 or 8 feet 

 apart. As a general rule 3 

 seeds are planted to the hill, 

 and not less than 2 should 

 be planted. When the 

 plants are from 4 to 6 in- 

 ches tall, the weaker ones 

 should be removed, leav- 

 ing one plant in a hill. In the extreme South where 

 frost does not often kill the castor bean plant, the 

 beans are sometimes planted in hills 5x5 feet, and 

 as the plants develop, they are thinned to stand 10 x 10 

 feet apart. With the closer planting, it is well to leave 

 a space of about 8 feet between every sixth and 

 seventh row, to permit the passage of a wagon when 



THE "LIBERTY-OIL" PLANT 

 This shows a young plant, with small fruiting spike near the top. 



the beans are harvested. In planting for commercial 

 purposes a distinction should be made between the orna- 

 mental and the oil-producing varieties. The seeds of the 

 latter are small to medium in size, usually about 2-5 to 

 3-5 inches long and 1-4 to 2-5 inches broad, oval in shape, 

 smooth and shining, and of a grey ground color, irregu- 

 larly marked with brown. The most desirable beans run 

 from 1,500 to 2,500 to the pound, or about 69,000 to 

 115,000 per bushel of 46 pounds. The number of acres a 

 bushel of beans will plant depends upon the size of 



the bean and the method 

 of planting. 



The crop is cultivated 

 similar to corn, until the 

 plants are large enough to 

 shade the ground. In case 

 the field becomes foul with 

 weeds and grass some hoe- 

 ing may be necessary, but 

 practically all the cultiva- 

 tion required can be done 

 with a horse-drawn weeder. 

 Cultivation should not con- 

 tinue after the first bloom 

 spikes appear. If the 

 plants do not thrive, some 

 fertilizer consisting chiefly 

 of ammoniates may be sup- 

 plied. 



The yield will depend 

 much upon cultural condi- 

 tions, upon the season, and 

 the care exercised in har- 

 vesting and thrashing the 

 seeds. Yields of 30 to 40 

 bushels per acre have been 

 reported from Florida, 

 South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Texas and California. In 

 the Middle West yields of 

 15 to 25 bushels per acre 

 have been reported under 

 favorable conditions. Much 

 smaller yields will, of 

 course, result if conditions 

 are unfavorable. 



Until recently the farm 

 price for castor beans has 

 been not far from $1.00 per 

 bushel. The increased de- 

 mand for castor oil due to 

 war conditions has caused 

 the price of the beans to advance rapidly, and it is prob- 

 able that high price for castor beans will prevail until 

 the end of the war. The normal market requirement 

 in the United States for castor beans is about 1,000,000 

 bushels annually, but until present conditions change 

 materially, a larger quantity will be needed. 



In the United States castor beans are used in quantity 



