FIELD BEANS 135 



dry pods. The vines, together with the tougher pods, are then 

 passed on to the second cylinder, which is better equipped to deal 

 with pods that are tough and more retentive. By this means there 

 is less injury to the seed and consequently less loss both from split- 

 ting the beans and from passing over beans in tough pods, which 

 would be the result of threshing with a single-cylinder machine 

 operated at a low rate of speed. 



Cleaning and grading field beans. While the farm operations in 

 connection with the preparation of field beans for market usually 

 cease with the threshing of the crop, the cleaning and grading of 

 the product is a very important item and requires much handwork. 

 After the removal of sticks and straws by the use of the fan, the 

 beans are passed through a machine which is provided with a 

 broad, slow-moving belt, placed at such an angle that split beans 

 and peas, dirt, and stones which are not removed by the fan adhere 

 to the belt and are thrown out, while the smooth, perfect seeds fall 

 back into another receptacle. After this the beans are usually sub- 

 jected to a third operation, which consists in removing by hand all 

 broken and discolored seeds and any foreign matter not eliminated 

 by the other operations. 



The work of hand picking is largely carried on by women and 

 is facilitated by the use of machines, which are sometimes operated 

 by the feet. In large picking establishments the machines are 

 arranged in rows, fed through hoppers, and operated by steam or 

 other power. In smaller establishments and on farms, similarly 

 constructed machines operated by foot power are employed. These 

 machines are very simple in construction, consisting of a canvas 

 belt about six inches wide passing over rollers, which are operated, 

 as already indicated, either by power or by a pedal. The beans 

 which are in the hopper are shaken out upon a canvas belt, and as 

 the belt is carried along, the expert picker removes all discolored 

 or broken seeds and foreign matter, dropping them into side recep- 

 tacles having spouts which carry them into barrels or baskets, from 

 which they can be easily removed. The good beans are allowed to 

 fall over the end of the belt into another hopper, from which they 

 are conducted to a convenient receptacle. 



