212 



BEAN, BROAD 



BEAN, BROAD 



from this pest, while in the southern counties 

 the bean industry is practically excluded because 

 of it. 



The weevil in beans may be destroyed by the 

 same methods employed in the case of pea-weevil, 

 which see. If the infestation is but partial and 

 treatment is resorted to immediately after harvest 

 the seed may be preserved in satisfactory condition 

 for planting. 



Literature. 



The following publications will be found helpful. 

 The first three are concerned with the culture of 

 beans and the remainder with bean enemies : — • 

 Transactions of New York Agricultural Society, 

 1895, p. 323; 1897, p. 323; Cornell University 

 Experiment Station Bulletin No. 210 ; Report of 

 New York State Department of Agriculture, Vol. 

 3, 1890, p. 49; Transactions New York State 

 Agricultural Society, 1892, p. 238 ; Tenth Annual 

 Report of New York State Experiment Station, 

 Geneva, p. 23 ; Yearbook, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, 1898, p. 283 ; Connecticut 

 (New Haven) Experiment Station, 20th and 21st 

 Reports, Part 111, p. 189 ; Cornell University 

 Experiment Station Bulletin No. 289. 



BEAN, BROAD. Vida Faba, Linn. (Faba vul- 

 garis, Moench.) Leguminosce (Windsor, Horse, 

 English Dwarf or Scotch Bean). Pigs. 308, 304. 



By John Fixter. 



The broad bean is grown for its grain or seed, 

 which is used as food for man and for live-stock, 

 and also for its herbage, which is used as fodder. 

 It is a strong, erect annual, 2 to 4 feet tall, glabrous 

 or nearly so, and very leafy ; leaflets 2 to 6, the 

 terminal one wanting or represented by a rudi- 

 mentary tendril, oval to elliptic and obtuse or 



Fig. 303. Floweis and leaf of tbe broad bean. 



mucronate-pointed ; flowers axillary, dull white and 

 with a large blue-black spot ; pods numerous, large 

 and thick, two or three inches up to eighteen inches 

 long ; the seeds large arid often flat. 



This bean has been in cultivation since prehistoric 

 times, and its nativity is in doubt. It is probably 

 native to northern Africa and southwestern Asia. 

 It is much grown in the Old World. In America its 

 •ultivation is restricted by our hot, dry summers 



and it is little grown outside of Canada. It is 

 adapted in a measure to the northern Pacific coast 

 country and to similar regions where the summer 

 temperatures do not run high. It is particularly 

 successful in the maritime provinces of Canada. 

 The plant is hardy. Its culture has been spreading 

 since the introduction of the silo. 



Varieties. 



The varieties of broad beans are numerous. It is 

 of no value to recommend any special varieties, as 

 local conditions largely determine which is profit- 

 able, and experience alone can direct the grower 

 in his choice. 



Culture. 



-Broad beans will thrive on a wide range 

 of soils, as long as they are rich, deep and well 

 drained. It does best on clay loams. Immediately 

 after the preceding crop is removed the land should 

 be gang-plowed. In order to destroy all weeds, late 

 summer and autumn cultivation should be given, 

 if possible. Late in the fall the land is plowed 

 deeply ; and if there is a stiff subsoil, the subsoil 

 plow should be employed. Just before planting in 

 the spring, the land is given a thorough surface 

 cultivation to destroy any weeds that may have 

 started, and to make the seed-bed fine. 



Manuring. — In the fall or spring, a dressing of 

 barnyard manure is given, at the rate of twelve 

 tons per acre. If the manuring is not performed 

 until winter or early spring it will be necessary to 

 plow the land again. 



Seeding. — When grown for seed broad beans are 

 commonly sown with a grain drill in rows twenty- 

 eight to thirty-five inches apart. They may be hand 

 planted. The plants should stand about two inches 

 apart in the row. Forty to fifty pounds of seed per 

 acre are required. When grown for silage, fodder 

 or green-manure, it is best to sow in rows 21 

 inches apart. The plants will grow thicker but not 

 mature so early, giving a heavier yield per acre. 

 It will then be necessary to sow 50 to 60 pounds of 

 seed per acre. The best time for planting in eastern 

 Canada is May 15 to June 1. 



Place in the rotation. — Broad beans usually come 

 between two grain crops, but as they can make 

 use of a liberal supply of humus they may profita- 

 bly follow meadow or pasture. For the bean crop 

 a field should generally be used that is in need of 

 cleaning ; and poor soils may be greatly benefited 

 because of the nitrogen-gathering habit of the 

 broad beaiis. 



Subsequent care. — Just before the plants appear 

 above the surface, a thorough harrowing should be 

 given to destroy weeds. Care must be taken not to 

 tear up the small bean plants. It is advisable to 

 use a harrow that has short teeth, or teeth that 

 slope backward. After the plants are up, frequent 

 cultivations should be given until the plants meet 

 in the rows. 



Harvesting. — If the crop is to be used for silage, 

 it should be cut when the grain is in the late 

 dough stage, that is, just before it is ripe. When 

 ensiled, one part of beans should be mixed with 



