ISO 



RECREATION. 



When the beans are ripe and the "crop i ? 

 harvested, the whole plant is pulled. This 

 was formerly done by hand, but now beans 

 are harvested almost exclusively by ma- 

 chinery. After the beans are gathered and 

 dried, they are stored in barns like hay, 

 until a convenient time for threshing. Ac- 

 cording to J. L. Stone, of the Experiment 

 Station at Cornell, the threshing is usually 

 done by specially constructed machines 

 much like the ordinary grain thresher, but 

 some growers prefer the old fashioned flail, 

 claiming that the saving in beans, which 

 otherwise would be split, compensates for 

 the slower work. Discolored and damaged 

 beans, gravel and dirt of various sorts must 

 be removed before the beans are ready for 

 market. Much of this work can be done 

 by machinery, but some of it must be ac- 

 complished by hand picking. All the beans 

 sent to market by New York growers are 

 hand picked, which means that practically 

 every bean is perfect. The matter of pre- 

 paring the crop for market is now almost 

 exclusively in the hands of the bean dealers. 

 At a large number of the railway stations 

 in the bean growing sections are bean 

 houses, usually the property of a local pro- 

 duce dealer who buys the crop of the local- 

 ity. The farmer delivers his crop at the 

 bean house, where it is sampled. The 

 sample is weighed, picked, and weighed 

 again to determine the loss by picking. 

 The farmer is usually paid for the esti- 

 mated quantity of picked beans which he 

 delivers. At the bean houses the beans 

 are run through special machines that re- 

 move much of the refuse and sometimes 

 grade the beans according to size. The 

 hand picking is usually done by women and 

 girls. The work is wonderfully facilitated 

 by a mechanical device which causes the 

 beans, thinly spread on a movable canvas 

 apron, to pass slowly in front of the picker, 

 who has opportunity to see each bean and 

 time to pick out the gravel and damaged 

 beans. By means of a foot- lever the op- 

 erator controls the movement of the apron, 

 and the rapidity of the flow of the beans, 

 which are led by means of spouts from 

 the storage room above. Some dealers ar- 

 range to work so as to keep 10 to 20 per- 

 sons employed throughout the year. 



The civil war, Professor Stone believes,- 

 was a potent factor in extending the use 

 of dried beans as human food in the United 

 States. In 1861 the government began to 

 buy beans for use in the army, and during 

 the civil war production increased rapidly. 

 At the close of the war the government de- 

 mand ceased, but the soldiers had learned 

 to eat beans and they carried the habit back 

 with them into home life and induced 

 others to eat beans. also. Thus began the 

 demand for beans that has made possible 

 the great development of the industry. 



Other causes have influenced the consump- 

 tion of beans in certain localities, but none 

 were of so widespread influence as the 

 civil war. At the present tme, the practice 

 of canning beans in convenient and attrac- 

 tive forms is doing much to extend their 

 use. 



_ Other phases of bean growing are of con- 

 siderable importance in New York, though 

 not rivaling the dry bean industry. Near 

 the cities and towns the market gardeners 

 produce large quantities of vegetable or 

 snap beans to be put on the markets in the 

 green state. The canning factories con- 

 sume large quantities of sugar beans, 

 which nearly mature, but without drying 

 are put up in cans as shell beans. In cer- 

 tain sections of the State considerable 

 areas are devoted to growing the garden or 

 vegetable varieties of beans for seedsmen. 



LOBSTER FISHING IN CHILE. 



In the opinion of the American Consul 

 at Valparaiso, "the Island of Juan Fernan- 

 dez, lying 600 miles West of Valparaiso, 

 made famous by the story of Robinson 

 Crusoe, promises soon to develop industrial 

 interests; The island belongs to Chile, and 

 that government is now arranging to make 

 it a part of one of the Provinces and es- 

 tablish a local civil government. The is- 

 land is about 15 miles long and 8 miles in 

 width. There is a good harbor on one side, 

 where large ships can anchor with safety. 



"A large canning factory has been estab- 

 lished in Juan Fernandez, and the fishing 

 industries are attracting the attention of 

 capitalists. There are quantities of lob- 

 sters, crabs and excellent food fishes in the 

 waters. The lobsters are large, of excel- 

 lent flavor, and especially suited for can- 

 ning. They are easily caught, the supply 

 seems inexhaustible, and the cost of secur- 

 ing them is nominal. There are also large 

 numbers of fur seals on Fernandez and 

 other islands near, the taking of which 

 might be profitably added to the lobster 

 and fish business. The laws of Chile per- 

 mit the killing of seals from March 1 to 

 November 1. There is a ready market for 

 the seal skins in this port, whence they are 

 shipped to Europe. 



"There is plenty of fresh water on the 

 island ; land can be acquired by settlers 

 without cost ; fruit and vegetables grow 

 wild and are easily cultivated, which makes 

 the cost of living comparatively low." 



"Let me sell you a letter opener," said the 

 clerk in the novelty store. 



"Have one at home," responded the little 

 man. 



"Indeed! What kind is it?" 



"My wife." — Chicago News. 



