108 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
A Chapter on Castor Beans—Details of 
Cultivation and Gathering. 
The Castor Bean (Bicinus Communis ), or Jo¬ 
nah’s Gourd, is beautiful as an ornamental 
plant, and for this purpose it may well have a 
place in every garden. The quick growing, 
large, tree-like stems, with monster leaves, even 
in northern climates, confirm what is believed 
by commentators on the Bible, that the plant 
which sheltered Jonah, called a gourd, was no 
other than our castor bean plant. For garden or¬ 
nament, it is only necessary to plant a few of the 
beans in hills, or in a drill, thinning out to 18 or 
20 inches apart. The stalks grow from 5 to 10 
feet high, or more on rich soil. Both stems and 
leaves are of a dark, purplish color. Within a 
few weeks past, several subscribers of the Agri¬ 
culturist have personally assured us from their 
own experience, that wherever the castor bean 
is planted in a garden, the moles will surely 
take their departure. It hardly seems credible, 
but may be so—especially if moles are as easily 
nauseated as children with the slightest odor of 
anything like castor oil. In form and appear¬ 
ance, the fruit resembles common small colored 
beans. The oil pressed from these is the 
common medicinal castor oil of the druggists, 
which is sold in large quantities. We have seen 
thousands of bushels of the beans in bags on 
steamboats on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, 
which were taken in at towns on the banks of 
those rivers, along Southern Indiana and Illinois, 
and some we believe from Eastern Missouri and 
Northern Kentucky. They will grow well any 
where south of 40°, and probably further north. 
There is just now a new interest awakened in 
the cultivation of this crop in the States above 
mentioned. A subscriber residing in Saline 
County, Ill., who has grown several crops suc¬ 
cessfully, furnishes for the American Agriculturist 
the following directions, which are very full: 
Field Culture. —The yield is 12 to 20 bush¬ 
els per acre. Prepare the ground just as for In¬ 
dian corn, but without much manure, or the 
plants will run too much to stalks. As soon as 
the ground is warm, and the weather settled, 
say about the first of May, have the surface 
well prepared with plow and harrow, and mark 
it off into rows four feet apart. Then cross¬ 
mark it at the same distance, but leave between 
each set of four rows, a space wide enough to 
drive through a sled, wagon, or cart. The cross 
rows should run in a direction to admit of the 
ready entrance to the spaces left for the team. 
Plant in hills at the crossing of the rows, the 
same as corn. As soon as the plants are up, 
draw a little earth around them to keep down 
grass and weeds, and as a protection against the 
cut-worm—taking care not to break the tender 
stems. When well started, thin out to two 
stalks in a hill. Cultivate the same as corn. 
They will commence to ripen the first of Au¬ 
gust. Place upon a sled, or on wheels, a tight 
box holding eight or ten bushels. With two 
men, and a boy to drive the horse, go through 
the wide rows or spaces, each man taking two 
rows on either side, and cutting off all the 
bunches that are beginning to crack. When the 
box is full, take it to the yard or bean-house. A 
yard will do in fair weather, as the sun will soon 
pop out the beans. If in an open yard, smooth 
off the ground, and .set up crotched stakes about 
four feet high, and twelve feet apart, laying on 
poles or rails, and spreading the beans over 
them as soon as cut and hauled in. Boards 
should be set around to keep the beans from 
flying off as they fly out. When thus shelled 
by the sun, rake off the stems, and sweep up 
and bag the beans like wheat. They should not 
be allowed to get wet, and it is much better to 
have a bean-house and use fire heat instead of 
the sun for curing them. This may be, say 16 
feet square, and be covered with boards so close¬ 
ly as to retain the warm air. Put in this a fur¬ 
nace, placing it so that the beans can not fall on 
it, as from their oily character they readily take 
fire and burn briskly. Place joists about seven 
feet high, and over these lay slats, two inches 
wide, half an inch apart; spread on the beans 
as gathered, and start the fire, and keep it up 
until they crack out and fall through the slats. 
The gathering from the field can be repeated 
at intervals of a week or less, as the bunches 
will continue to ripen until frost. I think the 
castor bean crop improves old land instead of 
impoverishing it. The stalks left in the field 
are tender, and can be broken up readily to plow 
under, by dragging a heavy brush over the field 
when dry in the Spring. 
Sweet Potatoes Easily Grown at the 
North—Practical Directions. 
During the past three years, we have had good 
home-grown sweet potatoes, produced with 
little trouble, and cheaper than we could buy 
them in the New-York markets, to which they 
are brought in abundance from the Southern and 
South-middle States, and sold at moderate prices. 
Last year a garden plot yielded at the rate of 
480 bushels per acre, and there was no reason 
why a full acre, or ten acres, should not have 
yielded at the same rate. The soil was of but 
medium quality, neither light nor heavy. It 
had a moderate quantity of manure worked 
into the surface. The manure was a month old 
compost, made of about four parts of muck to 
one of horse and cow manure from the stable. 
We attribute our success in latter years to the 
method of cultivation. The sweet potato, to 
be sweet and mealy, and to grow vigorously, 
needs a warm dry soil, with plenty of sun. To 
secure this in our latitude, on a soil not clayey, 
but yet not sandy, we plant in high round hills, 
which let in the warmth of the sun and warm 
air on all sides, and secure at all times perfect 
freedom from water. For garden culture we 
proceed thus: After preparing the ground well, 
as for other potatoes, sticks 1 foot long are set 
up about 3 feet apart each way to mark the cen¬ 
ters of the hills. With a hoe or shovel the earth 
is then thrown up around the sticks on all sides, 
so as to form round hillocks, 8 to 10 inches high. 
(In field culture a plow run twice in furrows 
each way, will do the hilling more economical¬ 
ly.) When two or three rows of hills are made, 
the sticks are drawn out, and used for other 
hills. As soon as all danger of frost is over, 
and the ground warm, the plants are set—one 
strong or two weak ones in the center of each 
hill, in the holes left by removing the sticks, 
using a little water, if the ground be dry. They 
can be set almost as fast as hills of common po¬ 
tatoes can be planted. No further care is need¬ 
ed, except to keep the ground free from weeds, 
as for other hoed crops. The vines grow slowly 
at first, but after a time they run vigorously, and 
are at all times ornamental. Our engraving 
shows the appearance of the vines, with small 
tubers attached. The plants we have usually 
bought in the market at trifling cost. They are 
frequently advertised in the Agriculturist. We 
shall this year raise our own plants thus: The 
last of March or early in April, the potatoes are 
put in soil in the liot-bed, or, if need be, in a 
box of rich earth set in a warm place. They 
send up a multitude of sprouts with roots at¬ 
tached ; these sprouts are broken off from the 
tubers, for setting out at the proper time. 
Further Notes.— About the first of March, 
J. C. Thompson, of Staten Island, sent us some 
sweet potatoes of his own growth, excellently 
preserved, and as good as any we have ever 
tasted at any season. From his full description 
prepared for the American Agriculturist , we add 
a few extracts on points not referred to above. 
“... .Sweet potatoes may be grown in hills or 
in ridges; the latter require least labor... .Light 
sandy loam is best, because it is dry and warm, 
but small tubers may be produced on quite stiff 
land, and even on sward or old pasture land 
thus: Turn two furrows nearly together to form 
the center of a ridge once in three feet, fill¬ 
ing in the open space between the upturned 
furrows with a light, rich compost to form the 
center of the ridge, and in this set the plants 18 
inches apart. It is better not to disturb the 
ground under the ridges, for then the tubers will 
not grow long downward, since they meet the 
hard soil, but they increase in diameter and be¬ 
come nearly round, which improves their ap¬ 
pearance and quality. The secret of getting 
round, smooth, chubby sweet potatoes, instead 
of long, slim things, is to have a hard bottom 
under them... .Fine, or half-rotted manure will 
do, using it in the whole soil, or in the hills or 
ridges, in the same quantity and manner as for 
the Irish potato-The best time for planting 
is toward evening, using a little water in the 
holes, if the ground be diy, covering it over 
with dry earth, to absorb the excess and pre¬ 
vent baking.... If in rows in the garden or 
field, these should run north and south; as the 
vines extend, lay them lengthwise on the rows, 
to allow the sun free access to the sides... .Last 
season I planted sweet potatoes in rows 4 feet 
apart, with rows of carrots between, and from 
a plot 50 by 100 feet obtained 17 barrels of sweet 
potatoes, and 48 bushels of fine carrots. Three 
feet is the proper distance apart for the vines 
when grown alone, with the plants set 16 to 
18 inches apart in the ridge... .The Nansemond 
variety is the best for the North... .In August 
and September the largest potatoes may be 
taken out for use, leaving the smaller ones to 
continue growing. Run the finger into the 
ground near the stem, and when a large tuber 
is found, remove a little of the earth, detach it 
from the stem, take it out, and place back the 
earth.” [We have practiced this successfully. 
Ed.] “When frost kills the vines, choose the 
first clear dry day, dig until noon, let the 
