IDS 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
February 27, 
LIMA BEANS IN CALIFORNIA. 
This land is the Santa Clara Valley 
of Southern California; there is an¬ 
other Santa Clara in the North. H he 
land is very “spotted.” more I should 
imagine than in the East, so you find 
pieces very close together, one of which 
will raise beans, and the other not. 
This is due to the difference in soil and 
elevation. Though the valley is “level” 
it slopes from the Coast range (vary¬ 
ing from 16 miles to nothing where the 
points run out in the Pacific). 1 his 
gives us a peculiar climate, a good deal 
of fog and heavy dews in Summer, but 
no rain. Our crop is (we hope) raised 
without any rain from seed to ware¬ 
house. We begin to prepare the 
ground in the Fall, November or De¬ 
cember, according to the time of the 
first rains. The preparation varies, ac¬ 
cording to nature of soil, season of 
rain, etc., but the rule is to work the 
ground in early part of season with 
disk or cyclone (an implement practi¬ 
cally the same as the Acme harrow, but 
made to suit local conditions, and much 
cheaper). We usually plow about 
March, depending as I said on weather 
and soil; some earlier, some later. 
Then the ground is worked as before, 
keeping it perfectly clean of weeds till 
planting time (about May 1). From 
planting time to harvest we keep the 
ground cultivated and hoed constantly, 
maintaining a dust mulch, and allowing 
no weeds to sap the soil. T he seed 
beans are carefully hand-picked and 
planted about 40 pounds to the acre in 
rows 40 inches apart. We use no 
poles, as I judge to be the eastern 
practice. The vines run over the dry 
ground and we use a sled—somewhat 
similar to your corn cutters, though 
of course the knives run just under 
the ground, following with a gang of 
men with forks, who bunch (throw in 
bunches of one forkful each) throw¬ 
ing six rows together in one so that 
the machine wagons pass down the 
middle with pitcher on each side and 
take the rows as they go. 
We thrash with a traveling steam 
outfit (thrashing from 500 to 2,000 
sacks of about 80 pounds each per day) 
bale all the straw, at once if we can 
get a press, and sell it if we have a 
surplus. I refused $8 a ton for mine- 
so show me the man in The R. N.-Y. 
who claimed it would injure stock. We 
then wait for the first rain to begin 
fighting weeds. Our best land here 
for Limas is sandy, though the heavier 
land farther back from the coast gives 
profitable results. We use no fertil¬ 
izer; the land, either from improved 
methods of cultivation or the nitrogen 
gathered from the air, improves in 
yield to same crop year after year, 
seasons being considered. The culture 
for bacteria has been used to a small 
extent with apparently good results. 
Oxnard, California. _ w. o. E. 
MORE ABOUT “ALASKA WHEAT.” 
F. M. S-, Brookline, Mass. —Your issues 
of August 29 and November 28 contained 
articles on Alaska wheat, quoting Dr. Gallo¬ 
way, and stating the wheat to be Miracle, 
etc., giving information to your readers 
which now is shown was in error, in Bulle¬ 
tin No. 65, issued by the University of 
Idaho. I am sure you will give your read¬ 
ers, who are entitled to the facts about this 
wheat, something from this Bulletin to 
show its relative merit compared to other 
known varieties of commercial value. 
Ans.—O f course we want to give 
the facts about this wheat. The bulle¬ 
tin is published at Moscow, Iowa. As 
to the classification of the wheat the 
bulletin states: 
Mr. Adams, the promoter of this wheat, 
maintains that the wheat is not the old 
Miracle or Seven-headed Wonder, but de¬ 
clines to state just what it is, and in the 
absence of such a statement we are in¬ 
clined to think the Agronomist of the sta¬ 
tion has given the wheat its legitimate 
place in a statement published in press 
bulletin No. 15, from which we quote as 
follows: “Triticum Sat. Turgidum, Variety 
Foulard, known as Miracle, Egyptian or 
Mummy wheat, and raised in Southern 
Europe for macaroni and other pastes and 
flours desired by certain French markets.” 
It is our observation that the heads of 
Alaska bear a closer resemblance to those 
which were raised by the Colorado Station 
as Miracle wheat than they do to any 
other class of wheat we have seen. The 
heads of the Alaska, however, are larger 
and the kernels themselves seem to be some¬ 
what larger and are lighter in color than 
are those of the above mentioned Miracle 
wheat that was sent here. » 
In regard to yield the bulletin says: 
The yields this season, 1908, have not 
been phenomenal in any way. In some 
cases the wheat was quite badly mixed with 
other varieties, such as Canadian Hybrid 
and Little Club. An estimate of the yield, 
verified in some cases by the thrashing 
machine record is from 20 to 40 bushels per 
acre. This is about the same yield as 
that obtained from ordinary Winter wheat 
this season. That it will exceed these 
yields when grown under field conditions, 
remains to be proven. 
The heads of “Alaska” averaged 90 
to 140 kernels against 30 to 60 for 
other varieties. From four average 
heads 509 kernels were obtained which 
weighed 4.2 grams per 100. The aver¬ 
age weight of domestic wheat is 3.86 
grams per 100 and for foreign 4.07 
grams. The grain does not shatter 
from the heads badly, but does break 
in thrashing. As for quality elaborate 
baking tests were made as well as 
careful analyses. The result is thus 
stated: 
The results uniformly bear out the 
laboratory experience, that there is very 
little difference in the baking qualities of 
flour obtained from the Little Club wheat 
and that obtained from the Alaska wheat. 
The Little Club is a soft wheat grown ex¬ 
tensively in this part of the State, both as 
a Spring and Winter wheat; for milling 
purposes it would probably be placed about 
half-way between the best and the poorest 
milling wheats. 
Barreled Strawberries. 
M. E. D., North Baltimore, O .—I de¬ 
sire to plant strawberries in barrels by bor¬ 
ing holes around them. How many plants 
should be used to each large sugar barrel, 
what varieties will do best for table use 
and give choice berries during the season? 
I shall use five barrels, soil from around 
decayed logs, tile in center to supply pjoist- 
ure. Will it pay me for my trouble? 
Ans. —No, it will not pay, and we 
advise you not to try it. It will cost 
considerable time and money and will 
surely fail. We have tried the plan 
several times. The advice is to bore 
holes in the barrel staves 18 inches 
apart. Then to fill the barrel full of 
rich soil and tramp it down hard. 
Then to set out the plants in the 
holes. It reads right, but when you 
come to set the plants in the holes you 
cannot press the dirt around the roots. 
Some advise setting in a row of holes 
and then filling in dirt to cover the 
roots. In our experience there is noth¬ 
ing to it. 
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this season. Our large 
new 104-page Band in¬ 
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The best LIME for use on the soil. 
It’s all lime—not half lime and half ashes. 
If your dealer does not carry it in stock, let us 
tell you the cheapest way to buy it. 
Rockland-Rockport Lime Co. 
Boston 
24 Milk Street 
Have you read our free pamphlet 
LIMING OF SOILS AND SPRAYING? 
New York 
Flatiron Building 
No loafing acres 
Bradley’s Fertilizers 
where 
are used 
Idle land enriches no one. 
Land that can work and doesn't work, should be put 
to ’work. 
Acres that draw each year on your pocket book for 
taxes and interest without making any return in crops, 
. ought to be made to produce something. 
They are loafing acres. 
Wouldn't they look good to you with a corn harvest 
of 50 to 100 bushels shelled corn from each, and a big lot 
of fodder? All they need after they are well plowed and 
harrowed is an application of BRADLEY'S FERTI¬ 
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Be a producer, not a buyer, of that great corn crop 
that is yearly enriching the Western country. It makes 
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produce or whether you buy. 
See our Local Agents or address 
Bradley Fertilizer Works 
92 State Street - - - Boston, Mass, 
2 Rector Street, New York 
55 — 1 m m . 
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