Published by 
The Rural Publishini; COt 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
The Rural New-Yorker 
The Business Farmer’s Paper 
Weekly, One Dollar Per Year 
Postpaid 
Single Copies, Five Cents 
Fol. LXXVI. 
XKW YORK. MAY' 20. 1017. 
No. 44.01, 
Bean Growing in Western New York 
A Chapter Largely of “ Don’ts ” 
ITlii.s articU* was preiiared by ilf. I.oe two years 
but was not printed at that time. It is used now 
to answer many questions from would-l)e beau growers.] 
K NOWLEDOE REIiriEED.—In the first plaoe 
Itetins (leinaiid a somewhat more inlimtite 
Uiiowledge of their requirements tlian .sonu' of our 
other crops iii order to l>e a success. A misstep iu 
any one opcnition, from plantiu.g to ]tulliug. may 
.-pell ruin. Secondly, a normal yield on the acretige 
usually planted is ordimirily sutii< ieut to supply the 
markets at a reasonahle price and over-supply eitlier 
from an increased acreage or better yields gets tlie 
gi'owers mixed up at once iu that tough old “two- 
Idades-of-grass” propo¬ 
sition. .. 
(’ t'LTUIlAE SUd- 
(; ESTIONS.—Eiicli vji- 
ridty lias some charac- 
ttuistics peculiar to it- 
.-elf. and no two want 
to he liandled in exactl.v 
the same way. However, 
there are a number of 
suggestions whicli apply 
to all varieties. My 
own experience is con- 
tiiied to the pea beans, 
though other varieties 
are grown in the neigh¬ 
borhood. I’ea beans un¬ 
der favorable weather 
eoiulitions are a OO-day 
< id]t from planting to 
harvest, though they 
may require two t»r 
ilirec* weeks longer to 
mature in an unfavor¬ 
able season. Imperials, 
marrows, kidne.vs, and 
otluu' varieties require 
from one to four weeks 
longer tliau pea lieaiis 
to come to maturit.v. It 
is m.v experience, and I 
believe a general rule, 
that the quicker a bean 
eidp matures the heavier 
tlu' yield wdll lie. 
rr.AXTINO. — There 
is cousideralde differ¬ 
ence of opinion among 
«*xiK*rieneed growers as 
to the best time to 
1 da lit. some iireferring 
to ]daiit as early as tlie 
ground is warm enough 
to germinate the seed 
(luieki.v. and danger of 
frost ma.v reasoiialdy be 
loiisidered past, while 
others jirefer to ludd off 
till the latter part of 
.lime. 4Tiero is also 
>onie difference in tlie 
variet.v to lie grown, 
those requiring a longer 
>'asoii ma.v have to be planteil ahead of the otliei’s 
to escape tlie early Fall frost. The results in either 
case depend largel.v on the .snh.seqnent weather. 
I-veii a liglit frost after the plants are uj» is almost 
>ure to kill them, and a few c<dd nights without 
frost may turn them yello^v and perhaps iii.iure tlie 
tioji he.vond redemption. The ground should at 
least be warm enough so that the seed will .germinate 
and tlie plants sliow above ground in live or six days, 
and if tliey will show up the third da.v and keep 
growing ever.v da.v without a check till the leaves 
hc.i^in to show the .vellow of maturit.v at least a fair 
.vield for the field thej' are on may he exi»ected. The 
later they are idanted so long as too much moisture 
is not allowed to he lo.st from the soil in a dry time 
the more nearly are the conditions liable fo approach 
the ideal on the start. However, in this section there 
i'^ nearly always a period of drought some time dur¬ 
ing the Summer, even in .seasons when the tot;il 
Summer rainfalj is above nor^pal, and the larger 
the beau plant is wlien this <‘oim‘s the better it will 
pull through. All evteiisiw root s.vstom is better 
able to secure eiumgh moistnrt* from a soil below 
optimum, and a lieav.v growth of h'avi's to sh*ade the 
ground prevents the loss of eonsiderahle soil mois¬ 
ture h.v evaporation. 
HATE OF YIATfRl'l’Y.—Another important point 
whieli must he kept in mind is the date of maturity. 
If planted too late the enqi ma.v get niiqu'd h.v frost 
before it is riiK“. and ]tartiall.v or totall.v ruined. 
Fven though not caught l>.v frost the beau crop is 
somewhat ditfienlt to harvest without more or less 
loss )>.v shattering and discoloration of the beans, 
and the shortening da.vs and heav.v dmvs of late Meii- 
temher and October add to the diflicnltv. Where 
Intern this Pay-triot for The Country’s Good. Fig. 29.2 
an inch deep after 
wln‘at is to follow tin* he.ins in the rotation it is also 
an advantage to liave tlumi off as earl.v as possible 
to allow ample time proiK'rl.\- fo tit the wheat ground. 
C’OXHITToXS IXYOLVEH.—Altogether tliere are 
a nnmher of things which iiiltncnee tlie time of fdant- 
iiig and after one has figured tin* known factors of 
.soil, rotation, variet.v. etc., down to a line point, he 
is fortnnute if lie gets in .just right oji Ids weather 
forecast, rersonall.v I am a strong believer in iinito 
earl.v planting under onr conditions, hut must ailmit 
that for the past three disastrous seasons tlie few 
crops iu this neighhorhooil which have approached 
sncce.ss were plante<l late. 
THE SEED REH.—The seed bed for lieaiis must 
ho tine and mellow, so that each .seed is <-ompletel.v 
surrounded l>.v moist .soil to insure quick germina¬ 
tion and at the .same time compact to the depth of 
tlie furrow, so that the tmider he,-in roots will not 
he disturbed h.v snhsei|noiit settliii.g. Wlieu a l>oan 
germinates its roots form at the end of the .sprout, 
awa.v from tin* s(“(*d, onii as sixiii as ifet started 
tin* entire seed ht'aii is pnslu'd up out t>f the gronftd. 
On land heav.v enough to crust over it is not nn- 
nsnal for a heav.v rain, or h.v rolling down too h.-ird 
after planting, .so to eomiiaet the snrfaci' that the 
bean cannot get through, and as the stem persists in 
attmiiiding to grow ;iiid perform its fniietiou it 
hr(*aks off and tlie |»lant dies. A loose surface must 
therefore he insured at least until tlie beans aiiiiear 
above ground. 4’he sliallower they can he planted 
and still he covered witli moist soli the iinieker ami 
more niiiformly will they germinate. AYe try to s^et 
tliem in less than an inch unless it is necessary to 
go dt'eper for moisture. 
(.H AN 1 11 \ ()F SI.El).—There is al.so differeiic** 
(if opinion ns to the best 
late i>f seedin.g. I’ea 
beans are planted at 
the rate of from one- 
half to one hnshel |>er 
acre iu rows 2S ineh.e.'^ 
apart. I'snall.v ahout 
three peeks are used. 
Tlie larger beans require 
more seed ; kidne.vs and 
othm's of that size from 
three to live peeks. Thi- 
due crowding of tin- 
plants do(‘s not favor 
full setting and devel- 
opnnmt of i>ods, and the 
rate of .seeding must be 
governed largel.x h.v tlie 
<on<lition of the .soil. 
< >11 a .strong soil whi<4i 
ma.v he expected to de¬ 
velop largi*. thrifty 
plants, two or three 
]»ecks of jiea beans and 
tliree or four ]»eeks of 
tlie largi'st sorts should 
be enongli, while on a 
poorer .soil, wlnu'e tlie 
plants are not likely to 
got large enon.gli to 
crowd a corresiiondimti.v 
heavier rate of set'ding 
is advisable. 
CIT/nVATIHN.— The 
bean plant develops a 
surprisingly immense 
area of fine feedin.g 
roots near the surface 
of tlie gronml. and tliey 
will extmid out several 
feet within a'fow wei*ks. 
It is liighl.v important 
to avoid in.jnving tlies** 
roots .an.v more tliaii 
iieeessar.v. AYeeds must 
be kept down, and a 
(Inst mnleh maiiitaiiied 
to eon.serve moisture by 
cultivating as often and 
as shallow as po-<silih> 
right from the start. 
I’.f'ans .should never lie 
intertilled moi-e than 
hav(‘ got well started 
to .growin.g. and a half-inch is lietter if an im 
plimieiit is ;it hand that will do a thoi‘ongii 
.iol.i at that di'ptli. I'nder no circnmstaiiees 
.should eitlier a cultivator or hoe lie allowed 
in a beau field after they have .got fairly into hlo.s- 
.som. If weeds threaten to ruin the crop at that 
time iietter let tlunn do it than the hired man. 
AVhen lieans come info blossom tlu‘.v a])pear to have 
develoiied an e<iiiiUhrinm between root and leaf de- 
velopment with a great area of line feeding roots 
.iust under the surface of the .ground, and an.v dis- 
tnrhanee of these mots .inst at the critical time when 
the pods are setting seems to limit the crop .just 
about in proportion to the iii.inr.v done the roots. 
Ylaii.v a good prospect in a beau field has been re- 
dnccal one-half h.v ev(Mi comparatively shallow culti¬ 
vation at this tim(\ Aiiotlier dan.ger is in knockin.g 
off some of the hlo.ssoms. wliich are ver.v easil.v dis¬ 
lodged. Onr own crop in 1911 was reduced one-half 
tliey 
