Beans In Colorado 
INTRODUCTION 
S 
The Colorado bean acreage has been steadily growing for the 
last ten years. The rate of growtli in 1915 and 1916 has been as 
great as in the previous eight years. According to the Bureau of 
Statistics, United States Department of Agriculture, 38,000 acres were 
grown in Colorado in 1916, a jump from 21,000 acres in 1915, and 
20,000 acres in 1914. The total production of the State in this period 
has jumped from 18,000,000 pounds to 25,440,000 pounds, in round 
numbers. In other words, the acreage has increased 81% and the 
total production has increased in the same period about 41%. The 1916 
yield per acre was low on account of one of the worst drouths in the 
history of the Colorado Plains. The seasons of 1914 and 1915 were 
especially favorable, with high average acre yields. In 1917, 243,000 
acres of beans were planted in Colorado. Owing to poor farming, very 
unseasonable weather conditions, hail and other vicissitudes only about 
190,000 to 200,000 acres were harvested. The difference between the 
area planted and the area harvested represents the mortality due to un¬ 
favorable conditions. Of this area about 40,000 acres was irrigated. 
There were grown for seed, under contract with seed houses, about 
20,000 acres. These seed beans represented about a dozen different 
varieties and were produced mostly for eastern seed houses. The 
total 1917 yield was approximately 90,000,000 pounds. 
Beans are well adapted for growing in nearly all sections of 
the plains. Beans are a hot weather crop and as a consequence 
must be produced in the frost-free period. To successfully produce 
a bean crop, the season should be at least 95 days in length; 95 to 100 
days should be the minimum. A season of this length is seldom found 
above an average of 6,000 feet in elevation. There are localities where 
the slopes are favorable and the soils sandy, where the seasons are 
somewhat longer, permitting the production of beans at altitudes as 
high as 7,000 feet. If the season is bright and rather warm, some of 
the early varieties may be matured in as short a season as 60 days. A 
cloudy season, however, always lengthens the growing period. C^'X)!, 
cloudy weather may extend the growing season, especially if rains 
accompany these weather conditions or if irrigation is given^ In such 
cases the season required for maturity may be as long as 130 days, too 
long for many sections even 6,000 feet in altitude. 
The pinto bean, which formerly went under the name “Mexican”, 
£s by far the most important market bean, as it exceeds in acreage and 
total production all other beans produced. The seed industry beans, 
which are of numerous varieties, are the only ones which begin to com¬ 
pete in acreage with the pintos. These seed beans are largely produced 
vimder contracts with seed houses and consequently do not reach bean 
markets. ' f < ^ 
