BEAN. Ricinus COMMUni8, sometimes called Palma Christi, from the shape of its leaves. In the tropics this plant attains an immense size and lives for years. In Texas it strongly shows this perennial tendency. It is cultivated for its seeds, from which is expressed the well-known Castor Oil of commerce, once used solely as a medicine, but now used as a lubricator and for other purposes in the indus tries. It is cultivated as far north as 40 degrees, and constitutes an important agricultural indus try. As showing its perennial tendency, and also yield at the South, we find that B. C. Franklin, of Galveston, had a plant in his garden the stem of which was seven inches in diameter, and that it had yielded seed for eight years. Captain Slaight, of Chapel Hill, relates a similar experi ence. Mr. McIntire, of Washington, reports having raised seventy bushels per acre, and E. Bell, of Gonzales, raised an hundred bushels on one acre. The plant is quite obnoxious to in sects, and its freedom from their ravages is a strong point in favor of its culture in sections ravaged by locusts. The principal losses attend ing its cultivation in the extreme South arise from planting the small, light-colored bean of Missouri and Illinois, instead of the large seed appropriate to the climate of Texas and Florida; from planting too thickly; and from mismanage ment at harvesting. In the North the yield is from ten to thirty bushels per acre, according to soil and cultivation. It is not much cultivated north of 40° of latitude. The soil best suited to the plant is a light, rich, sandy loam, although any dry, fertile soil will produce good crops. In the South the seed is planted in rows six feet apart. In the North it is planted at almost the same distance as Indian corn, leaving rows at suitable intervals wide enough so a horse and light sled may pass along in gathering the Three or four seeds are usually planted, since the eut worms sometimes ravage the young plants. When the plants are six inches high they are thinned to one plant, the cultivation being pre cisely similar to that of Indian Corn. The seeds begin to ripen from the first to the 20th of August, according to latitude, and will continue to ripen until the plants are killed by frost.
Before the ripening of the seeds, a yard for spreading the pods must be prepared. This is generally selected on some knoll, or other hard, dry spot. The ground is cleared and beaten perfectly hard and smooth, and if declining slightly to the sun so much the better. The first ripenings should stand until the pods on the spikes begin to crack. Later the spikes may be cut as soon as two or three beans begin to open. They are carried to the drying yard and spread thinly. The heat causes the beans to pop out of the pods. In warm weather two or three days will suffice. When all are out, the heads are raked off, and the seed cleaned through a fan ning mill, with a suitable screen, and then spread on a floor, or other suitable place, safe from rain, being turned occasionally until quite dry. When the plantation is sufficiently extensive it is better that drying houses be prepared for the pods, and also moderate kilns for drying the beans; for thus much loss is obviated, in drying, frem wet weather, and also from mold in the packages in which the beans are packed. But in dry countries, as California this is not necessary. The analysis of Castor Oil Beans, French and Ameri can, is stated to be as follows: No. I represents the composition of a sample of Ricinus sang ainarius grown in Texas; No. II, the same variety grown in France ; while No. III represents that of a sample of Ricinus minor grown in France. It thus appears that, so far as the oil-contents of the seeds are concerned, the American sample is about as valuable as the European. The following are the results of an analysis of the mineral matters contained in the beans of the Ricinus sanguinarius: Lime 11.31 Chlorine 0.89 Magnesia 7.33 Potassa . 29.52 Peroxide of iron.... 0.89 Soda 8.75 Phosphoric acid.... 38.65 , Sulphuric acid.. .. 2.21 1 99.56 In the West, Southern Illinois, Central Missouri and Kansas, large quantities of Castor Beans are grown for the oil, and this industry is on the increase in Central and Southern Kansas.