Zurich Citizens News, 1973-08-23, Page 24PACE 24
Pancoke
breakfast
To start off activities at the
eighth annual Zurich and Dist-
rict Bean Festival this year will
be a pancake and sausage break-
fast served from eight o'clock
in the morning until 11. This
part of the bean festival is oper-
ated by the Zurich Minor Athlet.
is Association.
Last year was the first for this
new attraction and it proved to
be quite popular with all early
visitors. Over 500 persons were
served.
Helping in the kitchen at the
breakfast last year was "Aunt
Jemima" herself, and arrange-
„ ments are being made to have
her back again this year. LARGE CROWDS ENJOY CONTINUOUS ENTERTAINMENT
Huron County
Iargest
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS SOUVENIR EDITION
There are six major counties
in Ontario that specialize in
growing beans - Kent, Elgin,
Middlesex, Larnbton, Perth and
Huron. These counties represent
over 4, 200 growers.
Cf the six counties, Huron is
the largest bean producer, with
over 1,400 growers. A great
number of these growers are
located in the areas surrounding
Zurich, Hay, Stanley, Stephen,
Usborne and Tuckersmith town-
ships.
The total acreage of beans
in Ontario is about 121, 000 with
54, 000 acres grown right here
in good old Huron County.
The estimated amount of beans
grown in Ontario is well over
1, 500, 000 cqt.
About half of the total amount
of beans grown in Ontario must
be exported. tip until ten years
ago, there were just enough
beans grown in the country for
domestic use, but in the past
ten years the growers have
doubled their acreage making
it necessary to export the bal-
ance. Beans are now considered
as one of the best cash crops
there is for area farmers.
There is an organization
known as the Ontario Bean Prod-
ucers' Marketing Board which
has helped a great deal with the
export market of beans in the
country.
The growing of beans is usu-
ally regarded as a 90 -day crop,
since they are planted in early
June and harvested in early
September. Years ago the beans
used to be pulled and drawn into
the barns, where they would be
left for some time before they
were threshed. Now, however,
most farmers combine the beans
right in the field, thus eliminat-
ing a great deal of hard work.
seshoe.
t
A feature attraction this year
at the Bean Festival in Zurich
will be Canadian horseshoe
championship competition. This
championship event is being
arranged by the Ontario chapter
of the Canadian Horseshoe Ass-
ociation.
Taking part in the competit-
ion will be many outstanding
performers throughout the
country, and Elmer Hohl, the
world's champion, is expected
to be present as well.
The horseshoe pitching will
take place at the Zurich Com-
munity Park, just east of the
arena. Activity gets under way
at 2 p.m.
Bean straw is considered
valuable by most farmers, and
they usually bale and draw it
into their barns, where it is
later used for bedding cattle,
and feed.
Front the time beans are first
sown in early June, until they
are harvested, there is consider-
able amount of work involved
for the farmer. Shortly after
they are up out of the ground
r
grower
they must be scuffled so the
ground around them is loosened
to aid in their growth. A little
later they must be hoed to clean
the weeds away from the plants.
Some farmers now use weed
sprays to eliminate the tedious
job of hoeing.
When the beans ripen in the
early fall the entire plant must
be pulled out of the ground.
This is now done with modern
machinery that will pull two or
four rows at one time. After
they are dried out the combines
are able to come along and
harvest the crop.
Beans req uire proper climatic
conditions to grow successfully,
and this area of Ontario is best
suited for this purpose. They
must have an abundant supply
of rain and warm sunshine to
mature properly.
Once beans have been sold to
either the bean company or the
independent dealer, they are
then ready for use by canning
factories in the manufacture
of pork and beans, or bean soup.
There are a number of other
methods of selling the finished
product as well. Most dealers
package white beans for retail
sale in stores where housewives
purchase them for their own use.
Many women prefer making their
own pork and beans to those
bought in the grocery store.
Poorer quality beans are kept
by the farmers and used for
feeding cattle. The beans are
cooked in a big electric kettle
before they are used for feed.
For Your
REFRESH
Enjoy PepsCoki,
' Flet Pe s,
Mounfajn l+ :k an
Kst'',ro i ucis
ENJOY YOURSELF IN ZURICH
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