A 



fruitful; and another thing Hiould be dbferved in 

 plantlngof the luccceding crops, which is, to make 



fl.vir^ nf moHl ftronnr land for the later 



crops •, for if 



they are planted on dry ground, they rarely produce 



a crop. ■ i /• 



Thefc after-crops fliould be planted at about a fort- 

 night diftancc from each other, from the middle of 

 February to the middle of May -, after which time 

 Jt IS generally too late to plant, unlefs the land is 

 very Itrong and moift ^ for in warm dry light land 

 all the late crops of Beans are generally attacked by 

 the black infeds, which cover all the upper part of 

 their Items, and foon caufe them to decay. 

 Where the feeds of thefe Beans are defigned to be 

 &ved, a fuff cient number of rows Ihould be fet apart 

 for thatpurpofe, according to the quantity defired ; 

 thefe Ihouki be managed in the fame way as thofe 

 which are defigned for the table ; but none of the 

 Beslits fhould be gathered, though there are fome 

 covetous perfons, who will gather all the firft ripe 

 for the table, and are contented to fave the after-crop 

 for feed, but thefe are never fo large and fair as the 

 firft i fo that if thefe are for fale, they will not bring 

 near the price as the other; therefore, what is gained 

 to the table is loft in the value of the feed ; but thofe 

 who are defirous to preferve the feveral varieties as 

 pure as poflible, ftiould never fuffer two of the va- 

 rieties to grow for feeds in the fame place -, for by 

 their farina mixing with each other they will not con- 

 tinue fo pure, but be apt to vary •, and in order to 

 keep the early kinds perfei5t, thofe which come the 

 carlieft fhould be faved for feeds ; but this is what 

 few people chufc to do, becaufc they are then the 

 moft valuable. 



When the feed is ripe, the ftalks fhould be pulled up, 

 and fet upright againft a hedge to dry, obferving 

 to turn them every third day, that they may dry 

 equally; then they maybe threfhed out, and, cleaned 

 for ufe, or otherwife flacked up in a barn, till there 

 is more leifure for threfhing them out; and after- 

 ward the feed fhould be drawn over to take out 

 all thofe that are not fair, preferving the beft for ufe 



or fale. > 



It is a very good method to change the feeds of all 



forts of Beans, and not to fow and fave the feeds 



in the fame ground, for they do not fucceed fb 

 well ; therefore, if the land is ftrong where they are 

 to be planted, it will be the beft way to procure 

 ■the feeds from a lighter ground, and fo vice verfa; 

 and by this method the crops will be larger, and the 

 Beans fairer, and not fo liable to degenerate. -^ 

 Havmg given direftions for the culture of the Gar- 

 den Beans, I ihall next proceed to tf at of the Horfc 

 Bean, which is cultivated in the fields : there are two 

 or three varieties of thefe Beafxs, ivhich differ in their 

 fize and colour ; but that which is now in the greateft 

 effeem, is called^the Tick Sean; this doth not grow 

 - fo high as the otiier, is a more plentiful bearer, and 



J*. 



4-i 



* ■ 





A 



of Beans may, with more ccrtaintv, be expelled, and 

 the land will be better prepared fur whatever croo k 

 is defigned for after. 



The feafon for fowing of thefe Bears is from the mid- 

 dle of February to the end of March, according to 

 the nature of the foil ^ the ftrongeit and wet land 

 fhould always be laft fown ; the uiual quantity of 

 Beans fown on an acre of land is about three bufhels ; 

 but this is double the quantity wliich need be fown 

 elpecially according to the new hufbandry ; but I 

 fliall firft fet down the pradlice according to the old 

 hufbandry, and then give direftions for their ma- 

 nagement according to the new. The method of 

 fowing is after the plough, in the bottom of the fiir- 

 rows i but then the furrows fhould not be more than 

 five, or at moft fix inches deep. If the land is new 

 broken up, it is ufual to plough it early in autumn, 

 and let it lie in ridges till after Chriftmas ; then plough 

 it in fmall furrows, and lay the ground fmooth ; thefe 

 two ploughings will break the ground fine enough 

 for Beans, and the third ploughing is to fow the Beans, 

 when the furrows fhouid be made fhallow, as was be- 

 fore mentioned. 



Moft people fet their Beans too clofe ; for, as fome 

 lay the Beans in the furrows after the plough, ^nd 

 others lay them before the plough, and plough them 

 in J fo, by both methods the Beans are fet as clofe as 

 the furrows are made, which is much too near •, for 

 when they are on ftrong good land, they generally 

 are drawn up to a very great height, and are not fo 

 apt to pod as when they have more room, and are of 

 lower growth ; therefore I am convinced by many • 

 late trials, that the better way is to make the furrows 

 two feet and a half afunder, or more ; which will caufe 

 them to branch out into many ftalks, and' bear in * 

 greater plenty than when they are clofer ; by this me- 

 thod, half the quantity of Beans will be fufficient for 

 an acre of land ; and by the fun and air being ad- 

 mitted between the rows, the Beans will ripen much 

 earlier and more equally than in the common way. 

 What has been mentioned muft be underftood as re- 

 lating to the old hufbandry ; but where Beans are 

 planted according to the new, the ground fhould be 

 four times ploughed before the Beans are fet, which 

 will break the clods, and render it much better foi; 

 planting j then with a drill plough, to which a hop- 

 per is fixed for fetting of the Beans, the drills fhould 

 be made at three feet afunder, and the Ipring of the 

 hopper fet fo as to fcattertfie BeahS at three inches 

 diftance in the drills. By this method lefs than one 

 bufhel of feed will plant an acre of land. * When 

 the Beans are up, if the ground is ftirred between the 

 rows mSi aliorfe plough, it will dcftroy all the young 



and when the Beans are advanced about three 



I f 



or four inches high, the ground fhould be again 

 ploughed between the rows, and the earth laid up to 

 the Beans ; and if a third ploughing; at about five or 

 fix weeks after is given, the ground will be kept 



focceeds better on light land than the common Horfe I ^ clean from weeds, and the Beans will ftalk 'out, 



and produce a much greater crop than in the com- 



. ^_ r I » 







Bean, fo preferred to it. 



The Horfe Bean delights in a ftrong moift foil, and 

 an open expofure, for they never thrive well on dry 

 warm land, or in fmall inclofures, where they are very 

 fubjeft to blight, and are frequently attacked by a 

 black infeft, which the farmers call the black, dol- 

 phin ; thefe infe£ls are often in fuch quantities as to 

 cover the ftems of the Beans entirely, efpeci ally all 

 the upper part of them ; and whenever this happens, 

 the Beans feldom come to good ; but in the open 

 fields, where the foil is ftrong, this rarely happens. 

 Thefe Beans are ufually fown on land which is frdh 

 broken up, becaufe they are of ufe to break and pul- 



T^^?^ "^^' ground, as alfo to deftroy weeds ; fo that 

 the land is rendered much better for corn, after a 

 crop of Beans, than it would have been before, efpe- 

 cially if they are fown and managed according to the 

 new hufbandry, with a drill plough, and the horfe 

 noe, ufed to ftir the ground between the rows of 

 neans, which will prevent the growth of weeds, and 

 pulvcriie the ground, whereby a much greater crop 



.',^r'.} 'Hi ^ 



mon way 



When the Beans are ripe, they are reaped with a 

 hook, as is ufually pra6lifed for Peas ; and after hav- 

 ing lain a few days on the ground they are turned, 

 and this niuft be repeated feveral times, until they are 

 dry enough to ftack ; but the beft method is to tie 

 them in fmall bundles, and fet them upnght ; for 

 then they will not be in fo much danger to TufFer by 

 wet, as when they lie on the ground ; and they will 

 be more handy to carry and ftack, than if they are 

 loofc. The common produce is from twenty to 

 twenty-five bufhels on an acre of land ; but I have 

 known thirty-fix on an acre. 



The Beans fhould lie in the mow to fweat, before 

 they are threfhed out -, for as the haulm is very large 

 and fuccuknt, fo it is very apt to give and grow moiit; 

 but there is no danger of the Beans receiving damage, 

 if they are ftacked tolerably dry, becaufe the pods will 

 preferve the Beans from injury; and they will be 



much eafier to threfh after they have fwea^ in the 



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