Sowing Beans in Spring and Autumn. 39 



ing and sowing of winter beans can be accomplished in due 

 season. 



There are, however, exceptional cases when land may be 

 ploughed for beans during harvest, or immediately after it, when 

 ploughing for wheat cannot be carried on properly. It is then 

 that the sowing of winter beans instead of spring beans should 

 take place with everything in its favour. 



Common winter beans are said to be of both Russian and 

 French origin. Whatever the origin or original distinctions may 

 have been, there is no particular difference known now amongst 

 farmers. Winter beans are very small, of a darker brown colour 

 than spring beans, with a very black eye. They usually weigh, 

 when well harvested, from 63 lbs. to QQ lbs. per bushel, and 

 about 6 grains each. Common horse-beans, sown in spring, 

 usually weigh from 0)2 lbs. to 64 lbs. per bushel, and about 14 

 grains each. There are many varieties of tick-beans, or at least 

 many tick-beans sown of different names, which are much alike 

 in appearance and habits of growth and yield. The Harrow tick 

 and French tick are both small seeds, and usually weigh from 

 63 lbs. to 67 lbs. per bushel. The horse-bean and mazagan are 

 most commonly sown in England, as they yield more straw and 

 corn than the ticks. Ticks are better adapted for comparatively 

 light soils than the common horse-bean, and as they seldom run 

 much to straw are very suitable for allowing a thorough cleaning 

 by the horse and hand hoe throughout the summer. Some sea- 

 sons we have seen tick-beans produce so little straw and leaf as 

 to allow of horse-hoeing nearly up to harvest without injury to 

 the crop. The land was thus kept free of all annuals, and spots 

 of couch were easily destroyed by being repeatedly moved ; yet, 

 although the crop in growing looked small, the yield at harvest 

 has reached 40 bushels an acre, and in one instance, where the 

 straw was only 30 inches high, the yield was 50 bushels an acre. 

 Beans, however, v/hich produce little straw allow more annuals 

 to grow, unless well hoed, than such as produce much straw, 

 which covers all the ground and in a measure smothers the weak 

 under-weeds. 



There are very few farmers who would acknowledge any sys- 

 tem of growing com which would encourage the growth of weeds 

 rather than destroy them ; but, whether acknowledged or not, it 

 is true that in too many instances a bean crop is anything but a 

 cleansing one, and more generally leaves the land fouler when the 

 crop is reaped than when sown. 



To obviate this evil the cultivation of beans, whether sown in 

 winter or spring, must be such as to allow of horse cultivation ; 

 and to accomplish this the seed must be drilled or planted in 

 straight lines, with a sufficient width between the rows to admit 



