66 © ANNUAL REPORT. 
cut close. Winter as you please, in cellar or in pits. Plant.as soon as da 
frost is over, in rows three feet apart and eighteen inches apart in the roy 
cover to the crown. Soil should be rich. Cultivate thoroughly, and hill ur 
at the last hoeing, to support the stalks. Cut as soon as the seeds turn brown. 
Dry in the sun, and thresh with a flail, but take care to do this before the stalks — 
become so dry as to break badly, as it is then almost impossible to separate the 
short bits of sticks from the seed. Clean with a fanning mill, and spread out in 
a dry loft to cure before sacking; and here is a good time to remark penrstoe pad 
keep better in sacks than in barrels or bins. Good six years. — 
Sta 
€ 
Beans. 
This aristocratic plant will well repay for planting on moderately rich soil, not- 
withstanding its reputation for thriving on gravelly knolls. Plant at late corn- 
planting time, in rows running north and south, thirty inches apart, one bushel 
of seed per acre. Cultivate well; hill but little, as the pods should stand well up 
from the ground. Never hoe or cultivate when the vines are wet. Harvest as 
soon as ripe. Stack in hard stacks around a pole with plenty of brush at bottom, 
and cover with hay; and Jet them remain in this position until thoroughly dry 
and cured out. If dried for only a day or two on the ground, they will thresh 
well, but are not cured out sufficiently to sack with safety. They are apt to heat, 
which will ruin them for seed and also take on a dingy appearance, while if 
cured in the pod they preserve the bright glossy appearance so valuable in seed 
stock. Thresh with a flail, and compel yotr men to wear rubber shoes while at 
work, as heavy boots are sure to split a great many beans. Clean with a fan- 
ning mill, and sift with a No. 8 seive, and hand pick. 
Cabbage. 
This vegetable responds liberally to careful selection of seed stocks, and fails 
just as liberally in proportion as poor specimens are planted for seed. Old estab- 
lished specimens preserve their individuality remarkably well, but the new mtro- 
ductions are apt for years to persistently sport, as having an ambition to be every 
thing at once. This is familiarly illustrated in that new candidate for public 
favor, Henderson’s Summer, which in our grounds seems yet to be undecided 
whether to be a Jersey Wakefield, Early Wyman, or Fottler’s Brunswick; and 
for the interest of the seed trade, I hope it will soon settle down to business, and 
establish for itself a pedigree. Winter according to your most approved notions, 
taking care that the roots are preserved tolerably fresh, and that the stalk at its 
junction with the head is preserved from alternate freezing and thawing, as that 
is a vital point, and if injured is sure to rot off when planted out. Plant 4x4 ft. 
deeply, so the head nearly rests upon the ground. Harvest as soon as the pods 
turn yellow, as there is danger of loss by shelling, and the seed loses its plump 
appearance if allowed to get too ripe. It ripens irregularly, and several cuttings 
must be made to insure an even sample of seed. Much of the cabbage seed sold 
has the appearance of having two or three sorts mixed, owing to the carelessness 
of the grower in harvesting the whole stalk at one time, containing seed in eyery 
stage of ripening. Dry upon cloths in the sun to dry, and remove to the thresh- 
ing floor by tying the corners of the sheets together. Thresh with a very light 
flail; clean with fanning mill, and finish with No. 18 seive. 
