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LEGUMINOSJE. CLXVI1I. FABA. 



* * Field beans, and tlieir culture. 



It is only of late years that the bean has been cultivated in 

 Britain upon general soils, being formerly considered as adapted 

 to rich and moist clays. At that time they were all sown in the 

 broad- cast method, in which way instead of benefitting the 

 ground, they were of detriment to it, for weeds got away on the 

 outset, and in dry seasons often ruined the crop. 



The drilling of beans with a small mixture of peas is now become 

 a general practice in every well cultivated district, more particu- 

 larly in those where the soil and climate permit the practice to 

 be successfully executed. In this way not only heavy crops are 

 raised, but what is of greater importance, the ground is kept 

 constantly in good order, provided suitable attention is bestowed 

 upon the clearing process. This is generally carried on by horse- 

 hoeing the crop at different times. 



The varieties of the bean may be included under two general 

 heads, the white or garden beans, and the grey or field beaux. 

 Of the white bean, sown in the fields, the Mazagan and Long- 

 pod are almost the only sorts. Of the grey beans, that known 

 as the horse-bean, the small or ticks, and the prolific or Heligo- 

 land, are the chief sorts. New varieties are procured in the 

 same manner as other plants. 



In the choice of sorts, tick-beans are supposed by some far- 

 mers to be more productive than horse-beans, but the latter 

 grow higher in the stem and shade the land more, and are 

 consequently the most suitable for the stronger sorts of soil ; 

 and Young remarks that the common little horse-bean has the 

 advantage of all others, in being more generally marketable, for 

 in certain situations, it is not always easy to dispose of ticks, 

 Windsors, long-pods, and various other large sorts. They also 

 grow higher, shade the ground more from the sun in summer, 

 and yield a larger quantity of straw, which makes excellent 

 manure, but some of the other sorts are generally supposed to 

 yield larger products. 



The best soils for beans are clays and strong loams ; on such 

 soils they generally succeed wheat or oats, but sometimes also 

 clover leys. Turnip soils or sands are by no means proper for 

 them. 



In the preparation of the soil, much depends upon the nature 

 of the land and the state of the weather ; for as beans must 

 be sown early in spring, it is sometimes impossible to give all 

 the labour which a careful farmer would wish to bestow. It 

 must also be regulated in some measure by the manner of sow- 

 ing. In all cases it ought to be ploughed with a deep furrow 

 after harvest or early in winter, and as two ploughings in spring 

 are highly advantageous, the winter furrow may be given in the 

 direction of the former ridges, in which way the land is sooner 

 dry in spring than if it had been ploughed across. The second 

 ploughing is to be given across the ridges as early in spring as 

 the ground is sufficiently dry, and the third furrow either forms 

 the dri'ls or receives the seed (Suppl. E. Brit. Art. Agr.). 



Manure is applied if the crop succeeds wheat. By some, 

 dung is spread on the stubble previous to the winter ploughing, 

 but this cannot always be done in a satisfactory manner, unless 

 during frost, when it may lie long exposed to the weather before 

 it can be turned in. The most desirable mode therefore is, to 

 lay the manure into drills immediately before the beans are sown. 

 According to Brown (Treatise on Rural Affairs) the best way 

 is to apply the dung on the stubble before the winter furrow 

 is given, which greatly facilitates the after process. Land 

 dunged to beans, if duly hoed, is always in high order for car- 

 rying a crop of wheat in succession. 



The climate most favorable to beans is one neither very dry 

 nor very moist ; the first brings on the fly and the last prevents 

 the setting of the blossoms. 

 1 



The time of sowing beans, is as early as possible after the 

 severity of winter, in the south sometimes in January, but never 

 later than the end of March, as the ripening of the crop and its 

 safe harvesting otherwise would be very precarious in this 

 climate. 



The mode of sowing is almost always in rows ; they are some- 

 times dibbled, but for the most part drilled by judicious culti- 

 vators, or deposited after the plough in every furrow, or only 

 in every second or third furrow. In the latter method the crop 

 rises in rows at regular intervals of 9, 18, or 27 inches, and the 

 hand hoe ought to be invariably employed, but it is only where 

 the widest intervals are adopted that the horse-hoe can be used 

 with much effect in their subsequent culture. The seed may 

 either be deposited by the drill machine or by the hand. 



The dibbling of beans is considered by some as an excellent 

 method, if well performed ; the rows are marked out one foot 

 asunder, and the seed deposited in holes made by the dibbler 2 

 inches apart ; this method is greatly to .be preferred to sowing 

 the bonus at random. 



The quantity of seed is very different in the southern and 

 northern parts of Britain, in the former, even when in rows, 

 only 2 or 2i bushels are allowed per acre, but in Scotland 

 seldom less than 4 bushels to an English statute acre, even 

 when sown in rows, 27 inches distant, and a bushel more when 

 sown broadcast. Thin sown crops of beans seldom turn out 

 well, unless upon very rich lands, for unless the rows are close 

 weeds get the better after the clearing process is finished. Both 

 in the broad-cast and drill husbandry it is common to mix 

 a small quantity of peas along with beans. This mixture im- 

 proves both the quality and quantity of the straw for fodder, 

 and the peas-straw is useful for binding up the bean-straw in 

 harvest. 



The after-culture of the bean crop commences with harrow- 

 ing just before the young plants reach the surface. When sown 

 in rows, in either of the modes already described, the harrows are 

 employed about 10 or 12 days after, and being driven across 

 the ridges, the land is laid completely level for the subsequent 

 operations, and the annual weeds destroyed. 



After the beans have made some growth, sooner or later, according 

 as the soil may happen to be incumbered with or free from weeds, 

 the horse-hoe is employed in the intervals between the rows, and 

 followed by the hand-hoe, for the purpose of cutting down such 

 weeds as the horse-hoe cannot reach, and the weeds among 

 the beans beyond the reach of either hoe should be pulled up 

 by the hand. The operation may be repeated as often as the 

 land requires it. Before the introduction of the horse-hoe, a 

 common small plough, drawn by one horse, was used in working 

 between the rows, and is still necessary where root-weeds 

 abound. The plough goes down the intervals, turning the 

 earth from the beans, and forming a ridgelet in the centre, then 

 hand-hoes are immediately employed. The same plough with 

 an additional mould-board, finally splits open the intermediate 

 ridgelet, and lays up the earth to the beans on each side. 



Before reaping beans the grain ought to be tolerably well ri- 

 pened, otherwise the quality is impaired, whilst a long time is 

 required to put the straw in such a condition as to be preserved 

 in the stack. In an early harvest, or where the crop is not 

 weighty, it is an easy matter to get beans sufficiently ripened ; 

 but in a late harvest, and in every one where the crop takes on 

 a second growth, it is hardly practicable to get them thoroughly 

 ripened for the sickle. Under these circumstances, it is unneces- 

 sary to let beans stand uncut after the end of September or the 

 first of October, because any benefit that can be derived after- 

 wards is not to be compared with the disadvantages that accom- 

 pany a late wheat-seed time. Beans are usually cut with the 

 sickle and tied in sheaves, either with straw ropes or with ropes 



