MISCELLANEOUS CROPS. 193 



fallowed. The navy bean is the most salable, and with me has 

 proved best for the main crop. The land should be plowed at 

 least two weeks before planting, and three or four weeks is bet- 

 ter, as it will be cleaner and mellower. Plant as near the 10th 

 of June as you can, but it is well to have the land ready, so as 

 to be able to bike advantage of good weather if it comes a week 

 sooner. Harrow and drag so as to have the land smooth and 

 fine, and try and plant as soon after a rain as the land will work 

 nicely. Beans do not come up well in heavy, wet land, or 

 through a hard crust, or even if you succeed in getting a stand 

 when a heavy rain falls soon after planting; there is likely to be 

 a crop of weeds come up with them, which makes them more diffi- 

 cult to keep clean. I prefer to sow with the force feed wheat 

 drill, using every third tube, which makes the rows two feet 

 apart. Use about three pecks of seed per acre, or if the land 

 is rich, two pecks will be sufficient. I have grown profi bible 

 crops without cultivation, but unless the weather remains dry 

 for some weeks after planting, the weeds and grass are likely to 

 start and smother the crop if not cultivated. Begin the cultiva- 

 tion soon, and let it be shallow, so as to keep the land level, as 

 earth thrown to the plants will be likely to injure the beans in 

 the lower pods and reduce their market value. Keep them 

 clean, and they will ripen more regularly. Besides, if you in- 

 tend to follow the beans with wheat, it will be better to sow the 

 wheat without plowing, and you can not do this if you allow 

 the field to become foul. The crop will be found an easy one 

 to cultivate, as it will soon shade the land and prevent the growth 

 of weeds. 



The critical time with a bean crop is the harvesting, as if 

 wet weather causes some of them to turn black, the whole crop 

 will need to be picked over by hand before they can be sold, 

 and this is a tedious and expensive job. It is best to pull them 

 before the pods are dry, as if too ripe they are likely to shatter 

 and waste. The best time to pull them is when half the pods 

 are yellow; but when there is danger of heavy frost, they may 

 be pulled perfectly green and cured in the barn. If thus gath- 

 ered and spread thinly on open floors, they will make the bright- 



13 



