fHE GENESEE FARMER. 



139 



ions. Now, to an observant man, this identified 

 ifference may be made serviceable in this way : 

 fith one tuber he has the means of raising three 

 istinct plants — from the "rose end," from the 

 centre," and from the " heel sets " — each of 

 diich will come to maturity at a different period, 

 ie produce of the " set " from the " rose end " 

 3ining forward first, that of the centre being next, 

 r hile the "set" cut from* the "heel end" will re- 

 uire some two or three weeks longer before it is 

 >ady for harvesting. In cutting the sets for plant- 

 ig in districts where it is important that the crop 

 lould come to maturity at a given time, this low- 

 • portion should be separated from the others, and 

 irown aside for feeding purposes, only the upper 

 id centre portions being retained for use as seed." 



CULTIVATION OF THE WHITE BEAN. 



For years we have earnestly advocated the 

 ore extensive cultivation of the white bean as a 

 jld crop on American farms. 

 The great need of American agriculture- is a good 

 fallow crop " — some plant that will stand our 

 )t, dry summers, enrich the soil, and allow the 

 ie of the horse-hoe to clean the land during its 

 owth. A plant, in short, that shall occupy the 

 me place in our rotation as the turnip does in 

 aglish agriculture. 



The white bean comes nearer to this than any 

 her plant yet introduced. If the beans are con- 

 med on the farm, — as the turnips always are in 

 igland — their cultivation would add materially to 



I fertility. There can be no doubt on this point. 



II the leguminous plants — including clover, peas, 

 itches, beans, etc.— contain large quantities of 

 trogen, and this when consumed by animals or 

 owed under, is converted into ammonia — the 

 try thing which we most need for the growth of 

 e cereals. 



Let us, then, grow beans. No crop will pay 

 stter. When prices are good, as at present, they 

 n be sold ; and if prices fall, they can be fed out 

 i the farm with advantage. 



In regard to their cultivation, we have written 

 much in previous volumes of the Genesee Far- 

 er, that little need be added at this time. They 

 e generally grown on warm, light soil, but will 

 cceed on almost any soil if properly cultivated, 

 ar this, as for all other crops, the land should be 

 ell underdrained, either naturally or artificially, 

 tie land may be plowed in the fall and again in 

 ie spring, and made clean and mellow before 

 anting; or a clover sod may be turned over and 



the beans planted at once. The common " white 

 medium " is generally considered the. most produc- 

 tive variety, but the White Mountain or Marrow 

 yields nearly or quite as well, and brings a better 

 price. It is a little larger, rounder, plumper and 

 handsomer, and is gaining in popular esteem. 



They may be planted in hills two and a half feet 

 apart and fifteen to eighteen inches apart in the 

 rows, dropping five to six beans in each hill; or 

 they may be drilled in with a machine, in rows 

 two and a half feet apart, and a single bean two 

 inches apart in the rows. The latter, perhaps, 

 gives the larger crop, but the former requires less 

 labor in hoeing, etc. In this section, they are 

 usually planted the first week in June. 



CROSS BETWEEN THE WILD AND DOMESTIC 

 GOOSE. 



A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer, speak- 

 ing of the hybrid between the wild and domestic 

 goose, says they frequently " pair like other geese, 

 and lay quite a number of eggs, yet their eggs will 

 not hatch." He has tried them repeatedly, but the 

 eggs were always rotten at the expiration of four 



AMERICAN WILD GOOSE. 



weeks— the period of incubation for both the wild 

 and common goose. He says the mongrels yield 

 more and better feathers, and can be picked 

 oftener in a year than common geese ; that they 

 are larger than either of the parent stocks; 

 that they are stronger and hardier than the com- 

 mon geese, smaller eaters, and more easily reared. 

 In winter "they sit on the snow and ice and keep 

 up their wild yells night and day." He gives 

 the testimony of his wife, that the eggs of these 

 mongrel geese " make better pan-cakes than any 

 other eggs she has tried." 



The editor of the Boston Cultivator calls atten- 

 tion to this fact, and says he has heard before that 

 these mongrel geese sometimes lay, but never 

 heard of an, instance of their eggs having hatched. 



