348 Of the Culture of Crops while growing. 



likely to suffer from the grub or wire-worm, turnips are 

 spread upon the surface, and a flock of sheep brought to eat 

 them, by which the vermin have been destroyed ( ' 6? ). When 

 the crowns of the roots of wheat are exposed in the spring, 

 two or three inches in length above the mould, the treading 

 of sheep, after a moderate shower, will frequently force the 

 wheat into the moist ground, where it will produce fresh 

 roots ( l68 ). To check the luxuriance of winter-proud wheat, 

 it is often fed in spring ; but that plan ought not to be conti- 

 nued later than April ( I<J9 ). Ewes and lambs are too apt to 

 reject the outer leaves, and, by eating the tender blades out 

 of the hearts of the plants, frequently do great injury to the 

 crop. Young cattle, on the other hand, benefit the crop, 

 if they are not turned upon tender land, when it is wet and 

 poachy, as they are satisfied with the coarser blades. In 

 France, they feed their cattle in spring, on their young 

 wheats, without any injury to the crop ; and sometimes, when 

 the crop is over luxuriant, the scythe or the sickle is applied. 



Culture of Beans while growing. 



A circumstance of great importance, with regard to the 

 management of beans, has recently become the subject of 

 much discussion, and may prove highly useful to the culti- 

 vator of that crop. It is well known, that beans are an ex- 

 cellent preparation for wheat ; but it was often so late, be- 

 fore the crop could be cut down, and carried to the stack- 

 yard, that the season for sowing the succeeding crop to ad- 

 vantage was lost. The injury thence likely to be incurred 

 may be diminished, if not entirely prevented, by a simple 

 expedient. 



It has long been a practice with gardeners, to cut off the 

 tops of beans, in order to accelerate their podding. From 

 its success in the garden, it was natural to suppose, that it 

 would answer in the fields; and some experiments were 

 made in different places, to ascertain that fact ( I7 ). It was 

 never, however, much attended to ; and as it has probably 

 been tried on the greatest scale, by John Lowther, Esq. 

 Member for Cumberland, it may be proper to give the fol- 

 lowing account, of the origin and progress of the system, 

 on his farm, as communicated to the Author. 



His bailiff, George Lane, who had been a gardener, was 

 instrumental in applying the garden culture of beans, to that 

 of the field, and indeed the practice of cutting off their tops 

 originated with him. It was begun about the year 1804-, 



