BEANS. 



much on soil, for the Ph. nanus is a 

 bush bean. The Viciafaba is the pa- 

 rent of many varieties known under 

 the general title of English dwarfs. 

 English dwarfs : varieties : 



Early Mazagan. Green Nonpareil. 



Broad Windsor. Horse. 



Sword Long Pod. Hyligoland. 



Of these, all but the last two are 

 cultivated in the garden, and the 

 horse and Heligoland in the field. 

 They are sown as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground, for the late 

 plants are destroyed by heat before 

 they bear well. 



AH the varieties thrive best on 

 strong clay soils, heavy marls, and 

 deep loams of a moist description. 

 In such soils the produce is some- 

 times 30 to 60 bushels per acre, but 

 an average crop on moderate land is 

 about half that quantity. On very 

 rich land beans have produced extra- 

 ordinary crops by being sown broad- 

 cast and very thick, the stems being 

 brought up to a great height in fa- 

 vourable seasons. A small field of 

 very rich land, in the county of Sus- 

 sex, England, was sown in the year 

 1832 with four bushels of the small 

 tick bean, which came up so thick 

 that the proprietor thought of thin- 

 ning out the plants by hoeing, but he 

 was advised to see what the produce 

 would be, and when they were thrash- 

 ed out there were eighty-one bushels 

 of beans. He had the ground accu- 

 rately measured, and it was found to 

 be one acre and twenty-nine perches, 

 which makes the crop above sixty- 

 eight bushels per acre. 



Beans are propagated by seed, 

 which may be sown broadcast, drill- 

 ed, or dibbled ; if sown broadcast, 

 three or four bushels of seed per 

 acre will be required, which should 

 be ploughed or harrowed in ; if drill- 

 ed, two or two and a half per acre 

 will be sufficient. Beans are tolera- 

 bly hardy, and will bear moderate 

 dry frosts, but they suffer much from 

 alternate frosts and thaws. 



The following, from the late Judge 

 Buel's agricultural tracts, gives all the 

 necessary information on the culture 

 and produce of this valuable crop : i 



" Field Cnlliire of Beans. — Beans 

 may be cultivated in drills or in hills. 

 They are a valuable crop, and with 

 good care are as profitable as a wheat 

 crop. They leave the soil in good 

 tilth. The China bean, with a red 

 eye, is to be preferred. They ripen 

 early, and are very productive. I 

 cultivated beans the last year in three 

 different ways, viz., in hills, in drills, 

 and sowed broadcast. I need not 

 describe the first, which is a well- 

 known process. I had an acre in 

 drills, wliich was the best crop I ever 

 saw. I\Iy management was this : On 

 the acre of light ground, where the 

 clover had been frozen out the prece- 

 ding winter, I spread eight loads of 

 long manure, and immediately plough- 

 ed and harrowed the ground. Drills 

 or furrows were then made with a 

 light plough, at the distance of two 

 and a half feet, and the beans thrown 

 along the furrows about the 25th of 

 May, by the hand, at the rate of at 

 least a bushel on the acre. I then 

 gauged a double mould-board plough, 

 v.hich was passed once between the 

 rows, and was followed by a light, 

 one-horse roller, which flattened the 

 ridges. The crop was twice cleaned 

 of weeds by the hoe, but not earthed. 

 The product was more than forty-eight 

 bushels by actual measurement." 



A sprinkling of three or four bush- 

 els of gypsum is advantageous. 



The beans are collected with a 

 plain scythe or sickle before they are 

 fully ripe, but turned yellow. In this 

 way loss by scattering seed is avoid- 

 ed. The w hole is cured by exposure 

 in swarth and cock, and made into 

 light stacks, until the time serves for 

 thrashing. The beans are obtained 

 either with the flail, treading out, or 

 passing through the thrashing ma- 

 chine, set sufficiently coarse for the 

 purpose. If the straw, or haulm, be 

 well cured, it answers as good coarse 

 Ibod for cattle and pigs during the 

 winter. 



Beans arc also raised in Germany 

 for soiling, and cut during the sum- 

 mer season when in pod. They are an 

 exceedingly acceptable food, and may, 

 by proper management in sowmg 



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