CHAP. in. ROOT CROPS. 951 



be. Hoeings should continue as long as the hoes can be kept going. 

 The sun and air are more freely admitted among the beans when 

 drilled ; and as they do not grow so tall as when close planted, they 

 blossom and produce pods almost down to the ground, whereas the tall 

 close beans produce them only near the tops of the stalks. It is not 

 uncommon in some of the well -cultivated districts of the North, to 

 drill beans with a small admixture of peas. 



When the bean is intended for seed, it should be suffered to ripen 

 thoroughly, but not to become over ripe ; the skin should have 

 acquired a yellowish leather-like appearance. Beans are cut with 

 either the fagging-hook, scythe, or reaping machine, but where the 

 straw is short, and the pods have formed very near to the ground, 

 they are best pulled. The average crop is uncertain, perhaps not 

 more than from 25 to 35 bushels per acre, even under the most 

 favourable circumstances. The bean-plant is subject to rust and 

 mildew. It also falls a prey to the bean aphis (known likewise as 

 " collier," " black fly," "black dolphin "), which frequently smothers 

 the plant, from the top downwards. The remedy is to cut off the top 

 of the plant as gently as possible with a sharp knife, and burn it ; 

 when, however, a field is badly attacked, this is impracticable. 



Beans are highly valued in stables, but ought always to be ground 

 or crushed before being given to horses. Bean-straw, when properly 

 harvested, and mixed with pea-straw, is considered to afford almost as 

 much nutriment as hay of ordinary quality. 



CHAPTER IV. 



ON THE "ROOT-CROPS" BEST ADAPTED FOR ANIMAL FOOD. 



THE root-crop is the mainstay in the winter feeding of sheep and 

 cattle, and its growth is therefore of the greatest importance to 

 the grazier and flockmaster. The " root-crop " is chiefly made up of 

 the different varieties of turnips, cabbages, and mangel, though in some 

 districts carrots and parsnips are grown to a considerable extent. 



TURNIPS (Brassica rapa, L. ; nat. ord. Cruciferffi). The SWEDE, or 

 SWEDISH TURNIP, is by far the best variety of the turnip family, as it 

 is hardier and more nutritious than the common kinds. It may 

 always be distinguished from other turnips by the solid neck, which is 

 not present in these, excepting in Laing's swede (compare figs. 443 

 and 444). Although the neck is a distinctive feature, it is one of the 

 signs of quality, and the object of selection is to prevent its developing 

 more than possible. The swede is in reality a specially selected and 



