222 THE BEAN CROP. 



Mr. G. Hope, Fenton-Barns, one of the first of the Lothian 

 farmers, gave the result of his experiments, with the 

 comparative advantages of sowing in drills, at distances 

 of 8, 16, and 27 inches respectively. The quantity of seed 

 sown was at the rate of 3 bushels per acre vetches having 

 been mixed with the beans at the rate of one of vetches 

 to four of beans. A portion of the field was laid up in 

 ridges 27 inches apart, and sown in the usual way. A 

 second portion was sown on the flat, with Garrett's drill, 

 at 16-inch distances, and the third portion of the field was 

 sown in drills at 8-inch distances apart ; the same quantity 

 of seed being sown in each portion. During their growth 

 the 8-inch and 16-inch drills always appeared to be more 

 vigorous than those sown at 27 inches; and although the 

 latter received more labour, in the shape of hoeing at 

 harvest-time, the surface presented the appearance of a 

 mass of weeds, while hardly a green speck was to be seen 

 on the portions of the field occupied by either of the other 

 parts of the crop. Mr. Hope gives us the relative cost of 

 tillage of the three portions under trial, and also their 

 yield. 



The 8-inch drills were not horse -hoed at all, but were 

 carefully hand-hoed, and the high weeds at a later period 

 pulled up. 



The 16-inch drills were horse-hoed very efficiently with 

 Garrett's horse-hoe, and not touched afterwards. 



The 27-inch drills (on the ridge) were harrowed down 

 and rolled just before the beans began to appear above 

 the ground, the other lots being only harrowed at that 

 time. They were then horse-hoed when fairly above the 

 ground, and twice afterwards. They were also all care- 

 fully hand-hoed once, and a second time along the ends 

 of the drills, and as far up as the workers could conveni- 

 ently get for the vetches. The items of cost for each por- 

 tion are as follows: 



