224 THE BE AX CROP. 



growth is afterwards kept down by the bushy tops of 

 the beans overhanging the spaces between the rows, and 

 thus closing them in from the action of the air and the 

 sunshine. In the drills at 27 inches, the width was 

 greater than the most vigorous plants could cover up in 

 the growth ; and although the greater width enabled the 

 crop to be hoed oftener, and up to a later period of its 

 growth, than the others, still there is ample time, before 

 the crop is ready for harvesting, for weeds to spring up, 

 which they do the more abundantly from the high con- 

 dition which we always endeavour to bring our bean 

 soils to. Then, again, the same amount of seed-grain was 

 sown on the wide as on the medium drills ; consequently, 

 although the distance between the rows was greater, the 

 distance between the plants in the drill or row was pro- 

 portionably less ; and therefore, practically, the plants in 

 the 27-inch drills really had but little advantage in regard 

 to the space allotted to each individual plant ; while they 

 laboured under the disadvantage of having to contend 

 against a host of enemies in the shape of vigorous, hungry 

 weeds. How far the produce might have been affected 

 by a proportionate reduction in the amount of seed sown 

 in the 27-inch drills from that sown in the 16-inch drills 

 say, in round numbers, two bushels instead of three 

 we cannot say. The experiments, however, are quite 

 sufficient to show that, even for tillage reasons alone, the 

 medium width is preferable to either the extremely narrow 

 drills, which are seen so often in certain districts of the 

 south, or the wide ridges, the common practice of the 

 north. 1 After the beans begin to flower it is not safe to 



1 In planting or sowing, it is always desirable that distances should be regu- 

 lated, as far as possible, by the standard of measure recognized by the law or 

 the custom of the district. The measurement of surface is computed by the 

 acre, rood, and rod, pole, or perch, this latter consisting of 198 linear inches. 

 Consequently, if the drills or rows be placed at regular distances of some 

 divisional part of this length say, 18 inches apart we should have just 11 

 drills in each rod, and could then readily calculate the exact acreage under 



