FEEDING OFF ON LAND. 229 



growing-green crop. Whether for cutting and carting off 

 the field, according to the Belgian plan, or feeding on the 

 ground as now recommended, it is desirable that the plant 



should have arrived at a certain state of growth, as near 

 maturity as possible to allow time to get over the whole 

 crop before the beans get too old for such mode of con- 

 sumption. By either of these methods a far larger amount 

 of food is obtained from the crop than under the ordinary 

 treatment. The entire plant, stem as well as seed, is ren- 

 dered available and consumed the risks and expenses of 

 harvesting are saved the field cleared early enough for 

 the ordinary autumn cultivation, and left, if the crop has 

 been/ec off, in a richly manured condition, well adapted, 

 from its highly nitrogenized constituents, for the succeed- 

 ing crop of wheat. 



The diseases to which the bean plant is liable, do not ap- 

 pear to have excited much notice up to the present time. 

 As the crop, however, advances in our estimation, and be- 

 comes a*nore regular member of our rotations, our attention 

 will be drawn to them, and they will no doubt receive more 

 consideration, both from us as cultivators and from the men 

 of science, who are ever ready to assist us where our know- 

 ledge fails. In the early stages of the growth of the plant 



16 



