PERIOD OF SOWING. 253 



47. Such an account, says Mr. Vallentine, "is partly im- 

 aginary and partly true, as where the horse-hoe is not used 

 in many instances after the sowing of the seed, the pre- 

 vious cultivation is the same as the system recommended. 

 On the other hand, instead of 7s. per acre being paid for 

 hand-hoeing, more than double that sum is paid for hoe- 

 ing and weeding together : and after all the land is left 

 in a filthier state after the crop is harvested than before 

 the seed is sown." 



48. We have already described the different varieties of 

 beans used for seed on farms, and to what we have said, 

 we have now to add, what is indeed most important to be 

 attended to, namely, that the seed to be chosen must be 

 true to its variety and of the best quality, sound, and free 

 from disease. Let not the farmer run away with the 

 notion that any kind of seed will do ; on the contrary, let 

 it be retained in his memory, as a maxim indisputable, 

 "bad seeds, bad crops." As with other crops which we 

 have described, so with the bean crop, change of seed is 

 good ; that is, the beans raised in one locality may be 

 sown with advantage in another. In all cases, it is essen- 

 tial to have seed which has been properly ripened. 



49. The period of sowing spring beans extends from 

 the middle of February to that of March ; winter beans 

 from the end of September up to the middle of November ; 

 but, as Mr. Vallentine says, the earlier the better. The 

 same authority states that spring beans may be sown from 

 the middle of January to the middle of March ; and that it 

 is better to sow any time in February, when the land is in 

 good condition, than to sow earlier when it is not. Professor 

 Wilson says that for winter beans the early part of October is 

 probably the best, as for spring beans February is the best. 

 By the choice of October for the sowing of winter beans 

 the stubbles of the preceding green crop will have been 

 ploughed and well cleaned ; points of vast importance in 

 the bean crop. In the sowing of spring beans, the first 

 fine weather after or about the middle of February should 

 be taken advantage of to get the seed in, for, as well re- 



