DISTANCES BETWEEN THE ROWS OF BEANS. 257 



of our readers doubtless are well acquainted with, that the 

 greatest possible diversity of opinion exists as to the width 

 between the rows of beans. Some advocate exceedingly 

 wide intervals between the rows, as much as from five to 

 six feet ; others maintain that the closer the distances be- 

 tween the rows the fewer are the weeds, and the less 

 vigorous their growth. A very usual distance between the 

 rows in the districts and we may say that they are the 

 most advanced in practice where the bean crop is looked 

 upon as a fallow or cleaning crop, is twenty-seven inches. 

 The advocates of the wide intervals insist upon the im- 

 mense advantages of permitting free access of atmospheric 

 influences to all sides of the plant ; and they say that this 

 is obtained best by wide intervals. We have tried almost 

 all possible combinations of intervals, and we have come 

 to the conclusion that the width of three feet between the 

 rows, and where the two central rows, eight inches gives 

 excellent results; the arrangement is as follows 



3 feet. 



3 feet. 



Still more remarkable results have been obtained by grow- 

 ing the rows a less distance apart, 27 inches, but with all 

 the rows single, thus 



27 



27 



54. By this arrangement both sides of the plants in the 

 rows receive the full influence of light and air. In some 

 beans we grew upon this plan, the podding was something 

 very remarkable, and all the more so, when compared with 

 the double-row system, and still more so, when compared 

 with the three-row system. Thus, in the two-row system, 

 the outsides, as a b, c d, get the chief supply 

 of light and air, the inner sides getting 

 much less, and this in proportion the closer 

 d the rows are to each other. Make the 



