FIELD BEANS 129 



After the soil has attained proper dryness in the spring, it should 

 be plowed from 6 to 8 inches in depth and immediately compacted 

 and harrowed, so as to prevent the loss of moisture. The surface 

 of the seed bed should be made smooth and fine so that the drill 

 or planter can be economically used upon it. If dry weather follows 

 this preparation, a good practice is to run a heavy land roller over 

 the area just before the planting of the crop, particularly if the 

 planting is to be done with an ordinary grain drill. If this work 

 is to be done with an apparatus similar to the ordinary corn planter 

 and the land has been previously rolled, it is advisable to go over 

 it with a spike-tooth harrow or some other type of smoothing har- 

 row after the crop has been planted. The surface mulch, which is 

 produced by the use of the smoothing harrow after the rolling and 

 planting, leaves the soil in the most desirable condition. 



Planting field beans. It has already been suggested that field 

 beans should not be planted until all danger from injury by frost 

 is past. In fact, growers have found that it is better to postpone 

 planting them until as late in the season as is practicable and still 

 be able to harvest the crop safely before the vines are injured by 

 fall frost. The late-planted crop has the advantage of escaping the 

 most serious attacks of the bean rust. While undoubtedly there 

 are varieties which are more or less resistant to this rust, yet the 

 general practice of late planting has been found to be of decided 

 advantage in avoiding the disease. 



In the field crop the distance between the rows varies from 28 

 to 36 inches, according to the implements used ; 30 inches is 

 a satisfactory and not unusual distance between rows. The seeds 

 are so scattered as to fall from 2 to 4 inches apart in the row, 

 although the ideal spacing would be 6 inches if it were possible 

 to obtain a perfect stand of plants at this distance. Experiments 

 conducted by the writer and by other investigators have clearly 

 demonstrated that beans planted singly in the row at intervals of 

 from 4 to 6 inches produce a much more abundant crop than the 

 same quantity of seed planted in hills from 18 inches to 3 feet 

 apart. For distributing the seed in the row at these distances a 

 bean planter or check-row corn planter may be set to drop the 

 seeds in drills. A common practice is to use an ordinary grain 

 drill and stop a sufficient number of tubes to be able to space the 



