140 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



the remarkable property, though black in itself, of 

 not tinging the broth in which it is boiled, as the 

 white varieties do, and the Windsor, or other large 

 sort, which from its size renders the operation of 

 blanching less troublesome. For an early production, 

 sow a part of each sort about the middle of February, 

 if the ground be tolerably dry ; if otherwise, as the 

 seed is apt to decay with too much wet, the sowing 

 must be delayed. A later crop may be sown in April*. 

 This pulse has no occasion for manure provided it 

 succeed a crop which had a sufficient allowance the 

 year before. As the early sown beans vegetate 

 slowly, the mice are apt to find them out, and may 

 probably finish them before their growth is well be- 

 gun. It is necessary therefore to adopt one of the 

 following precautions : steep the seed in train oil 

 for a few hours ; or wet it with water, and then dust 

 it over it with a farthing's worth of pounded rosin ; 

 or sprinkle the sown drill with chopped furze before 

 covering in the mould. Any one of these expedients 

 will be completely successful. Avoid too thick sow- 

 ing, which admits of no growth but straw. Let the 

 drills be eighteen inches apart, and the seeds of the 

 larger sort four or five inches separate those of the 

 smaller, three or four inches from each other in the 

 drill. In the subsequent culture, to correct the 

 hardness which the soil is apt to contract from heavy 

 rains in spring, let it be well stirred up between the 

 drills ; and let the summer hoeings be so frequent as 

 to leave no vestige of a weed, and to keep the soil 

 well up about the stems of the plants, which greatly 

 promotes the fruitfulness of the bean. If the sum- 

 mer prove wet, and the growth too luxuriant, the 



