66 



CULINAEY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



well incorporated together. This is an 

 interesting case to the gardener, suppos- 

 ing him to have the eighth of an acre 

 under beans, which would be in his case 

 a considerable breadth. He could, at the 

 above rate, produce his crop at a cost of 

 Is. 6d. for manure ; for we hold the pre- 

 vious lime- dressing, stated above, to have 

 had immeasurably less effect on the crop 

 than the already fertile state of ordinary 

 garden-ground would. Another instance 

 of the effect of a combination of special 

 manures is given by the same accurate 

 authority in the paragraph following that 

 from which the above statement is taken : 

 — 2 cwt. animal charcoal (1 cwt. dissolved 

 in sulphuric acid), 56 lb. sulphate of mag- 

 nesia, 2 cwt. common salt, 1 cwt. nitrate 

 of soda, at a cost of ^1, 7s. lOd., used as 

 a top-dressing to an acre of beans, pro- 

 duced 11^ bushels of beans, and 146 

 stones of straw, beyond that of an acre of 

 the same kind of crop which was not top- 

 dressed at all, leaving a cash profit of 

 £1, 7s. Id. in favour of the top-dressed 

 acre. In this latter case the soil was a 

 stiff loam resting on red sandstone. The 

 top-dressing was applied on the 21st of 

 May, and the crop reaped on the 8th of 

 October. 



" Soluble manures, such as the nitrate 

 and sulphate of soda and potash, and dis- 

 solved bones, are most commonly applied 

 to the bean crop, in the form of top- 

 dressings, after the plants have made con- 

 siderable progress above ground; and they 

 can readily be brought within reach of 

 the roots, and mixed with the soil, during 

 the operations of hoeing. Gypsum and 

 lime, as both of them require a long time 

 for solution, should undoubtedly be applied 

 to the land before sowing the seed. Gyp- 

 sum may be very advantageously applied 

 when sowing the seed, either in contact 

 with it, or so near as to be within imme- 

 diate reach of the roots. Common lime, 

 in the caustic state, when laid on as 

 manure for beans, does best when this 

 operation is performed when preparing 

 the land for the winter furrow. The 

 organic composition of the straw and 

 grain of beans, as determined by analysis, 

 exhibits a larger amount of nitrogen than 

 is to be found 'in any of the cultivated 

 cerealia.' This fact proves the necessity 

 for a soil being rich in decayed animal 

 and vegetable matter, as well as in those 



mineral substances already spoken of. 

 Organic manures must, however, be 

 viewed only as subsidiary, in the cultiva- 

 tion of beans, to the more important 

 mineral substances already referred to. 

 Fortunately the two most important 

 organic manures (farmyard dung and 

 guano) also contain important mineral 

 matters. Farmyard manure is un- 

 doubtedly our best manure for beans, as 

 it is for most other crops ; yet its action 

 can be gTeatly enhanced by the addition 

 of purely mineral substances, because by 

 the combination we supply all that is 

 necessary for perfecting every part of the 

 plant. Guano is rich in nitrogen (amm onia), 

 but greatly deficient in alkaline mineral 

 matter. Hence, when applied as a manure 

 for beans, on soils different in potash and 

 soda, its action is frequently feeble and 

 unsatisfactory. On soils rich in vegetable 

 matter," as almost all garden soils are, 

 " it is advisable to use mineral manures, 

 such as lime, magnesia, potash, and soda, 

 either in one form or another j while on 

 those that are deficient in decaying vege- 

 table and animal matter, but abundantly 

 supplied with mineral substances, an 

 application of farmyard manure or guano 

 would be preferable. While pointing 

 out certain special manures as peculiarly 

 adapted, by their composition, to the 

 growth of beans, it should ever be kept in 

 view, that the true art of cultivation con- 

 sists in making the land support itself as 

 much as possible ; and this, on aU soils of 

 a medium character, or above it, can in a 

 great measure be effected, irrespective of 

 extraneous manures, by improving their 

 physical condition, and eliminating, by 

 deep and thorough cultivation, those 

 stores of nutritious matters, which other- 

 wise would remain locked up and unavail- 

 able. A thorough stirring, pulverisation, 

 and clearing of the soil, during the growth 

 of the bean crop, or indeed of any other 

 crop whatsoever, is equivalent, and fre- 

 quently superior, to adding a certain 

 amount of manure where these operations 

 are neglected, or performed in an ineffi^ 

 cient manner ; because, by the admission 

 of air, oxygen, carbonic acid, and water, 

 the great solvents of all mineral and 

 vegetable matter contained in the soil are 

 thus allowed to exert their peculiar action 

 upon what would otherwise remain inert." 

 — Morton's Cyclopedia of Agriculture. 



