a valuable crop ; and, with good care, are as profitable 

 as a wheat crop. They leave the soil in good tilth. The 

 China bean, with a red eye, is to be preferred. They ripen 

 early, and are very productive. I cultivated beans the last 

 year in three different ways, viz. in hills, in drills, and 

 sowed broad-cast. I need not describe the first, which is a 

 well known process. I had an acre in drills, which was 

 the best crop I ever saw. My management was this : — On 

 an acre of light ground, w^here the clover had been frozen 

 out the preceding winter, I spread eight loads of long ma- 

 nure, and immediately ploughed and harrowed the ground. 

 Drills or furrows were then made with a light plough, at 

 the distance of two and a half feet, and the beans thrown 

 along the furrows about the 25th of May, by the hand, at 

 the rate of at least a bushel on the acre. I then gauged a 

 double mould-board plough, which was passed once be- 

 tween the rows, and was followed by a light one horse 

 roller, which flattened the ridges. The crop was twice 

 cleaned of weeds, by the hoe, but not earthed. The pro- 

 duct was more than forty-eight bushels, by actual measure- 

 ment. The beans brought me one dollar the bushel last 

 fall. The third experiment was likewise upon a piece of 

 ground where the clover had been killed. It was ploughed 

 about the first of June, the seed sown like peas, upon the 

 first furrow, and harrowed in. The drought kept them 

 back ; but about 65 rods of ground, on which the experiment 

 was made, gave a product of twelve and a half bushels. 

 The crop was too ripe when it was harvested, and as it was 

 cut with a sithe, I estimated that about two and a half 

 bushels were left upon the ground. No labour was be- 

 stowed upon them from the time they were sown till they 

 were harvested." 



Forwarding an early crop. — The kidney bean is often par- 

 tially forced, in hot-houses or frames, with a view to the 

 forwarding of its produce in the open garden. Mr. Arm- 

 strong says, " In the neighbourhood of cities, the dwarf 

 varieties are often cultivated in hot-beds, but the product 

 is of a very inferior kind ; for, of the whole catalogue of 

 vegetables, none is more apt to take a disagreeable flavour 

 from hot and fermenting dung (which is the basis of these 

 beds) than the bean." It is probable, however, that beans 

 might be forced to advant^e, in hot-beds, composed of oak 



