34 



BEAN. 



Quantity of seeds, — For early crops, one pint of seed will 

 be requisite for every eighty feet of row ; for main crops, 

 two quarts for every 240 feet of row ; and for late crops, 

 nearly the same as the early. 



Method of sowing. — " Plant ail the sorts in rows, two feet 

 and a half apart, for the smaller or very early, or very late 

 kinds; and three feet for the larger; the smaller beans tw^o 

 inches deep, and three inches distant in the row; the larger 

 three inches deep, and four inches distant in the row." 



Transplanting. — Speechly constantly transplants his early 

 bean crops, and considers that this plant may be as easily 

 transplanted as cabbage, or any other vegetable.. It is a prac- 

 tice w^ith him to plant beans, alternately with potatoes, in 

 the same row ; the rovvs three feet apart, and the potatoes 

 eighteen inches apart in the row, so that the beans are nine 

 inches from the potatoes^ The beans are transplanted, by 

 which means they have the start and advantage of the po- 

 tatoes and weeds, and, as they come in early, may be gath- 

 ered before they can possibly incommode or injure the 

 potatoes. 



Manual process. — The w^ork of sowing is most generally 

 effected by a dibble, having a thick, blunt end, to make a 

 wide aperture for each bean, to admit it clear to the bottom, 

 without any narrow, hollow parts below : strike the earth 

 fully and regularly into the holes over the inserted beans* 

 Or the planting may be performed, occasionally, in drills 

 drawn with a hoe the proper depth and distance as above ; 

 place the beans at intervals along the bottom of each drill, 

 and earth them over evenly; which method, though suitable 

 to any kinds, may be more particularly adopted in sowing 

 the early and other small sorts. 



Soaking seed in summer. — In planting late crops in June 

 or July, if the weather be dry, it is eligible to give the beans, 

 a previous soaking for several hours in soft water; or, if 

 they are to be sown in drills, water the drills beforehand ; 

 then directly put in the beans, and earth tbem in while the 

 ground remains moist. 



Subsequent culture. — " As the plants come up, and ad- 

 vance from four to six inches high, hoe up some earth to the 

 stems on both sides of each rov/, cutting down all weeds* 

 Repeat the hoeing as future weeds arise, both to keep the 

 ground about the plants clean^ and to loosen the earth to 



