426 



The Bean-Turnip Fallow. 



proper name of this bean, but was tempted to try it by rather 

 extraordinary accounts of its productiveness. I may here also 

 remark, that under this system the beans are found podded so 

 low on the stalks, arising no doubt from the free circulation of 

 air through the wide intervals, that there is even some difficulty 

 in getting them reaped sufficiently near the ground ; and pulling 

 would certainly be objectionable, on account of the loss of the 

 stubble and root to the next crop. Instead of the intermediate 

 turnips, I have sometimes had very fine crops of cole in this 

 way, but have found it much less favourable to the barley crop ; 

 and I have twice tried the same on a part of the layer, or seed 

 course, followed by wheat, which was however, as I expected, 

 not equal to that after the layer ; and on an occasion of a failing 

 layer, I had a crop of green mazagan beans planted in the spring, 

 with a fine crop of cabbages between, which were all fed off on 

 the land : but here also the following wheat crop was not satis- 

 factory ; and though in this instance the produce of the mazagans 

 was four quarters per acre, they are on these warm soils far less 

 certain than the winter bean, often suffering too much from 

 drought as a spring plant, and are moreover of inferior quality. 



Next, with respect to the process of cultivation: — The first 

 thing is to thoroughly clean a mown wheat-stubble by forking 

 out all the couch-grass or twitch, docks, and other perennial 

 weeds, the cost of which I have found varying from \s. to 85. per 

 acre ; I then spread equally over all the land about 8 loads only 

 per acre of long loose manure from the yards, which in that state 

 tends to keep the land dry and warm through the winter. I have 

 had, however, in parts of my land without this assistance, some 

 times nearly as good a crop. The manure is ploughed in rather 

 shallow, and from H to 2 bushels of seed is drilled, at the dis- 

 tances mentioned, as soon as convenient in October ; nor is any 

 time in November too late, though much less desirable. Early 

 in the spring the yard intervals are stirred once up and down by 

 a common plough, with a rather wider share than common and 

 with the breast off, so as not to bring up the manure or move the 

 earth from the beans, the horses walking a-breast, one on each 

 side the beans, without requiring a leader ; a narrow one-horse 

 scarifier, made for the purpose, follows once over the ground, and 

 completes the work of two ploughs. The whole of this process 

 is repeated just before turnip-sowing, and then, on account of 

 the height of the beans, it is necessary to have the two horses at 

 length and a boy leader. The turnips are sown by a small 

 hand-drill worked by one man — (manufactured by Holmes of 

 Norwich), — a boy following him with an iron rake, drawn loosely 

 over the ground. Two hand-hoeings, and one or two hand- 

 weedings are given to the beans in the course of the season, 



