482 
Cultivation of Beans and Peas. 
subsequent cultivation to not only reduce tlie soil, but destroy 
weeds at the same time. It is most injudicious to plough and 
scarify land to excess in Fe])ruary for the purpose of pul- 
verizing it, when the object can in almost every case be more 
profitably attained after the young plants have come above 
ground. 
There are few farmers of observation v/ho have not witnessed 
the loss which arises from puddling about land with many horses 
in spring, when the dry weathei-, which usually follows, renders 
it as hard and unsuited for being hoed as possible. Many 
farmers, who cling to ancient practices Avhen horse and hand 
hoeing was seldom or never practised, think nothing of ploughing 
twice in spring at an expense of some I85. or 20s. per acre, for 
the purpose of prepaiung land for beans, when t!iey will not 
spend a shilling on horse cultivation afterwards. The mode of 
dibbling beans by hand, in irregular crooked lines, has, and 
does, and always will, prevent the crop from being properly 
cultivated by horse power. Those who pay men by tlie peck 
for dibbling at a great cost, not only encourage dishonesty, but 
put a complete check upon cheap and perfect cultivation after- 
v.ards. There are many to be found who pay high prices per 
acre for dibbling, and afterwards high prices for a furtive or 
partial hoeing and v/eeding. As much as a pound per acre is 
frequently given, or rather, — beans frequently cost as much for 
hoeing and weeding, when the weeds are only checked, but not 
eradicated. The mode of cultivation which I adopt is to drill 
in straight lines in spring (l^cfore the harrow), across the furrow 
or at an angle, so that the land is broken into pieces, and the 
drill can clean itself and penetrate as deep as is required. I 
like depositing the seed at a depth of 4 inches, and never less 
than 3. The best drills can do this on all soils in ordinary 
seasons if discretion is used. There are many who practise and 
prefer dibbling, notwithstanding all the alleged advantages, 
because they contend that dibbled beans yield more than drilled 
ones. This is a common error ; beans only require to be sown 
at a sufficient deptli and regularly, and then to be })roperly 
covered. Neither the drill, the dibble, nor the men who use 
either, can exei'cise any influence over the crop after the seed is 
sown in a jiroper manner. In order to test this I had dibbling 
and drilling done alternately in different fields for some years, 
and never found any difference of the crop but what could be 
traced to the work, in either case, not having been properly per- 
formed according to the conditions mentioned. Garrett's drills 
and many others are capable of putting in beans as regularly 
and well, and at a much cheaper cost than by any other system 
I know of. I have had a dozen acres of beans drilled per day 
