Cultivation of Beans and Peas. 
483 
with tliree horses in a satisfactory manner, and the land per- 
fectly well reduced by three harrowin<?s afterwards. 
Wlien the land is not sufliciently dry to bear the treading of 
many horses at the time the beans are drilled, I harrow but once, 
and leave the rest of the harrowing till afterwards. On some 
light, or rather on some calcareous clays, which become light 
in spring by frost and thaw, I liave found it advisable to use 
the roll occasionally to firm the soil about the young plants, and 
also for the purpose of being enabled to use the hand and horse- 
hoe without smothering the b;'ans or rendering the soil too 
loose. It frequently happens that exceedingly stiff clays become 
in a very loose and extremely pulverized state, just as young 
beans are coming above ground. In all such cases the I'oll may 
be used to advantage to level the land and permit of li arrowing 
and hoeing afterwards. Many object to rolling heavy soils 
under any circumstances, but 1 have much reason to affirm that 
there are times when the practice may be followed with much, 
advantage. 
Beans are generally much improved by harrowing in about 
a fortnight after tliey are up. If thick, one han-owing may be 
given along, as the rows go, and another across the rows, for the 
purpose of tearing up the small weeds between the plants. 
But harrowing should never be done in a frosty morning, — nor 
should any other kind of cultivation. After beans have grown 
a few inches above ground, the sooner hoeing takes place the 
better. The earlier the hoeings, and the more frequent, the 
cheaper each hoeing is ; the land is kept clean ; the crop is 
increased. It is a great mistake, in every way, to send one or 
two labourers into a large bean-field to clean it after the weeds 
have grown above the plants ; the weather should be studied, 
and the state of the land taken particular notice of. Indeed, 
Avlien the weather will permit, all the available strength of the 
farm should be applied to perform the hoeing at the right time — 
otherwise there is a certain useless expenditure of labour thrown 
away. Whenever the land is allowed to become hard on the 
surface, and solid underneath, a great deal of physical force is 
required to pulverize it and kill the weeds. It is unwise manage- 
ment, however, to hoe beans on stiff clay soils in very wet 
weather, as the evil of weeds is increased. Such a course is 
generally, or very frequently at least, followed by those who 
neglect hoeing early enough at the proper time. In all kinds of 
hoeing it should be a maxim to keep down weeds by hoeing 
before they can appear rather than to kill them when they have 
attained a certain strength. I never regretted hoeing any crop 
too soon, but have many a time felt the loss of delay. There 
are several implements which may be used advantageously for 
