Agriculture of Norfolk. 
333 
ticularly suitable for it. Immediately after harvest the wheat 
stubbles, &c. are ploujrhed about 4 inches deep, that the grass, &c. 
may be taken off. In November the land is ploughed 5 or 
6 inches deep, with swing-ploughs ; afterw ards harrowed, if dry. 
If the w eather is suitable, the land is ridged at 27 inches apart, 
in the manner described w hen speaking of Castle Acre. 
In February, if the weather be dry enough to cart the " muck,' 
from 8 to 10 three-horse Scotch cart-loads per acre of good farm- 
yard manure (from linseed cake, <S:c.) is applied, being spread 
evenlv along the rows. The drill follows, its coulters being sw ung 
or suspended above the surface of the land, so that the beans may 
fall on the manure without touching the soil. The Xorthumber- 
land double-breasted plough immediately follow s the drill, and, by 
splitting the ridges, forms new ones, covering the beans. The 
seed is applied at the rate of about 10 pecks per acre. Mr. 
Hudson prefers Fullard s prolific bean, and, next to it, the 
Heligoland bean, but sows only the former. This method of 
" ploughing in " the seed was adopted from observing, that beans, 
when not drilled so as to have the advantages of a great depth in 
the soil to support them, were often broken by the wind previous 
to harvest. 
This is supposed to be in the latte*- part of February, or the first 
week of March. During the following three weeks, the seeds of 
weeds w hich lie near the surface of the soil w ill probably vegetate. 
A gang of light harrows, therefore, (three, draw n by two horses) is 
then used ; of course in the same direction as drilled ; the horses 
walking in the furrows. This breaks the soil on and near the 
tops of the ridges, and, by exposing the roots of such annual 
weeds as may have grown, they will probably be destroyed by the 
dry w eather of March. After this process the beans soon appear 
through the tops of the ridges in straight row s ; and, when they are 
about "2 inches above the surface, the land is horse- hoed, with an 
instrument taking only 1 row at a time, but clearing that of all 
weeds, and leaving the soil pulverized. This horse-hoeing is re- 
peated at least three times ; and the oftener the better, when the 
weather is favourable, as it may thus be made more beneficial to 
the land than any dead summer fallow ; having all its advantages 
without its drawbacks. Such parts of the ridges as the horse-hoe 
will not touch, are hoed and weeded by hand. The beans are 
"shocked" at wide intervals, in order that the land, in the spaces 
between the rows of shocks, may be broken down by a flag-harrow, 
called by some a crab-harrow. 
The shocks of beans are then moved on to the harrowed land, 
that the part they before occupied may undergo the same process ; 
and thus all the land is brought into the same state. Immediately 
after the beans are carted, the Northumberland plough is put 
