234 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
beans. Gravelly loams frequently produce excellent 
crops, but require a large amount of humus. Clay loams 
are unquestionably the best for the field class of dry 
beans, and there seems to be a consensus of opinion that 
all varieties representing this group have a preference 
for limestone soils. When early maturity is an impor- 
tant factor, sandy soils or sandy loams with southern 
aspects are most valuable. Muck soils are not satisfac- 
tory, because they produce an excessive growth of plant 
and a meager crop of beans. 
FIG. 59. BEANS INTERCROPPED WITH STRAWBERRIES 
AT NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 
304. Rotation and soil preparation. — In New York and 
Michigan the field varieties are usually grown in a three- 
year rotation — clover, beans and wheat. A heavy inverted 
clover sod provides the best conditions for a large yield. 
The Michigan Station recommends a four-year rotation, 
in which case alsike clover and timothy seed should be 
mixed with red clover, so the land can be pastured for 
one season. Corn is often used in a four-year rotation, 
when the order of cropping is clover, corn, beans and 
