F A B 
fruitful : and another thing fhould be obferved in 
planting of the fucceeding crops, which is, to make 
choice of moift ftrong land for the later crops ; for if 
they are planted on dry ground, they rarely produce 
a crop. 
Thefe after-crops fhould be planted at about a fort- 
night diftance from each other, from the middle of 
February to the middle of May ; after which time 
It is generally too late to plant, unlefs the land is 
very ftrong and moift ; tor in warm dry light land 
all the late crops of Beans are generally attacked by 
the black infe&s, which cover all the upper part of 
their ftems, and foon caufe them to decay. 
Where the feeds of thefe Beans are defigned to be 
faved, a fufficient number of rows Ihould be fet apart 
for that purpofe, according to the quantity defired •, 
thefe fhould be managed in the fame way as thofe 
which are defigned for the table •, but none of the 
Beans fhould be gathered, though there are fome 
covetous perfons, who will gather all the firft ripe 
for the table, and are contented to fave the after-crop 
for feed, but thefe are never fo large and fair as the 
firft ; fo that if thefe are for fale, they will not bring 
near the price as the other •, therefore, what is gained 
to the table is loft in the value of the feed ; but thofe 
who are defirous to preferve the fcveral varieties as 
pure as poftible, fhould never fuffer two of the va- 
rieties to grow for feeds in the fame place ; for by 
their farina mixing with each other they will not con- 
tinue fo pure, but be apt to vary ; and in order to 
keep the early kinds perfebt, thofe which come the 
earlieft fhould be laved for feeds ; but this is what 
few people chufe to do, becaufe they are then the 
moft valuable. 
When the feed is ripe, the ftalks fhould be pulled up, 
and fet upright againft a hedge to dry, obferving 
to turn them every third day, that they may dry 
equally ; then they may be threfhed out, and cleaned 
for ufe, or otherwife ftacked up in a barn, till there 
is more leifure for threfhing them out ; and after- 
ward the feed fhould be drawn over to take out 
all thofe that are not fair, preferring the beft for ufe 
or fale. 
It is a very good method to change the feeds of all 
forts of Beans, and not to few and fave the feeds 
long in the fame ground, for they do not fucceed fo 
well ; therefore, if the land is ftrong where they are 
to be planted, it will be the beft way to procure 
the feeds from a lighter ground, and fo vice verfa ; 
and by this method the crops will be larger, and the 
Beans fairer, and not fo liable to degenerate. 
Having given directions for the culture of the Gar- 
den Beans, I fhall next proceed to that of the Horfe 
Bean, which is cultivated in the fields : there are two 
or three varieties of thefe Beans, which differ in their 
fize and colour ; but that which is now in the greateft 
efteem, is called the Tick Bean ; this doth not grow 
fo high as the other, is a more plentiful bearer, and 
lucceeds better on light land than the common Horfe 
Bean, fo preferred to it. 
The Horfe Bean delights in a ftrong moift foil, and 
an open expofure, for they never thrive well on dry 
warm land, or in fmall inclofures, where they are very 
fubject to blight, and are frequently attacked by a 
black inferi, which the farmers call the black dol- 
phin •, thefe inherits are often in fuch quantities as to 
cover the ftems of the Beans entirely, efpecially all 
the upper part of them ; and whenever this happens, 
the Beans feldom come to good •, but in the open 
fields, where the foil is ftrong, this rarely happens. 
Thefe Beans are ufually fown on land which is frefh 
broken up, becaufe they are of ufe to break and pul- 
verize the ground, as alfo to deftroy weeds *, fo that 
the land is rendered much better for corn, after a 
crop of Beans, th.ani twould have been before, efpe- 
cially if they are fown and managed according to the 
new hufbandry, with a drill plough, and the horfe 
hoe, ufed to ft ir the ground between the rows of 
Beans, which will prevent the growth of weeds, and 
pulverize the ground, whereby a much greater crop 
FAB 
_ ■- . ' 7 ..TV 
of Beatts may, with more certainty, be expe&ed, Slid 
the land will be better prepared for whatever crop it 
is defigned for after. 
The feafon for fowino- of thefe Beans is from the told- 
O 
die of February to the end of March, according to 
the nature of the foil ; tlie ftrongeft and wet land 
fhould always be laft fown • the ufual quantity of 
Beans fov/n on an acre of land is about three bufhels ; 
but this is double the quantity which need be fown, 
efpecially according to the new hufbandry -• but I 
Fhall firft fet down the practice according to the old 
hufbandry, and then give directions Tor their ma- 
nagement according to the new. The method of 
lowing is after the plough, in the bottom of the fur- 
rows ; but then the furrows fhould not be more than 
five, or at moft fix inches deep. If the land is new 
broken up, it is ufual to plough it early in autumn, 
and let it lie in ridges till after Chriftmas 5 then plough 
it in fmall furrows, and lay the ground ftnooth ; thefe 
two ploughings will break the ground fine enough 
for Beans, and t he third ploughing is to few the Beans, 
when the furrows fhould be made fhallow, as was be- 
fore mentioned. 
Moft people fet their Beans too clofe ; for, as fome 
lay the Beans in the furrows after the plough, and 
others lay them before the plough, and plough them 
in ; fo, by both methods the Beans are fet as clofe as 
the furrows are made, which is much too near •, for 
when they are on ftrong good land, they generally 
are drawn up to a very great height, and are not fo 
apt to pod as when they have more room, and are of 
lower growth ; therefore I am convinced by many 
late trials, that the better way is to make the furrows 
two feet and a half afunder, or more ; which will caufe 
them to branch out into many ftalks, and bear in 
greater plenty than when they are clofer ; by this me- 
thod, half the quantity of Beans will be fufficient for 
an acre of land ; and by the fun and air being ad- 
mitted between the rows, the Beans will ripen much 
earlier and more equally than in the common way. 
What has been mentioned muft be underftood as re- 
lating to the old hufbandry ; but where Beans are 
planted according to the new, the groufid fhould be 
four times ploughed before the Beans are fet, which 
will break the clods, and render it much better for 
planting ; then with a drill plough, to which a hop- 
per is fixed for fetting of the Beans, the drills fhould 
be made at three feet afunder, and the fpring of the 
hopper fet fo as to fcatter the Beans at three inches 
diftance in the drills. By this method lefs than one 
bufhel of feed will plant an acre of land. When 
the Beans are up, if the ground is ftirred between the 
rows with a horfe plough, it will deftroy all the young 
weeds ; and when the Beans are advanced about three 
or four inches high, the ground fhould be again 
ploughed between the rows, and the earth laid up to 
the Beans ; and if a third ploughing, at about five or 
fix weeks after is given, the ground will be kept 
clean from weeds, and the Beans will ftalk out, 
and produce a much greater crop than in the com- 
mon way. 
When the Beans are ripe, they are reaped with a 
hook, as is ufually praftifed for Peas ; and after hav- 
ing lain a few days on the ground they are turned, 
and this muft be repeated feveral times, until they are 
dry enough to ftack ; but the beft method is to tie 
them in fmall bundles, and fet them upright ; for 
then they will not be in fo much danger to fuffer by 
wet, as when they lie on the ground ; and they will 
be more handy to carry and ftack, than if they are 
loofe.' The « common produce is from twenty to 
twenty-five bufhels on an acre of land ; but I have 
known thirty-fix on an acre. 
The Beans fhould lie in the mow to fweat, before 
they are threfhed out ; for as the haulm is very large 
and fucculent, fo it is very apt to give and grow moift; 
but there is no danger of the Beans receiving damage, 
if they are ftacked tolerably dry, becaufe the pods will 
preferve the Beans from injury.; and they will be 
much eafier to threfli after they have fweat in the 
5 M mow 
m 
