Chapter VII: The Bean-Field
7 argumentative units
- 01The Herculean Labor of Hoeing Beans
He describes his summer labor of hoeing seven miles of bean-rows, which attached him to the earth and connected him to his own childhood.
- 02Intimacy with the Beans
Working barefooted and slowly, he became much more intimate with his beans than usual, making the earth 'say beans instead of grass.'
- 03The Music of the Hoe
As his hoe tinkles against ancient Indian arrowheads, he feels the work is no longer about beans, but an inexhaustible entertainment.
- 04A Long War with Weeds
He details his 'long war with weeds,' and reflects that he cultivated beans not to eat, but for the sake of tropes and expression.
- 05The Final Accounting of the Bean-Field
He provides a detailed accounting of his outgoes and income from the bean-field, resulting in a profit of $8.71½, and offers some farming advice.
- 06Planting a New Crop of Virtues
He resolves to plant seeds of sincerity, truth, and simplicity, but finds they do not grow, as men are fated to plant only corn and beans.
- 07Husbandry as a Sacred Art
He laments that husbandry is no longer a sacred art but is pursued with haste and selfishness, and that the true husbandman relinquishes all claim to the produce.