In The Bean-Field, Thoreau shares the rewarding experience he had in preparing and planting a field and describes in detail the fine art and science of selecting the proper seed and monitoring its growth. "Meanwhile my beans, the length of whose rows, added together, was seven miles already planted, were impatient to be hoed, for the earliest had grown considerably before the latest were in the ground; indeed they were not easily to be put off." After planting the beans, Thoreau devotes all his time and energy to the care of the growing bean plants. As in this passage, he describes how some plants had been growing faster than others and he is almost not able to keep up with the pace of the early bloomers. Each morning he carefully hoed and weeded the bean-field and tended to each individual plant. To amuse himself, he started to think of his care for the beans as a kind of loyal protection. Each day he fought the enemies of weeds, worms, and cold weather; but finally he has a crop. It is obvious he took a great deal of pride in his productive bean field, which at first seemed to have lost its ability to bear food due to infertile soil and hungry animals. Thoreau feels he has won an important victory.
             While Thoreau is working in the field, he finds arrowheads from past battles. Such treasures that he finds make him reflect on the nation's history. "As I drew a still fresher soil about the rows with my hoe, I disturbed the ashes of unchronicled nations who in primeval years lived under these heavens, and their small implements of war and hunting were brought to the light of this modern day." Thoreau finds such ancient artifacts mingled with other natural stones and he can't help but feel proud of his glorious country. Sometimes he even hears celebrations in nearby towns-usually patriotic celebrations with cannon fire and military music; such sounds fill him with pride for what the country has ...