Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28
The Lima Bean.

! THE lima bean is one of the most popu
| lar vegetables; but for one reason or an
other many people have trouble in getting
them to do well, and some people in get
! ting them at all.
| This bean loves heat, dislikes cold mois
ture, and delights in loose rich soil
Those who wish to succeed have to be
careful that all these conditions are fully
| insured.
In order to guard against damp the
earth is drawn into hills, so that any super
abundant moisture can pass rapidly away
If the soil be heavy a large portion OF
road sand is mixed with the soil in these
hills, and if one can have access to COW
yard, we'll decompOsed manure from such
locality is the perfection Of food to the
lima bean. Then in planting they ought
not to be set but just beneath the surface,
or they will be very liable to rot in push
ing their way through. 1t does no harm
either to push them in the dirt edgeWise,
as the sprouting germ comes up all the
sooner therefor.
But with even all these precautions for
dryness, food and warmth, people often
plant too soon; cold rain follows and
the seed rOts. A frst-rate truck gardener
tells us that he never sets his beans until
the earth in the hills rises to sixty degrees,
as he tests it by a thermometer, and he has
a tolerable certainty that it will continue
at least this. In this way he avoids re-
planting, as so many of his neighbors do
who plant on the haphazard system. -Four
sound looking beans are set to each hill,
and if all grow and do we'll one is taken
out. He regards three plants as fully
enough to remain.
A great difficulty with some people is
to get bean-poles, and many schemes have
been adopted in the endeavor to do with
out them. We have known quite light
branches to be used, mere pea-brush. In
these cases three pieces are stuck into the
ground around the hill, so as to be per-
haps eighteen inches apart, and the tops
are tied together with a piece of twine
Of course they are liable to be broken off
by the weight of beans toward the end of
the season; but on the whole they make a
fair substitute. Of late the sunfower has
been employed to make live poles These
are planted very early in spring where the
poles are to be, or rather where the old
fashioned poles would be. By bean-plant
ing time in June the plants have made
| tolerable Roadway, and the hill for the
seed is drawn around the stems. They
make admirable poles if the strong grow
ing sunflowers are employed. But they
are liable to the objection of eating up
some of the food intended for the beans
Still there is some compensation even for
this, for the seed makes excellent chicken
feed, and where ire-wood is scarce the
dead stalks make good kindling wood.
Wherever poles can be had, there is
nothing better. They are neat, and when
set in straight rows about four feet apart,
have garden-like look, which after all is
part of the pleasures of horticulture. If
they are scarce and dear, they may be pre-
served a long time by little care; Cedar
poles have been known to last eight and
even ten years, if they can be protected
from wet during the winter season. Oak
poles also last long time. Usually they
rot off near the ground, and to prevent
this they may be dipped in gas tar, or
some say charring the ends in the rubbish
fire, which one has to make in most gar
dens at the annual clearing up, will an
swer the same purpose
If it be very great object to have the