The National tribune., 1893-02-09
ON BEAN GeowtSa.

On BEAN GROWING.
Before taking up the subject Of beans a a
field crop. | have yet more to say on garden
beans. The topic seems to DO 90 proific rs the
bean itself 1t is wei! worth taking about too
for nice tender string beans properly cooked
make most delicious dish. and fine lima beans
are not loss so There are great many bush
varieties that are eYccilont for string beans
some Of them with green, others with yeIIegv
aud one variety 1T least with blue pods. All
are OF easy culture. Simply plant them scat
teringly in rows say two feet apart, aud give
clean cnitnre. Pick the pods freely while
young, allow none 10 ripen. and you will have
a long season Of tonder string beans These
varieties have one drawback they are more
or less subject to the bean rust or anthracnose
inngons disease which 5pOis the pods for use
or market. Rotation will give some protection.
II the disease has once made its appearance in
tie home garden, these beans should be planted
in some other place, as far as possible away
from the garden spot. A corner or n row or
two of the cnrnfieid may DO utilized for this
purpose The average home gardener will not
easily 10 induced 10 spray his garden crops
with fhngtcidcs even il it were certain that the
treatment would keep the plant in health
On the other hand, it seems that we now
have pole varieties which not only give the very
cliOicl st, tenderest pods bnt also seem to be
proof against the disease Some of these va
rietics. call them saddle backs or crease backs
or by whatever name you will, have pods of
enormous length and as thick and round as a
mans finger, consisting almost entirely of solid
flesh They are without string and tender as
butter. If your garden bush beans are usually
troubled with pot-rnst, why. try some of these
pole beans think your scotsman can furnish
you the seed. If you have no poles, set two or
three stakes. 16 or 20 feet apart, and stretch
some wires or piece of poultry netting, even
If only two feet wide, along the row. and
let the vines climb mp on this support. Such
arrangement is good also for your pole
limas They are indispensable in the garden
in any locality where they will come to ma
turity. We have no trouble in growing them
TO perfection here in this part of western New
York. although | am well aware that the
seasons are not long enough for them in tho
many places of the hily sections of the central
part of the State. | have tried all varieties
The early Jersey lima is about as certain crop.
per and as productive rs any, while Dreers
lima snrpasses all Others in richness and ten.
derness. with the red and spotted limas follow
ing next in this respect. | find that it is not
necessary to have tall poles or high trellises for
these pole varieties. They will do we'll enough
on poles not over five feet high or on trellises
about three feet high. / plant in drills about
middle of May. and fiually leave plants stand
ing six to eight inches apart in the row. If
there vacancies ] fill them with plants
tdhcb up iiou u spOt where tDey are TOO
thickly together. On our clay loan they
transplant readily and grow right along as if
nothing had happened, provided we take
them up carefully with spade leaving a
big chunk of dirt adhering to their roots.
have not yet mentioned the best of all
the bush limas. If you have real rich, warm
soil, you can raise them almost as easily as any
ordinary bush bean. This is emphatically the
case with the HendersOn's bush lima, which.
however, is not lima, but sieva. 1t makes
a perfect, stiff and close bush, and is completely
filled with pods These can be gathered by the |
but it is considerable work to she'll
them, the beans being small and the pods not
opening readily. You can also raise and use |
this variety for dry she'll bean. The rains do |
not easily affect the pod, and the beans can be |
with the fail, like the ordinary bean. |
Burpees lima makes large bush and large !
pods which are not excessively numerous. / |
do not think that the variety is excessively |
productive. Dreer's bush lima, first introduc |
as Kumerle," is equal to the Dreer pole lima
in quality, or in other words, superior in that
respect to any other shell bean. The plant is
rather low and sprawling, and the pods grow
closely together around the main STEM and in
part are found lying upon the ground which
keeps them damp and inclined to rot But a
fish Of them affords such feast that I must
ha We them in my garden.