FAB 



tiemcnt of the Portuguefe on the coaft of Africa, juH: 



without the Strcights of Gibraltar -, the feeds of this 

 fort are fmaller than thofe of the Horfe Bean i and 

 as the Portuguefe are but flovenly gardeners, there 

 is commonly a great number of bad feeds among 

 them. If this fort is fown in Oftober, under a warm 

 hedge, pale, or wall, and carefully earthed up when 

 the plants are advanced, they will be fit for the table 

 by the middle of May. The ftems of this fort are 

 very (lender, therefore, if tliey are fupported by ftrings 

 dole to the hedge, or pale, it will prcferve them from 

 .the morning frolb, which are fometimes fevere in the 

 fpring, and retard their growth ; fo by keeping them 

 clofe to the fence it will caufe them to come forwarder 

 than if this is neglefted ; thefe Beans bear plentifully, 

 but 'they ripen nearly together, fo that there are never 

 more than two gatherings from the fame plants ; if the 

 feeds of this fort are faved two years in England, the 

 Beans will become much larger, and not ripen fo foon, 



\vhich is called a degeneracy. ■ " 

 The next fort is the early Portugal Bean, which ap- 

 pears to be the Mazagan fort faved in Portugal, for 

 it is very like thofe which are the firft year faved in 

 England ; this is the moft common fort ufed by the 

 gardeners for their firft crop, but they are not near fo 

 well tafted as the Mazagan ; therefore when the Ma- 

 zagan Bean can be procured, no perfon would plant 



the other. 



The next is the fmall Spanifh Bean \ this will come 

 in foon after the Portugal fort, and is rather a fweeter 

 Bean, therefore fliould be preferred to it. 

 Then comes the broad Spanifh, which is a little later 

 than the other, but comes in before the common 

 forts, and is a good bearer, therefore is frequently 

 planted. 



The Sandwich Bean comes foon after the Spanifli, 

 and is almoft as large as theWindfor Bean ; but, be- 

 ing hardier, is commonly fown a month fooner ; this is 

 a plentiful bearer, but not very delicate for the table. 

 The Toker Bean, as it is generally called, comes 

 about the fame time with the Sandwich, and is a great 

 bearer •, therefore is now much planted, though it is 



a coarfe Bean. 



The white and black BlolTom Beans are alfo by fome 



perfons much efteemed ; the Beans of the former are, 



when boiled, almoft as green as Peas •, and being a 



tolerable fweet Bean, renders it more valuable ; thefe 



forts are very apt to degenerate, if their feeds are not 



faved with great care. 



The Windfor Bean is allowed to be the beft of all the 



forts for the table ; when thele are planted on a good 



light 



A B 



good fruit-trees are planted, will greidly prejudice 

 the trees, by overfliadowing them, and the <^xo^t\ 

 of thefe legumes will draw off the nouriflimcnc fro" 

 the roots of the trees, whereby they will be m^eati'v 

 weakened. . . ^ 



But to return to the cukureof the Beans. Thofe which 

 are planted early in Odober, will come up by the be 

 ginning of November •, and as foon as they are an inch 

 above ground, the earth fliould be carefully drawn ud 

 with a hoe to iheir ftems ; and this muft be two or 

 three times repeated, as the Beans advance in height • 

 which will proteft their ftems from the froft, and en- 

 courage thtir ftrength. If the v/inter Ihould prove 

 fevere, it will be very proper to cover the Beans with 

 Peas-haulm, Fern, or fome other 

 which will fecure therti from the inju^ofjrert ; but 

 this covering muft be conftantly taken*t5fr in mild 

 weather, otherwife they will draw up tall and' weak 

 and come to littlfr'j and if the furface of the border is 

 covered with tarrn'ers bark, it will prevent the froft 

 penetrating the ground to the roots pf both, and 

 be of great fervice to protect them from the injurv 

 which they might otherwife receive. 

 In the ijpring, when the Beans are advanced to be a 

 foot high, they ftiould be fattened up to the hedc^e 

 with packthread or a fmall line, fp as to draw them 

 as clofe as pofiible ; which will fecure them from be- 

 ing injured by the morning frofts, which are often 

 fo fevere in March and April, as to lay tho/e Beans 

 flat on the ground, which are not thus guarded \ at 

 this time all fuckers v/hich come out from the roots 

 ftiould be very carefully taken off^ for thefe will 

 retard the growth of the Beans, and prevent their 

 coming early-, and when the bloflbms begin to open 

 toward the bottom of the ftalks, the top of the ftems 

 ftiould be pinched off, which will caufe thofe firft pods 

 to ftand, and thereby bring them forward. If thefe 

 rules are obferved, and the ground kept clean from 

 weeds, or other plants, there will be little danger of 

 their failing. 



But left this firft crop ftiould be deftroyed by frofl; 

 it will be abfolutely neceffary to plant nlore about three 

 weeks after the firft, and fo to repeat planting more 

 every three weeks, or a month, till February ; but thofe 

 which are planted toward the end of November, or the 

 beginning of December, may be planted on Hoping 



banks, at a fmall diftance from the hedges j forif the wea- 

 ther is mild, thefe will not appear above ground before 



Chriftmas ; therefore will not be in fomuchdangeff 



as the firft and fecond planting, efpecially^f the.fi^- 



face of the ground is covered with tan to keep" the 





foil, and are allowed fufficient room, their feeds will I froft out of the ground as is before dirciSted ; for the 

 be' very large, and in great plenty ; and when they are I ■ firft planting will, by that time, be a confiderable 



- gathered, young, are the fweeteft and beft tafted of all 



: 'the forts ; but thefe ftiould be carefully faved, by pull- 



. ing out fuch of the plants as are not perfeftly right, 



and afterward by forting out all the good from the 



bad Beans. :. , iy^ 



■ This fort of Bean is feldom planted before Chriftmas, 

 ; becaufe it will not bear the froft fo well as many of 



the other forts; fo it is generally planted for the 

 ; great crop, to come in Jurieand July. 



■ All the early Beans are generally planted on warm 

 borders under walls, pale's, and hedges; and thofe 

 which att defigned to come firft, are ufually planted in 



. .a fingle row pretty clofe to the fence : and here I can- 

 not help taking notice of a very bad cuftom, which 

 too generally prevails in gentlemeris kitchen-gardens, 



• which is that of planting Beans clofe to the garden- 



. walls, on the beft afpefts, immediately before the 

 fruit-trees, which is certainly a greater prejudice to 



. the trees, than the value of the Beans, or any other 

 early crop ; therefore this pradlice ftiould be every- 

 where difcouraged ; for it is much better to run fome 



. low Reed hedges acrofs the quarters of the kitchen- 

 garden, where early Beans and Peas may be planted, 

 in which places they may with more convcniericy be 

 covered in fevere froft ; and to thefe hedges they may 

 both be clofely faftened, as they advance in their 

 growth ; which, if pradifed againft the walls where 



3 . ' 



height : the fame direftions which ^xe before given 

 will be fufficient for the management of thefe; But 

 only it muft be obferved, that the larger Beans ihould 

 be planted at a greater diftance than the fmall qncs; 

 as alfo, that thofe which are firft planted rnuft be 

 put clofer together, to allow for fome milcarryinj|; 

 therefore, when a fingle row 15 planted, the Beans 

 may be jput two inches afunder, and thoft of the 

 third and fourth planting may be allowed three 

 inches ; and when they are planted in rows acrofs a 

 bank, the rows fliould be two feet and a half afun- 

 der ; but the Windfor Beans fliould have a foot more 

 fpace between the rows, and the Beans in tjie rows 



' ^ This 



too 



ftiould be planted five or fix inches afunder. 

 diftance may, by fome perfons, be thougtit 

 great'; but from many years experience, 1 can affirrn, 

 that the fame fpace of ground will produce a greater 

 quantity of Beans when planted at this diftance, than 

 if double the quantity of feeds are put on it^. In the 

 management of thefe later crops of Beans, the princi- 

 pal care fliould be to keep them clear from weeds, 

 and any other plants which would draw away their 

 ncH-irifliment ; to keep earthing them up, and, when 

 they are in bloftbm, to pinch off their tops ; which, n 

 fuffered to grov/, will draw the nouriftmient from the 

 lower blofibms, which will prevent the pods from fit- 

 ting, and fo only the upper parts of the ftems willb" 



fruitfu,! > 



