May 25, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTDKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



400 



same buildinf; are several others that Mr. Muir gives prefer- 

 ence to which have Boarccly a bloom on them, and when at 

 their best Climbing Dovonioneis was equal to them. Oae 

 plant of Davoniensis at the present iime is literally covered 

 from top to bottom with beautiful half-expanded blooms. A 

 large number have been cut from this plant, and the quantity 

 of small bads shows promise to give a supply for some weeks 

 to come. — T. Coates. 



THE KIDNEY BEAN AND ITS CULTUEE. 



Mr. Kecokd recently remarked that the Scarlet Runner is so 

 popular and so useful that even in towns every spare wall is 

 appropriated to its support. Possibly no plant is more suitable 

 for that purpose — for covering walls and fences in villa gardens, 

 where that which is useful is of more moment than that which 

 is simply attractive. Bat the Scarlet Runner combines orna- 

 meut with utility, and hence its popularity. This popularity it 

 has enjoyed for a great length of time — certainly for upwards 

 of two centuries, for it is on record that it was grown by 

 Tradesoant in his garden at Lumbeth, but probably for the 

 beauty of its flowers ; Miller of Chelsea in the following century 

 being reputed to be the first to establish its usefulness as a 

 culinary vegetable. It is supposed to be a native of India, but 

 was introduced into England from South America in 1633. 



It has proved to be one of the most valuable introductions, 

 for it is one of the most profitable vegetables that can be grown. 

 But not only on account of its productiveness , agreeable flavour, 

 and nutritious properties is it valuable, but also on account of 

 the period in which it is in use. When the more delicate 

 kinds of vegetables are over, when Peas are frequently devoured 

 by mildew, when Cauliflowers begin to pall on the palate, 

 when Potatoes have lost the novelty and the relish of new- 

 ness, then comes the harvest of Kidney Beans, which continue 

 until destroyed by frost. Ordinarily they are in use for about 

 ton weeks — from the beginning of September to the middle of 

 November ; but by special culture and care it is not difficult to 

 have them from -July, thus extending their use for a quarter 

 of a year. Mr. Taylor has told in one of his excellent articles 

 how they may bo had in use at the early period named. I 

 know by experience how valuable is the mode of culture which 

 Mr. Taylor adopts— that is, sowiug the Beans early in pots, 

 pinching them, subsequently planting them in good soil, and 

 not permitting any pods to ripen their seed : then will the 

 plants continue bearing until the approach of winter. It is 

 hoped that others have put Mr. Taylor's plan into practice, 

 for it is certainly worthy of adoption by all having the moans 

 to carry it out. 



Even now the plan of pinching may be resorted to with 

 advantage by those who have neither walls nor sticks whereon 

 to support the plants. In fact it is probable that more Scarlet 

 Runner Beans are produced by the system of pinching than by 

 any mode of training. AVe have only to visit the vegetable 

 farms in the vicinity of the metropolis, and whore we find a 

 rod of ground devoted to the culture of this legume with the 

 aid of sticks we find an acre occupied by crops which have no 

 such aid. The enormous produce yielded by the dwarf mode 

 of culture is snfticient testimony of its value. The Beans are 

 dibbed-in in May in rows a yard apart and about a foot 

 distant in the rows. "When the plants are large enough they 

 are earthed-up, and when they commence throwing out their 

 twiners the tips of these are simply chopped oft with a sharp 

 hook or sickle. This practice is repeated when needed, which 

 causes the plants to become bushy. The practice of trimming 

 is neither tedioas nor expensive, for a man will trim over a 

 large piece of ground in a day. When these fields of dwarfed 

 Scarlet Runners are blooming their effect is extremely rich, 

 the rows being a complete mass of dazzling scarlet, to be 

 followed by pods which may be gathered by handfuls. It is 

 a little tingular that this simple and excellent practice is not 

 more generally resorted to in those gardens where supports 

 are by no means plentiful, and as a consequence the supply of 

 Kidney Beans is not so large as is desirable. 



But occasionally, if not frequently, dwarf sticks, as pea rode, 

 can be found when tall sticks are not provided, and even by 

 the aid of these low sticks excellent crops of Beans may be 

 obtained. Plant two rows of Beans 2 feet apart, and to these 

 place two rows of sticks of any height, letting them slant in- 

 wards until their tops nearly meet. When the Runners havo 

 covered these and desire to go up higher stop their progress 

 with the hook or hedge shears, and speedily a hedge of Beans 

 will be formed of great value and the produce easy of being 



gathered. If no sticks at all are to be had, or at least only a 

 few stakes, place those stakes at intervals of every 1 or 5 yards, 

 and stretch along their tops a strong cord of double-tarred 

 twine. This should be iu the centre of two rows planted at 

 the distance named, and from these by the aid of pegs smaller 

 twine may be taken to the cord at the tops of the stakes, and 

 a hedge will be formed as productive as if tho plants were 

 supported by sticks. This mode is frequently adopted iu 

 cottagers' gardens iu the vicinity of large towns where sticks 

 are too expensive to purchase. 



But the ordinary mode of supporting the crop in most 

 gardens is by tho aid of tall sticks. It is not necessary that 

 these be more than 7 feet iu height, so that the produce may 

 be conveniently gathered, and if the plants are stopped at 

 that height they will be as productive as it permitted to grow 

 some feet higher — that is, if the pods are not permitted to 

 remain to ripen their seed. This latter is an important point 

 where a continuous supply of fresh, crisp, fleshy pods are 

 required. Where it is necessary to save seed it is much pre- 

 ferable to leave a row, or part of a row, for that purpose and 

 not gather from it any of the early pods. The seed will then 

 be finer and better matured than from those pods which are 

 ripened, or partially ripened, on rows which are regularly, or 

 rather irregularly, gathered from. 



Where a lengthy supply is coveted the gatherings must bo 

 regular — that is, every Bean must bo gathered when the pod 

 has attained to half its full size. If these are not re(iuired for 

 the ordinary wants of the owner give them away or sell them 

 — anything but suffering them to remain on the plants. Rows 

 thus treated will yield probably double the produce over those 

 on which a considerable portion of the pods are permitted to 

 mature, or, what is more likely, half mature ; for the plants 

 have not time to do well the double work of yielding supplies 

 for the table and maturing their seed, for in this case it is 

 almost certain that the earliest pods have been gathered. 



It is a remarkable circumstance that a plant so tender as 

 the Scarlet Runner should produce seed which, when well 

 matured, will endure our severest winters uninjured. I have 

 pulled up Beans and sticks together, and piled them away for 

 a more convenient season for removing the twiners. These 

 have been left and exposed to a blast of six weeks' duration, 

 during which the thermometer has several times registered 

 25- of frost, and the Beans, after passing this wintry ordeal, 

 have been as sound and have grown as freely as others which 

 had been carefully stored and preserved from frost in the seed 

 room. But immatured Beans will not endure severe frost, 

 neither do they produce such healthy and profitable plants as 

 full-sized well-ripened seed. 



Bows of Scarlet Runners make both attractive and useful 

 dividing and sheltering screens. In gardens which are ex- 

 posed and which are not surrounded by walls, warm spots 

 encircling frames and crops requiring shelter may bo provided 

 by having the rows to form three sides of a square, the other 

 side being open to tho south. In this enclosure ridge Cucum- 

 bers, Vegetable Marrows, Tomatoes, and other crops or plants 

 requiring shelter wDl have substantial assistance afforded them 

 by the Beans, and the latter will be as good, perhaps better, 

 than if grown in quarters of several rows together. These 

 squares are also useful in such gardens for prolonging the use 

 of late crops iu autumn, as Caulifiowers, Lettuce, &c., and 

 especially if the sticks and dead Beans can be tolerated to 

 remain for some time after the latter have been destroyed by 

 frost, for even if destitute of live foliage tho rows will afford 

 important sheltering aid against high cutting winds. When 

 the rows are thus arranged singly it is advisable that the 

 Beans be sown much more thickly than is usual. The ordi- 

 nary practice is to sow in double rows about 4 or 5 inches 

 apart, the Beans being S or 1 inches distant iu the rows. 

 These distances are sufficient when several rows are grown 

 together ; but when the rows are sown singly, and especially 

 with the object of affording shelter, the Beans may preferably 

 be sown double or more than double the thickness named. 

 For instance, if a trench a foot wide is formed, and in this 

 trench the Beans are placed about 2 inches apart, or say twenty- 

 five Beans to each foot of trench, and if half of these are topped 

 when a foot high and a double row of sticks are used, the 

 shelter vfill be more perfect, and not only that but the rows 

 will yield many more pods than if they were thinly sown. 



It is of the greatest importance that the sticks be placed to 

 Scarlet Runners before they commence forming twiners, for if 

 these are permitted to coil round each other they cannot be 

 untwined, neither do they afterwards take to the sticks freely. 



