430 VILLA GARDENING pakt v 



following : — Ne Plus Ultra, Veitch's Improved Longpod, and 

 Fulmer's Forcing. 



Pkeservixg Beans for Winter Use. — In summer, when 

 Beans are plentifid, they may be preserved in the following manner : 

 — Dress the Beans as is usual for cooking, place in stone jars, 

 with salt strewn plentifully among them, and keep air-tight tUl 

 required for use. Before using, soak the Beans in fresh cold water 

 for several hours, changing the water once or twice. 



Runner Beans. — For use from the end of June or beginning 

 of July until October, the Runner Beans are more esteemed than 

 the dwarf French species. They are more tender and succident, 

 do not so soon become old and tough, and bear more continuously. 

 The Scarlet Runners arc the jirime favoiuites of the cottage 

 gardener. If there is only a few yards of garden, room is found 

 somewhere for a row of these Beans. Few people, I imagine, save 

 the old roots, which are of a tuberous natiu"e, and if preserved 

 through the winter and planted the first week in May in a warm 

 site will give a few early gatherings, perhajis a week or two earlier 

 than plants raised from seeds would do. But except for this 

 slight advantage seeds are much the lx?st — in fact, I may say that 

 I do not know any one now who saves the roots. A few rows for 

 an early croj), if it should be necessary to gather very early Runner 

 Beans, should be planted on a warm site 3 feet apart, and not 

 staked, Init pinched in severely. If the spaces between the rows 

 are mulched with rather long manure the crop will repay for it. 

 Sometimes the plants for the early crop are raised under glass 

 where there is a little artificial heat, and then hardened off and 

 planted out after aU danger of frost is over. A good deal of the 

 success of this plan will depend upon the care which is exercised. 

 The Beans should be planted thinly in boxes and placed near the 

 glass, so that the stems of the plants when they emerge from the 

 SOU may be robust and hardy, which growth made in the fiUl light 

 under glass never fails to be. They should be moved to a cool 

 place to harden thoroughly Ijcfore being finally moved to the open 

 air. It is well to plant in shallow trenches, which will leave a 

 ridge of soil on each ."^idc to form a shelter. This soil, later on, 

 may be drawn about their stems, and the mulching will keep all 

 comfortably moist. The successional crops may be planted about 

 the middle of May (this, in foct, wall be the main crop in most 

 gardens), and again about the first or second week in June. I 

 have never had any ditficidty in carrying the June-sown crop in a 

 beaiing condition till the frost cuts them off some time in October 

 (taking the average of seasons), and I like the white-seeded Giant 

 variety for the late crops, as it bears veiy freely, and seems better 



