VEGETABLE GROWING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 39 



The cutting of the grass is done with an asparagus knife (usually home- 

 made), which consists of a few inches of saw-edge on the end of a knife- 

 blade. A small bread-saw with the end 2 or 3 inches filed and given a fine 

 serrated edge, acts admirably. 



In this locality the bunches, after having been tied with home-grown New 

 Zealand flax, are made tight by placing a large butt of asparagus, cut wedge- 

 shaped, into the end of the bunch. This is a practice that should be dis- 

 couraged in favour of tightening with full sticks. The best " grass " is tied 

 with two bands. The use of raffia, strips of New Zealand flax, or tape is 

 recommended, as giving a better appearance than binder twine. 



Duration of Beds. 



As an instance of the lasting qualities of the crop when properly tended, 

 it may be mentioned that a small bed of this crop belonging to Mr. Edward 

 Twynam, of Goulburn, is still bearing heavily, although it was an established 

 bed when Mr. Twynam purchased the property in the year 1868. This 

 makes the bed now at least fifty-two years old. 



On the other hand, the Chinese growers at Mascot cut the crop for too 

 long a period each season, and do not allow sufficient top growth for recu- 

 peration, with the result that the beds remain in cultivation for only a few- 

 years. 



Diseases and Pests. 



Asparagus rust (page 92). 



BEANS. 



There are a number of species of beans, all of which can be grown in 

 this State. The best known are Broad beans, Kidney or French beans, 

 Haricot beans, and Lima beans. The first named, which is grown for the 

 seeds, does best in the cooler portions of the State, or in warm districts as a 

 winter crop. The Kidney or French beans are esteemed for the edibility of 

 their pods, and can only be grown in the warm seasons of the year, being 

 very susceptible to frost. Lima and Haricot beans are grown for their seed, 

 but must bo treated as summer crops. 



The crop is influenced to a considerable extent by the quality of the soil, 

 a light, shallow soil giving much inferior returns to a rich alluvial one. 

 Bean plants of all kinds respond readily to dressings of manure, those most 

 beneficial containing phosphoric acid and potash. As with all other legumes, 

 there is^ little necessity for nitrogenous manures, but some advantage in the 

 use of lime. The crop has long been known to farmers as an excellent soil- 

 renovator, and it is particularly valuable in a rotation. 



Farmyard manure cannot always be used with advantage in connection 

 with beans, its application, particularly on heavy soils, being apt to produce 

 too much leaf growth at the expense of the crop of pods. 



