Il8 BEAN CULTURE 



Again there are green podded sorts. While all pods 

 are more or less green at first, those known as wax 

 podded sorts change to a yellowish color when of 

 edible size. The wax podded are as a rule less 

 stringy than the green podded, but are also less 

 hardy and somewhat more subject to diseases. 

 Therefore, in selecting for the garden, both types 

 had best be chosen. The stringiness in snap beans 

 is, of course, to be avoided and in this connection 

 Leonard Barron gives a test which will determine 

 whether a bean is stringy or not as indicated by the 

 tips. He says* one can even tell whether beans are 

 good or not by merely looking at the point that pro- 

 jects beyond the body of the bean. If it is limp 

 or curved the bean will snap ; if it is straight and 

 rigid there will be a string. (Fig. 31.) 



String or snap beans should not be planted until 

 all danger of frost is past. Then drill in rows 2 to 

 3 feet apart and finally thin to 4 to 6 inches between 

 plants. A strong argument for growing string* 

 beans is they can be obtained early and, therefore, 

 everything possible should be done to encourage 

 rapid growth. In addition to giving congenial soiJ 

 and exposure as indicated above, earliness can be 

 encouraged by readily soluble fertilizers. Cover 

 the seed with I to 2 inches of soil, depending upon 

 the amount of moisture present. Give liberal culti 

 vation, though shallow, leave the ground mellow 

 and well pulverized. Bush beans have a strong dis- 

 position to ripen their entire crop at the same time. 

 While this characteristic is desirable for the com- 

 mercial field bean grower, it is not to be encour- 

 aged in the case of string beans. If the green pods 



Country Life in America for March, 1906. 



