GARDEN BEANS 125 



bulge of the seed. Packing in crates is done very 

 carefully as beans shrink in transit and crates should 

 be full on arrival (Fig. 28). For the earliest plant- 

 ing, Mohawk has led for many years, largely owing 

 to its hardiness, however; it is soon superseded by 

 beans of better quality. Extra Early Valentines are 

 recommended for the green podded sorts ; Golden Eye 

 Wax bean for the yellow podded sorts is recom- 

 mended by Professor Battle. 



Mulching. Professor Emerson* reports experi- 

 ments on the use of straw or other similar material 

 as a mulch for garden vegetables. Out of 40 grow- 

 ers who tried a mulch, 22 report more favorable re- 

 sults than with cultivation; 15 favored cultivation 

 and three noted no particular difference. It was 

 thought that if the growers had cultivated until the 

 ground was warm and then mulched the results 

 would have been more marked in favor of the prac- 

 tice. Emerson** gives conclusions on mulching ex- 

 periments with Navy and Golden Wax beans. He 

 found that mulching was decidedly beneficial. Lima 

 beans showed but little difference as regards the 

 two methods of culture. The conclusion was that 

 in normal seasons mulching increases the yield over 

 cultivation except in cases of late planting or natu- 

 rally late varieties, when by delaying the maturity 

 the beans are more likely to be injured by early fall 

 frosts. Professor W. T. Macoun*** in experiments 

 in growing beans under cheesecloth found that beans 

 were ready for use earlier inside than outside and 

 were nearly as productive. The experiments were 

 conducted on the Central Experimental farm in 

 Canada. 



"20th Century Farmer, 1902. "Neb Bui 80, p 26. ""Gardening 

 1904, p 517. 



