LEGUMINOS^E. CLXXXVIII. PHASEOLUS. 



353 



beans in the hot-house, and therefore the plants should be fu- 

 iniuated witli tobacco, which destroys that insect." 



1'orcini* kidney-beans in a peach or cherry house. French- 

 beans, Nicol observes, " may be successfully planted out in the 

 borders of an early cherry-house or peach-house, so as that they 

 may not be overmuch shaded by the trees ; but they seldom do 

 much good in a vinery, where they are shaded by the foliage of 

 the vines." 



Forcing kidney-beam in a common hoi-bed. " Under the defi- 

 ciency of a house, you may have recourse to a hot- bed and 

 frame, but the culture will be attended with more trouble, the 

 course will be longer, and the fruit rarely so fine or so plentiful ; 

 nor without fire-heat can the difficulties of late or very early 

 forcing be so well contended with. From the middle of Fe- 

 bruary to the beginning of April, is the most successful period 

 for forcing the kidney-bean in a hot-bed. The Early-nlntc- 

 dnarf, from its low growth, is to be sown in preference to the 

 kinds recommended for the stove, unless it be intended to fruit 

 the plants in a deeper frame than ordinary. The Early-yellon 

 and Early-black are next, as not growing very high. The tem- 

 perature for the kidney-bean is 60 for the minimum and 75 for 

 the maximum of the fruiting-bed. In forcing soon in the spring, 

 raise the plants on a smaller bed, earthed over with light rich 

 compost, 6 inches deep. Sow the beans thickly, covering them 

 to the depth of an inch. The second hot-bed should be earthed 

 over to the depth of 8 or 9 inches. Into this transplant the 

 seedlings, as soon as they are 2 or 3 inches high, setting them 

 in cross rows 12 or 15 inches asunder, and 2 or 3 inches in the 

 line, or when the season is so far advanced that one bed, with 

 the help of linings, will bring the plants well into fruit, you 

 may sow at once, at the full distance, in a similar hot-bed, to 

 continue for podding. Cover the glasses every night with 

 garden-mats, also particularly in severe weather. Admit fresh 

 air moderately every mild day, and give occasional gentle water- 

 ings. The plants raised in February will come into bearing in 

 April and May, making moderate returns ; a new crop every 

 three weeks will keep up the succession ; those sown at the begin- 

 ning of April will last till the middle or end of June, when they 

 will be succeeded by" the early half-sheltered crops in the open 

 garden." Abercrombie. 



Crop raised wider glass, to fruit in the open garden. At the 

 end of March you may sow a small portion under glasses, for 

 transplanting into the open ground in the first or second week 

 of May. It is not so well to sow in patches on the surface of 

 the ground, as in small pots, because the plants can be turned 

 from the latter with less check to their growth, when trans- 

 planted. Sow 3 beans in each pot, and when the seedlings are 

 2 or 3 inches high, harden them by degrees to the full air, 

 and plant them on a good open border as soon in May as the 

 season will suit. They will yield about a fortnight sooner than 

 the earliest raised under exposure to the weather. 



Crop raised on slight heat. A crop to fruit early in the open 

 garden may be accelerated with more certainty by plunging the 

 pots containing the seed beans in a gentle hot-bed, or some 

 sown in shallow pans or boxes may be set on the shelves of a 

 stove. Just at the opening of April will be early enough to 

 begin, as the plants will otherwise get too forward for the 

 weather to proceed well without a continuance of artificial heat. 

 Having nursed them to the proper stage, plant out under a 

 south fence, either 3 inches apart, if in a single line, or 18 

 inches by 3 if in 2 lines ; or it may be better to set the plants 

 in patches of 7 or 9, to receive the temporary shelter of a hand- 

 glass, lest the transition from a hot-bed all at once to the fluc- 

 tuating air of spring be too violent. Abercrombie. 



Field culture of the kidney-bean. In this country the culture 

 of the kidney-bean has been confined to gardens, but it might 



be grown equally well in dry, warm, rich, and sheltered soils, 

 being grown in the fields of Germany, Switzerland, and similar 

 climates. The sort generally used for this purpose is the small 

 Dwarf-white. The ground is prepared by several turnings, and 

 the seed is dibbled in rows 18 inches or 2 feet asunder, in 

 the beginning of May. The ground is hoed and weeded during 

 the summer, and the crop is ripe in August. It is usually har- 

 vested by pulling up the plants, which being dried are stacked 

 or threshed. The haulm is of little bulk or use, but the grain 

 is used in making the esteemed French dish called haricot, 

 which it were desirable the cottagers of this country were made 

 acquainted with. There is perhaps no dish so easily cooked, 

 and at the same time so agreeable and nourishing. The beans 

 are boiled and then mixed with a little salt and butter, or other 

 fat, and a little milk or water and flour. From 3840 parts of 

 kidney-beans, EinhofT obtained 1805 parts of matter analogous 

 to starch, 851 of vegeto-animal matter, and 799 parts of 

 mucilage. Haricots and lentils are much used in all Catholic 

 countries during Lent and maigre days, as they, from their pe- 

 culiar constituents, form so excellent a substitute for animal 

 food. During the prevalence of the Roman religion in this 

 country they were probably much more generally used than at 

 present. 



Common Kidney-bean or French-bean. Fl. June, Sept. 

 Clt. 1597. PI. 1 foot or tw. 



23 P. COMPRE'SSUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 392.) plant twining a 

 little, smoothish ; leaflets ovate, acuminated ; racemes pedun- 

 culate, shorter than the leaves ; pedicels twin ; legumes com- 

 pressed, somewhat torulose, mucronate ; seeds compressed. 

 Q. w . H. Native country unknown. Legume 5-6 inches long. 

 Flowers white. Seeds white, ovate, obtuse, straight, or con- 

 cave on the side of the hylum. P. Romanus, Savi, mem. ,'). 

 p. 17. t. 10. f. 20. This plant is called Haricot de Soissons, and 

 Haricot d'Hollandc, in French. 



I'ar. a, humilis (D. C. 1. c.) stem humble, erect ; seeds smaller. 

 Called in French Le Soissons nain. 



Far. j3, major (D. C. 1. c.) stems taller ; legumes twisted a 

 little. 



Compressed-seeded Kidney-bean. Fl. Ju. Sept. Clt. ? PI. 1 ft. 



24 P. OBLONGUS (Savi, mem. 3. p. 17. t.10. f. 14.) plant twining 

 a little, smoothish ; leaflets ovate, acuminated ; racemes shorter 

 than the leaves ; legumes straight, rather cylindrical, ending in 

 a long acumen ; seeds rather cylindrical, obtuse, or truncate. 

 O- H. Native country unknown. Flowers usually of a pale 

 violet colour. Seeds of one colour or variegated, twice the 

 length of the breadth, purple, whitish, or chestnut-coloured. 



O4/ong--sceded Kidney-bean. Fl. June, Sept. PI. 1 to 2 ft. 



25 P. SAPONA'CEUS (Savi, mem. 3. p. 19. t. 10. f. 15.) plant 

 humble, glabrous ; leaflets ovate, acuminated ; racemes shorter 

 than the leaves ; legumes straightish, mucronate, more or less 

 torulose ; seeds oblong, obtuse, compressed, spotted on the side 

 next the hylum. O- H. Native country unknown. Seeds 

 convex on the back, and rather concave in front, marbled, or 

 clouded with black, red, and bay-coloured marks. Flowers 

 white. Legume 5-6 inches long. 



Soapy Kidney-bean. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. ? PI. 1 foot. 



26 P. TU'MIDUS (Savi, mem. 3. p. 19. f. 16.) plant dwarf, 

 climbing a little, and smoothish ; leaflets ovate, acuminated ; 

 racemes shorter than the leaves ; legumes straightish, more or 

 less torulose ; seeds spherical, or ovate, turgid, white, spotless, 

 with a convex front. O- H. Native country unknown. Flowers 

 white. Legumes 3 inches long. To this species belong the garden 

 French-beans called Princess, Nainjlagevlet, Nain d'Amerique. 



Tumid-seeded Kidney-bean. Fl. Ju. Sept. Clt. ? PI. cl. 2 ft. 



27 P. H/EMATOCA'IU-US (Savi, mem. 3. p. 20. f. 17.) plant 

 twining, tall, smoothish ; leaflets ovate, acuminated ; racemes 



Zz 



