202 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



no longer blights the bloom. It is often the reward of the 

 amateur gardener, who promotes late growth of his bean 

 plants by continued irrigation, to gather ample supplies 

 of tender pods when less diligent growers have none. Mid- 

 summer bean planting on moist interior lands is also a 

 good practice, as it gives the plant a growing season in the 

 fall when the hot and dry summer conditions are relaxed. 



The planting of beans in frostless situations in the fall 

 for a winter crop is, of course, a limited enterprise, and 

 attended by considerable risk, because never having a 

 frost, means hardly ever, and yet good returns are often 

 made in a few places already designated in the chapters 

 on climates and the planting season. 



The winter preparation for field planting on the light 

 soils that are mainly used for that purpose will do for the 

 same soils and situations for garden growth, but where 

 beans have to go upon rather heavier soil in regions of 

 heavier rains, it is necessary to give more thorough 

 spring cultivation to overcome the compacting of the soil 

 by the rain, and make it suitably mellow for the crop. For 

 this purpose, spring plowing twice, the second shallower 

 than the first, and good harrowing following the second 

 plowing, are desirable. All this work should be done when 

 the soil works freely, and only then. 



In rainfall garden practice, where moisture is short, the 

 land should lie in shape for taking in water all during the 

 earlier part of the rainy season, and not be cropped nor 

 left hard for the spring working, but where moisture is 

 ample, the land may carry first a fall-planted crop of 

 hardy vegetables for winter use, provided this crop is 

 cleared away by February and the land put into condi- 

 tion to store up the spring rains for the use of the beans. 

 This practice depends upon the likelihood of the late rains 

 being generous, and the soil being retentive enough. 



Bush Beans. Varieties of this class are hardier than 

 most climbing beans and are safely planted earlier per- 

 haps from one to two weeks usually, but they should not 

 be planted until the soil becomes warm and loses its ex- 



