382 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



scarlet, the variegated colouring producing a splendid decorative 

 effect when the plants are trained on trellises or on fences. 



Red spider sometimes attacks scarlet runner beans in very dry 

 weather, but the pest may easily be kept in check by frequent 

 watering and syringing of the foliage. 



A sowing of dwarf Kidney or French beans may be made a little 

 earlier than is the case with scarlet runners, but in any event it 

 is not wise to place the seed in the open ground before the first 

 week in May. Subsequent sowings for succession may be made 

 until the end of June. The seeds should be placed in drills three 

 inches deep, in soil that has previously been enriched in the 

 manner recommended for runner beans. After thinning the 

 plants should be left nine inches apart. Very little staking will 

 be required, but for safety's sake it is advisable to erect a low 

 trellis or row of stakes beside each drill so that if any support 

 is required by the plants it will be available. Among the best 

 Kidney beans are Canadian Wonder, Early Six Weeks and Sir 

 Joseph Paxton. 



Broad beans thrive best in fairly stiff soil which has been well 

 manured in the previous autumn, and the earlier they are sown 

 after the end of January the better the prospects of success. For 

 the first sowing the variety known as Mazagan is to be recom- 

 mended, and another early cropper worth trying is Long Pod. 

 For a later sowing Mammoth Green, Giant Seville and old Green 

 Windsor are recommended. 



The seed may be sown in broad drills, either in single or double 

 rows. The drills should be at least three inches deep and the 

 seed be placed three inches apart. Black fly is the chief pest of the 

 broad bean. It makes its appearance when the flowers form at 

 the top of the stem. The only effectual remedy is to cut off the 

 tops that are infested and burn them without a moment's delay. 



