162 CULTURE OF THE PEA. 



taken up and preserved in dry mould during the winter and replanted 

 in April. 



A new method of planting the pole bean has been recommended, 

 which is to put the pole down and plant the beans in 2 or 3 circles a 

 few inches apart around the pole ; thus they bear more and protect 

 one another. 



A main crop may be sown about the 1st of June. Beans are so 

 prolific that the returns from 3 sowings in May, June and July will 

 last till Oct. They are gathered for the table when fleshy and brittle. 

 Plants last longer and bear better to gather clean from each stem, 

 leaving none to grow old. The beans saved for seed should be of the 

 1st crop and left till fully matured ; then cut, laid in the sun to dry, 

 shelled, bagged and housed. They are wet and rolled in plaster be- 

 fore being planted. Some say they should not be hoed when the dew 

 is on, or in wet weather. 5 beans are enough for a hill. 



Buel prepared an acre of light ground with 8 loads of long manure 

 ploughed and harrowed it immediately ; furrowed it with a light 

 plough, at 2i feet distance, scattered the beans along the furrows, at 

 the rate of a bushel to the acre ; passed a double moulded plough be- 

 tween the rows, followed by a roller, and cleaned the crop twice of 

 weeds ; and the product was 48 bushels. Some plant between potatoes 

 and then transplant. Some object to topping. 



Artificial culture brings the bean to hand easier than most culinary 

 plants, and for this purpose the pine stove is resorted to. The green 

 pods are mostly used in this country, while in parts of Europe, the 

 ripe seeds called haricots are cooked in various ways. The seeds of 

 the Dutch runners are large and excellent, and are made chiefly into 

 soups. The leaves are also much used as food in some places, when 

 boiled. A small black bean (fricollis\ is much cultivated in Mexico. 

 In Africa there are 4 kinds much eaten. The bean affords much of 

 the food of the Roman Catholics during Lent, in various shapes. Sliced 

 and stewed in milk, beans are a common dish in Flanders. 



The garden bean is often called the horse-bean. The Windsor bean 

 is however raised in its stead, which may be planted in stiff, moist soil, 

 a pint for a row of 80 feet ; the rows 3 feet apart, 2 inches deep, and 

 4 inches distant in the row. 



The tops of high beans are cut off to accelerate their podding, 

 when the first blossoms begin to drop. If done sooner, a fresh shoot 

 will put forth. The pods then rapidly increase, and the harvest is ad- 

 vanced two weeks. The nourishment which before went to the top, 

 afterwards, it is said, contributes to the production of the fruit, as 

 with the potato, pea, &c. This should not be done before the plant 

 has produced all its pods. With small early beans this is done when 

 the blossoms at the bottom of the stalk begin to open. 



'he field white bean is thought to be the only one that can be culti- 



