DWARF BEAN RUNNER BEAN 19 



has become dry and hard, it is advisable to soak the seed in water 

 for five or six hours ; the drills may also be watered, and, if pos- 

 sible, the seed should be covered in with rotten dung, spent hops, or 

 some other mulchy stuff to promote and sustain vegetation. 



The gathering of the crop should be a matter of discipline. Where 

 it is done carelessly, there will very soon be none to gather, for the 

 swelling of a few seeds in neglected pods will cause the plants to cease 

 bearing. Therefore all the Beans should be gathered when of a 

 proper size, whether they are wanted or not ; this is the only way 

 to insure a long-continued supply of good quality both as to colour 

 and tenderness. 



The forcing of Dwarf Beans is a simple business, but requires 

 incessant attention, for the difficulty to be constantly kept in view is 

 the liability of the plants to suffer injury from the attacks of the red 

 spider. Pots, boxes, or troughs can be employed, as may be most 

 convenient. But a better plan is to plant them out in a bed in a 

 smallish span- roof house with a service of hot water, and the nearer 

 they are to the glass the better. The bed should be one foot deep, 

 the drills a foot apart, and the plants six inches asunder in the rows. 

 The temperature may, with safety, range from 60 to 80, commen- 

 cing, of course, with the lower figure, and rising slowly as the season 

 advances. Air-giving and watering will need careful management, 

 for the most robust growth possible is required, but there must be no 

 chill, and any excess of either moisture or dryness will be immediately 

 injurious. Beginners may be advised not to sow until the turn of the 

 year, or, if forcing for winter supply, not after the first week in October ; 

 but experienced practitioners find no difficulty in dealing with sowings 

 made in November and December. 



RUNNER BEAN 



(Phaseolus multiflorus) 



RUNNERS are managed in precisely the same way as Dwarf Beans, 

 but need more room, and are never forced. They may, however, be 

 grown in roomy orchard-houses to afford early or late supplies, but 

 the practice is scarcely to be recommended, except in cases where 

 there are special reasons for its adoption. It is seldom profitable to 

 sow Runners before the month of May is fairly in, for they are less 

 hardy than the Dwarfs ; but it is of great importance to sow again in 



