BEANS 79 



vate when the sun is shining ; and cultivate often. 

 When stirring the soil, watch out for signs of an- 

 thracnose. If it does begin to show, then use the 

 bordeaux mixture. Blight, a disease which affects 

 the leaves, making them look yellow and dead, will 

 be controlled partly by this same spray. These 

 are the two diseases that trouble beans. The in- 

 sect enemies, the flea-beetle and lice, may be con- 

 trolled by tobacco dust or by spraying. 



It will not be long until it will be time to gather 

 some beans for dinner. After all our care in grow- 

 ing them, we must not fail to pick them when ex- 

 actly right. We shall need to plan the dinner 

 usually to suit the garden. Snap beans are ready 

 just before the beans begin to bulge in the pod. If 

 left longer, the pods will be tough and stringy, 

 because, as the bean itself grows, it feeds on the 

 tenderest part of the cellular tissue. So, the big- 

 ger the seed, the tougher the snap beans become. 

 Gather the beans all of them when they are 

 just right. Whatever you do not need may go to 

 the neighbors or be put into jars for winter. Pick- 

 ing the beans clean keeps the plants blossoming 

 and so extends the time of fruitage. Salad beans 

 should be gathered while very tender. Kidney 

 beans are ready when the bean is fully formed, 

 before the shell begins to shrivel. At that stage 

 of development, the bean has made full use of all 

 the food supply in the pod. Limas lose their flavor 

 if they are left as long as the kidneys. Pick the 



