192 — How to Make the Garden Pay, 



five-foot trellis, since the forced downward course of the vines, 

 after they have reached the highest point of the comparatively 

 low support, gives us practically the same effect as pinching back. 

 The great fault of the Limas in the northern states is their 

 lateness. We often only get a small part of the crop to reach 

 table size, not to mention the difficulty of getting them to mature 

 on the vines. To make the crop earlier by a week or two, the 

 seed can be planted in a cold frame or hot-bed, either in pots or 

 on pieces of inverted sod, about two or three weeks before it 

 could be safely planted in the open ground. At the proper time, 

 the sods, or the plants turned out of the pots, are then set 4 feet 

 each way for poles, or 2 feet in the row if for trellis. 

 Three or four good plants are left to grow in each hill in the 

 former case, and two plants only in the latter. When seed is 

 planted in drills, as described for my trellis method, the plants, of 

 course have to be properly thinned, one to every 9 or 12 inches. 



VARIETIES. 



I have tested about a dozen different varieties of the Lima 

 bean, but found next to no difference in time of giving earliest 

 picking. 



Large Lima — This is the old standard sort, reliable and 

 productive. Salem Improved is introduced as a selected and 

 superior strain of this. 



Extra Early, Early Jersey, or Extra Early Jersey. — 

 Proves to be slightly earlier than the Large Lima, and is claimed 

 to be the earliest of this class. Pods are quite long, and well 

 filled. I have picked pods containing seven and eight seeds each 

 in New Jersey. 



Dreer's Lima gives quite short, but closely-filled pods. 

 The seeds are rounder and plumper than those of any other Lima, 

 and of superior quality. A fine variety for the home grower, and 

 profitable for the market gardener who sells the shelled bean, or 

 for the consumer who buys in the pod. 



King of the Garden. — Pods of enormous size, beans 

 large. The reverse of Dreer's — profitable to sell in the pod, 

 and to buy shelled. 



Red and Speckled Lima are newer introductions of 

 strong and vigorous growth, about as early as the earliest, and 

 decidedly prolific. Seed of fine, rich flavor, but objectionable 

 in color, and consequently not wanted for market. 



Small Lima or Sieva. — I cannot see that this makes up in 

 earliness for what it lacks in size, productiveness and flavor. So 

 I have no use for it in my garden. 



Henderson's Bush Lima might be included in this list. 

 It appears to be a dwarf sport of the Small Lima or Sieva, 

 resembling it in every respect except habit of growth. Its bush 



