32 FORCING POLE BEANS UNDER GLASS 



forcing house is valuable, more is realized financially. The 

 plants should not be allowed to become root-bound before 

 transplanting, as the check or set back thus given materially 

 lessens all chances for a crop. 



The pole bean germinates so readily and begins to run in so 

 short a time, if under favorable conditions, that we have not 

 deemed it advisable to shift or transplant but once. We there- 

 fore start them in four- or six-inch pots, according to the length 

 of time they are to remain in the same, and from these trans- 

 plant directly into the beds. The time usually saved by so 

 doing is from two weeks to a month, depending upon condi- 

 tions ; it usually takes from five to twelve days for the seed to 

 germinate to begin with. Only plants that have made a 

 healthy growth from the first are likely to give satisfactory 

 results. 



Training. Pole beans must have some kind of a support 

 and this once arranged for they will take care of themselves. 

 We have tried two methods, — one, the use of ordinary bean 

 poles commonly resorted to out of doors, as is shown in Fig. 

 8 ; and for the other, wires were run along parallel with and 

 directly over, the rows of beans at the proper height, which in 

 our case was seven feet. Then a wooden peg with a notch cut 

 near the top was driven in the bed at each hill, and to these 

 pegs a string was fastened, running it over the wire at the top 

 and down again, as is shown in Fig. 9. The advantage of the 

 string over the pole is less shade and hence better results ; also 

 the overhead space is utilized to better advantage. 



Pollination. The bean looks out for itself, happily for the 

 grower ; they are to all appearances self-fertile. 



Varieties. Comparatively few varities have been tested, 

 as our aim was not so much for this purpose as to study them 

 as a class. The varieties of pole beans grown were, Lazy 

 Wife, Mastiff Golden Pod, Golden Champion, Early Golden 

 Cluster, and one variety of pole Lima beans, Seibert's Early. 

 All of these have been grown in the garden and are fairly well- 

 known. 



I. Lazy Wife (Burpee). A dark green pod of medium size, 

 — 4 to 6 inches in length. It was about five days later than the 

 other varieties in maturing and not so prolific. 



