124 Southern Gardener^s Practical Manual, 



are planted, especially if the soil is wet and cold at the 

 same time. In the middle belt of the southern states, 

 the round kinds may be planted by the middle of 

 January — earlier below and later above this belt. The 

 wrinkled varieties will not bear as thick planting as the 

 round; one seed to two inches is thick enough for them. 

 If the variety does not grow more than two feet high, it 

 will not pay to stick them. I formerly planted in double 

 rows — two rows ten inches apart — but found that few 

 pods formed on the inside of the rows, and for this 

 reason abandoned this practice. As soon as the plants 

 appear, the soil should be stirred with a garden rake. 

 When they reach a height of three inches, a little soil 

 should be thrown to them with a garden push -plow. 

 When six inches high, or as soon as the tendrils form, 

 supports should be supplied the tall -growing varieties. 

 The river cane, if obtainable, makes a convenient and 

 lasting support. The canes should be cut a little longer 

 than the vines will grow and stuck along the row as 

 follows: Stick half the canes on one side of the row so 

 as to lean slightly, all in one direction. Stick the other 

 half on the opposite side of the row and lean them in 

 the opposite direction from the first. If these canes are 

 taken up as soon as the vines ripen, and stored under 

 shelter, they may be used for four or five years. The 

 vines will continue in bearing longer, if the pods are 

 gathered as fast as they reach the proper stage of 

 development for table use than if allowed to tax the 

 plant by ripening. Enough vines to produce seed for 

 the next year's planting should be reserved for that 

 purpose. Gather as soon as ripe, dry and store in 



