8o 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



inches in circumference. I now became 

 much more interested In the Bean field. 

 That year turned me out a dozen sorts worth 

 preserving. More than all there were traces 

 of the Lima in the several hills. The pods 

 were not large enough, and the Beans were 

 not half as large as they should be to pro- 

 nounce the crosses valuable directly, but 

 they were prolific. The chief trouble with 

 the I.,ima Bean is, it does not yield as heavily 

 as some others, and it is late. If 

 I could get a Lima cross with 

 white pod and large Bean and 

 very prolific, I said I should be 

 well paid for my troiible. 



Meanwhile rust had become a 

 great curse to Bean growers, 

 and I found that certain crosses 

 were infected. Now I began 

 rigid elimination of any touch 

 of this infection. If a hill 

 showed rust at all, it was 

 promptly pulled up and de- 

 stroyed. So it came about that 

 my fields in the worst years 

 showed exquisite silver and 

 golden pods absolutely free from 

 black spots or mildew. My 

 aim now included (1) rustproof; 

 (2) white pods in the main; (3) 

 large white or light-colored 

 Beans; (4) prolific bearing. In 

 some respects I should have 

 perferred bush Beans, only 

 that so far no bush Beans will bear the 

 whole season through; whereas pole Beans 

 can be relied on late as November if the 

 frost holds off. Indeed, I think some sorts 

 would bear a full year if not frozen. 



Three years ago the results began to be so 

 extraordinary that I took great pains in 

 sorting, selecting and labelling, and made 

 some slight report of them in the horticul- 

 tural papers. I^ast year the crop was a great 

 burden to me because it necessitates so 

 much care in making all summer memoran- 

 dums, and in labelling and bagging the sorts 

 in autumn. If I had had an enthusiastic 

 helper who could do much of the mechanical 

 work it would have been easier. But now I 

 was satisfied that my work must be carried 

 through at all cost, as clearly I was revolu- 

 tionizing Bean ciilture. There was a show 

 of magnificient new sorts loading down my 

 poles. Pods appeared nine and ten inches 

 long and three inches around; some green, 

 some yellow, some silver white, and with 

 eight to ten Beans in each. 



But most interesting was nature's efl'ort 

 in two opposite directions: (1) A struggle 

 to create Beans, Beans in quantity; (3) to 

 create pods at the expense of Beans. I find 

 that in one line I was breeding all for pod, 

 that in the White Wax pods, crossed with 

 the Yard-long, and gave me pods that could 

 be sliced like an Apple and one inch in diam- 

 eter; solid all through. The shape of these 

 pods was much thicker through sideways 

 than from front to back — a curious-looking 

 affair. Apparently full of Beans they were 

 in reality solid shell or pod, and most 

 delicious for the table. Some of these sorts 

 were green, and others white. When ripen- 

 ing, the tendency was still so strongly to pod 

 that the backs would burst open along the 

 rear, and the Beans came out. The process 

 evidently might be carried so far, in breed- 

 ing for pod, as to abort seed altogether, and 

 so the experiment would end for lack of seed 

 to propagate results. But I have some truly 

 grand sorts of these solid pods, "Break- 

 backs" and "Broad-backs" and "Ripped 

 Breeches " my boys call them. 



On the other hand appeared other sorts, 

 all Beans and no pods; pods ten inches long 

 with ten fine large Beans. A pole loaded 

 down with these pods is truly a fine sight. 

 The pure white, in some cases, yields to a 

 most lovely striation. Delicate pink stripes 



appear as if put on by hand work. This is 

 evidently a touch of the blood of the Horti- 

 cultural Beau, which I neglected to say I had 

 among my original sorts. These varieties 

 also vary from the round style of pod to the 

 flat style, and as a rule there is a willful 

 tendency in the hills to sport toward these 

 two styles. These all make a good string or 

 snap Bean, but are not as fine for this pur- 

 pose as the all-pod sorts. I am breeding 



TOOLS FOR THE ORCHARD. See oitpoxit e page . 



now in both directions and do not consider 

 the possibilities any way near determined. 



As for the Ijima crosses last year they were 

 quite decided and I planted them all by 

 themselves in 1889. The result is a tendency 

 to improved pods and larger Beans. It will 

 take three or four years yet to carry out this 

 line and see what can be made of it, but I 

 have one cross which is white-podded. The 

 pod is rich, clear golden white and the Bean 

 delicious for the table. When green it is a 

 good, large Lima, but when dry is not yet a 

 success. I consider it a hopeful line of work. 



A strain of Horticultural or Cranberry 

 appeared all along. Three years ago some 

 handsome Beans were saved. I^ast year only 

 one of these seemed specially valuable. 

 This year the strain was not quite firm, but 

 gave me one six-inch pod. full of Beans, 

 and superbly striated; with another much 

 like the old sort, but deeper, richer red in 

 color. I think there is here a first-rate open- 

 ing, besides the sorts already produced. 



In the struggle of nature to get at special 

 ends she has turned every way possible. 

 There is a strain which I have carefully pre- 

 served, which far more resembles a trellis 

 of Peas than of Beans. The pods are about 

 the size of a Champion of England Pea and 

 literally cover the vines. The color is white 

 or delicately striated. Ijack of room to plant 

 sprouts separately has caused them to vary 

 somewhat. The Bean, in some, is pure 

 white, but in others is lemon yellow. The 

 pod is as thin as a leaf, and the Beans are 

 packed so that the ends are flattered as with 

 Peas. The strain is a very choice for home 

 use. The quality is very fine for table, but 

 for string it has little value. I have named 

 it Silver Beauty. 



(To be Continued.) 



CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 

 SEVENTH PAPER. 



The Cause of Grape Kot. 



DR. J. STATMAN, LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS. 



The parasitic fungus can hardly be con- 

 sidered the primary caxise of gi-ape rot , neither 

 is it in the soil or atmosphere; for the same 

 variety of Grapes has been grown free from 

 rot, while under the same conditions others 

 have rotted in the same vineyard by their 

 side at the same time. 



That the manner of culture is the cause 

 appears to me evident from the fact that 



the Cataba was healthy and free from rot at 

 Cincinnati, Ohio in its first introduction 

 there, and also the Concord in this country 

 up to 1873. It will not do to claim that 

 spores of the Grape fungus did not then 

 exist, or that the climate has changed, unless 

 it can first be shown that the same culture 

 will not produce the same results, and re- 

 store the Grape to its original freedom from 

 rot and disease. We can well remember the 

 time, some sixty years ago, when 

 the European Grape was grown 

 here where now the Concord 

 cannot de growTi with the same 

 degree of succes. That this 

 change has been brought about 

 by us may be seen by compar- 

 ing the two different systems of 

 culture. The first and success- 

 ful one was the European, the 

 latter and unsuccessful may 

 be called the American system. 

 The first was based upon many 

 periods of successful experience 

 reduced to a system in harmony 

 to the health and longevity of 

 the vine and the production of 

 the best fruit. It knew no slip- 

 shod method or rapid ways to 

 success, neither did it employ 

 labor that lead to such a result. 

 It taught that haste made waste. 

 It studied the character of the 

 soil, location and the vine, and 

 adopted these conditions as far as is practical 

 to produce the best results. It taught that 

 deep trenching, deep enriching and deep 

 planting produced deep rooting, slower 

 growth and more healthy and enduring 

 vines, also that deep rooting is antagonistic 

 to shallow rooting, and cannot exist on the 

 same vine at the same time. It further 

 taught that long pruning and heavy loading 

 soon leads to decay; that vines should bear 

 only in proportion to their age and strength; 

 that plants are not generally in full bearing 

 until the sixth year; and that then about 1.5 

 pounds of fruit is a sufficient amount for a 

 strong vine to bear from year to year and 

 remain healthy; that deep and thorough 

 tillage, and proper fertilization is necessary 

 to success. 



These are some of the main features of the 

 European system as taught by all their 

 authors, and as first adopted in this country 

 more than half a century ago, and followed 

 at Cincinnati, Ohio. This is shown by 

 Reemilin of that place, the author of the 

 best work ever published upon the Grape in 

 this country. 



That system, however, died with the 

 author, and so did the Catawba Grape at 

 that place. LTpon its ruins was built the 

 "American system," if just to call a 

 method thus that has lead to such destruc- 

 tion of the Grape crop and demoralization 

 of Grape culture. In fact it is no system as 

 the authors do not agree among themselves. 

 Some people recommend setting vines six 

 feet by six feet apart, while others say 13, 

 10 and even 30 feet apart. Some plant vines 

 very -shallow from four to six inches deep, 

 others a foot or more. Some cultivate very 

 shallow so as not to cut off the .surface roots, 

 or not at all; others say cultivate deep and 

 thorough. Some say vines will be in full 

 bearing in three years, and should bear from 

 25 to 40 pounds, others about the .5th and 

 should bear from 75 to 1.50 pounds each. 

 Some say prune short and train on trellis, 

 others say prune long and train on trees, as 

 that is the natural way, while others say 

 prune not at all, let them trail on the ground, 

 as that will save jiosts, wire, pruning and 

 ! cultivation. Somesay plant in rich soil and 

 bottom land, while others plant in poor soil 

 and hill sides. 



The American system is too fast, it has no 

 patience. It does too much and does not do 



