222 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



young and old, may run. Thus insect pests are 

 destroyed, the weeds are killed, the ground cultivated 

 and fertilized. 



BEANS. 



A light warm soil is best for beans, and they may be 

 sometimes grown as a second crop, following any crop 

 that is off the land by the ist of July, though for 

 early market they must be planted as soon as the soil 

 gets well warmed up and the danger of frost is past. 

 It is a desirable crop with which to fit new land for a 

 crop like melons, strawberries, tomatoes, etc. It is 

 also a good crop for orchards, as it draws much of its 

 nitrogen from the air. In heavy land the seed should 

 be covered but lightly, but in light land and in a dry 

 time they may be covered two or three times their own 

 thickness. The land should be cultivated frequently, 

 but not when the leaves are wet, as if done at this time 

 it is thought to cause a blight upon the leaves and fruit. 



Varieties. 



Nearly every variety has its "bush" and "pole" 

 forms, the former of which requires no poles. The pole 

 beans, however, generally yield larger crops than the 

 dwarf or bush forms. Beans are marketed in three 

 ways, as "string," "shell," and dry beans. The first 

 are picked while the pods are yet tender ; the second are 

 picked while the seeds are tender yet full grown. All 

 varieties may be used as dry beans for baking, though 

 the small, white, yellow-eyed, and red-eyed varieties 

 are grown especially for this purpose. 



Among the best varieties for general use are: String 

 beans Dwarf Golden Wax, Early Valentine, Early 

 Six Weeks; Shell beans Pole Horticultural, Dwarf 

 Horticultural, Kentucky Wonder, Burpee's Dwarf Lima; 



