150 GARDEN FARMING 



limit of the range of this crop, can be planted somewhat earlier in 

 the season than pole Limas. 



Diseases and enemies. One of the factors which determine the 

 range of cultivation of field beans is the bean weevil. This pest is 

 much more destructive to beans grown south of the latitude of New 

 York than in areas north of this region. This is not true, however, 

 of the high altitudes of California nor of the Allegheny Mountain 

 region. Because of the greater destructiveness of the weevil in 

 southern latitudes, dry beans for seed purposes or for table use are 

 not extensively cultivated there. This crop is confined chiefly to 

 northern latitudes and to high altitudes. In the production of string 

 beans, where the crop is marketed in a green state, the weevil is 

 not a factor. 



Anthracnose. The bean, like many other of our valuable economic 

 plants, is subject to serious diseases, the most troublesome of which 

 is known as anthracnose. This disease is most destructive when it 

 attacks the wax-podded types of garden beans ; but few of the bush 

 beans, whether of the wax-podded or green-podded type, are entirely 

 free from this trouble. Localities may be comparatively free from it 

 for a number of years ; but as bean growing becomes more exten- 

 sively engaged in, the disease becomes more prevalent and increases 

 in severity. Growers of field beans have found that the disease is 

 most destructive to the early planted crop, and partially to overcome 

 the loss from its attacks they have resorted to planting the crop as 

 late in the season as possible. 



While anthracnose can be controlled to a considerable extent by 

 spraying with Bordeaux mixture, the cost of material and of labor 

 for applying it is so great as to prohibit its general use in the 

 field cultivation of the crop. In market gardens and in restricted 

 areas, where beans are sold at very remunerative prices, it may be 

 advantageous and profitable to treat plants for this disease in this 

 way. The greatest safeguard against this trouble, however, is the 

 use of disease-free seed. Tests have proved that seed from plants 

 kept healthy through immunity or through the use of Bordeaux 

 mixture produces a crop less infected by this disease than seed 

 not so selected. 



If the severity of this disease continues, either the cultivation of 

 both dry and snap beans must be based on seed produced by the 



