VEGETABLES. 199 



during growth are very beneficial. Cutting should cease by 

 the middle of June at latest, after which the strongest 

 shoots should be carefully preserved, and staked if necessary, 

 to prevent them being swayed about and broken by the wind, 

 the weak ones being cut away as they appear. As soon as 

 the shoots are ripe in autumn they should be cut over, and 

 the ground covered with six inches of stable litter and leaves. 

 The points of merit in Asparagus are : (1.) Length and thick- 

 ness of the stalk ; (2.) the head close; and (3.) all of an equal 

 size and fit for use. 



THE BEOAD BEAN. 



Three of the best varieties of Broad Beans for exhibition are 

 Aquadulce, Leviathan, and Seville. They require a rich stiff 

 soil, well worked and pulverised, to grow in. Seed should be 

 sown at three or four different times between the beginning 

 of February and the end of May, in drills five inches deep and 

 two feet apart. Earth should be drawn up to the tops of the 

 earliest ones when they appear above ground, to protect them 

 from frosty winds. When the plants have reached the height 

 of four feet they should be topped, and the pods thinned to five 

 or six of the best formed, equally divided up the stem. A 

 mulching should be given to them after being watered with 

 weak liquid manure, an operation which should be attended to 

 often in dry weather. By careful thinning and feeding, pods 

 of great length, containing extra large beans, should be pro- 

 duced. The points of merit are : (1.) Length and breadth of 

 pods, which should be all equal and dark green in colour j 

 (2.) number and size of beans, which should be in the best 

 condition for use. 



THE FEEXCH BEAN. 



A high-class vegetable, and when in its most perfect state 

 about equal to the pea as an exhibition dish. The best varie- 

 ties for that purpose are Canadian Wonder and Ne Plus Ultra. 

 If they are required to be grown under glass, the latter is the 

 best for exhibition. French Beans thrive in a rich warm soil, 

 and to have them in their best condition, they should be sown 



