BEANS 69 



the whole strength of the vine go into the pods ; 

 otherwise many small pods, which will never mature, 

 are likely to form at the top of the vine. 



Beans for Baking. — Besides the Red Cranberry bean 

 and the Kidney Bean, both favorites for baking on 

 many farms, the Pro/i^c Tree and the Yellow Ey ehean 

 are in great demand, being quick to mature and 

 yielding generous crops. 



Threshing Beans. — If many beans are left to 

 ripen for the winter, they should stay on the vines 

 until they are fully ripe. The vines should then be 

 pulled and thoroughly dried. If there is room in 

 some sheltered spot, like the loft, spread them out 

 there. If such a room is lacking, they may be dried 

 out of doors. Drive two stakes into the ground 

 about fifteen inches apart. Place a small box on the 

 ground between them, to keep the beans from rest- 

 ing on the ground, and pile the vines in between the 

 two stakes, making the pile about four feet high. 

 In two or three weeks of fairly dry weather, they will 

 be ready to thresh. 



An excellent way to thresh them is to thrust the 

 beans into a grain sack, tie up the end, and beat it 

 with a heavy stick. This should be done when they 

 are perfectly dry. The beans will settle at the bot- 

 tom of the sack when they pop out of their pods. 

 Cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag at the 

 corner and let the beans run out. They will escape, 

 leaving the pods behind them. 



