452 
pots in any forcing-house in which they can be 
duly exposed to light. Where the temperature 
can be properly regulated, a minimum of 60°, 
and a maximum of 75°, or 80° by sun-heat, will 
be found most suitable. The bottom-heat ought 
Fig. 1207.—Kidney-Bean—Early Favourite. 
at least to correspond with the mean tempera- 
ture of the house. Early dwarf sorts, such as 
Karly Favourite (fig. 1207), Ne Plus Ultra, Sion 
House, Osborn’s Forcing, with Canadian Wonder 
for the later supplies, should be used for forcing. 
The seeds should be sown in 8-inch pots 
three parts filled with light, turfy loam and 
leaf-mould or decomposed cow-dung, placing 
from nine to twelve new seeds in each pot, and 
covering with 1} inch of soil. New seeds ger- 
minate quicker and stronger than old seeds. 
Before the plants crowd, thin to five or six in 
a pot for a quick crop, and to three in a pot 
for a more continuous one. The old-fashioned 
plan of allowing room for and giving top-dress- 
ings has nothing to recommend it—is so much 
wasted labour, in fact. Support the plants 
either with birch or hazel spray, or by means 
of sticks and strips of raffia. During April 
and May deep narrow boxes should be substi- 
tuted for pots, as being the least affected by 
strong sunshine, and the plants they support 
are, as a consequence, less lable to be spoilt by 
red spider. 
THE GARDENER’ ASSISTANT. 
Kidney-Beans do well when planted in heated 
pits or in frames on hot-beds in succession to 
early Potatoes in May and June, or when the 
houses are too hot for pot culture. Avoid 
overcrowding. The rows should run from the 
back to the front of the lights, and 
be fully 15 inches apart. The plants 
must not be allowed to get too dry, 
or red spider will be encouraged. 
They should be well syringed till 
they come into flower. It is impos- 
sible to thoroughly moisten the 
under side of the leaves by syring- 
ing; but if this is done by syring- 
ing early in the morning, and the 
house kept shut up for a_ little 
while, a saturated atmosphere will 
do the work as thoroughly as if the 
plants were completely immersed in 
water. This is a great help against 
the attacks of red spider. Give 
plenty of air when the plants are 
in flower, and feed regularly with 
liquid manure. Kidney-Beans fit for 
use may be obtained by forcing in 
six weeks or two months from the 
time of sowing. Some seeds, there- 
fore, may be sown in August to suc- 
ceed the crops in the open ground; 
and for succession, other sowings 
may be made every month or so till 
the following March. 
Dwarf Sorts. 
Black Belgian.—From 12 to 15 inches high; good for 
forcing, and for the earliest and latest crops in the open 
ground. If sown and forwarded in pots, and well-exposed 
in favourable intervals till the ground becomes warm, 
and then planted out, it will soon come into bearing. Or, 
if sown at an advanced period of the season, it will pro- 
duce pods till cut off by frost; whilst most other sorts, if 
sown at the same time, would not even blossom. 
Canadian Wonder.—A strong grower and heavy crop- 
per, 15 to 18 inches high; pods long, straight, and tender; 
seeds red-purple. A very popular Bean. 
Cutbush’s Giant Dwarf.—A robust-growing variety, and 
a great and heavy bearer; adapted for the second early 
or main crop; the pods are very long, thick, fleshy, and 
handsome. Seed long, crimson. 
Dwarf Butter.—A vigorous bushy variety, about 2 feet 
high, and a great bearer; pods 3 to 4 inches long, thick 
and fleshy, of a pale-lemon colour, which they assume 
when quite young and retain throughout; they are very 
tender when cooked and of excellent quality. The seed 
is black. 
Early Dutch.—From 12 to 15 inches high; pods long, 
slender, excellent when green. Suitable for forcing, and 
almost exclusively employed at Paris for that purpose. 
Early Favourite.— An early variety for forcing or 
general use, producing an immense crop of pods from 7 
to 9 inches long, and of superior quality. It is a cross 
