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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1909 



Getting Quality in Lima Beans 



LIMA beans are very tender and must not be 

 planted until the weather becomes warm 

 and settled, which is from the first to the middle 

 of April in the South. They succeed best on a 

 rich loam made fine and loose by deep plowing or 

 spading, and well fertilized, cow manure and 

 commercial fertilizer combined being the best for 

 the purpose. Distribute in the drills one hand- 

 cart load of the manure and three quarts of the 

 fertilizer to every hundred feet of row, mixing it with 

 the soil. Rows for bush limas should stand from 

 two to three feet apart, the distance to be judged 

 according to the grade of the soil and the varieties 

 planted. The small limas require the narrowest 

 rows and the plants should stand from one to two 

 feet apart in the row. Plant the seed in twos 

 and cover with one inch of soil; when the plants 

 are well started thin to one in a place. 



Cultivation begins as soon as the plants are well 

 up and continues until the first of September. 

 A good cultivation every two weeks is necessary 

 to promote strong healthy growth. Don't cultivate 

 deep as some of the main roots come close to the 

 surface of the soil and must not be broken off. 



Make the rows for the running limas four feet 

 apart, setting the poles three feet apart in the row 

 and two feet in the ground; or if cultivation is to 

 be by hand, make the rows three feet apart and set 

 the poles two feet apart. Plant five or six beans 

 at each pole and when the plants are four inches 

 high, thin out to three plants to a pole. For poles, 

 use oak or maple sprouts two inches in diameter at 

 the bottom and eight or ten feet long. Allow some 

 of the short brush to remain. The garden fence 

 makes one of the best supports as it is possible 

 to make a row on both sides of the fence. Allow 

 the plants to stand twelve or eighteen inches apart. 



The smallest running variety is the Sieva or butter 

 bean, which Southerners like better than the large 

 lima. The Carolina Sewee is a very productive 

 sort, but the beans and pods are small, having only 

 three beans to a pod. The Willow Leaf lima is the 

 same except that the leaves are long and narrow. 

 For this reason it is the most valuable for planting 

 on damp soil, where the pods of the large, wide- 

 leaved sorts rot in wet weather. 



Wood's Improved pole lima is a great improve- 



ment over the Carolina Sewee, as the pods generally 

 contain four good-sized beans. The pods are borne 

 in clusters of from four to eight. There are other 

 varieties of this type in dark and variegated colors, 

 but they are not as good for table use as the white 

 ones. The small limas are ready for use in from 

 seventy-five to eighty-five days from planting. 



Of the thick, clubby type of lima I am aware of 

 only two varieties, Dreer's Improved or Challenger 

 lima, and Shortwell's Improved lima. In the 

 former the pods are produced in clusters of from 

 four to six, with three to four beans to a pod; in 

 the latter the beans are large and thick and number 

 four to five to a pod. 



In the bush limas, which stand erect and do not 

 need support, we have three distinct types of which 

 the running limas are the parents. Henderson's 

 bush lima, the smallest and earliest, is the dwarf 

 Sieva; the pods are borne in very prolific clusters, 



Pods of the small and large varieties. The small 

 pods are less than half the size of the others 



The "Willow Leaf lima. Best for damp soil as 

 the narrow leaves allow the sun to shine directly 

 on the pods 



The beans of the large limas are as far ahead of 

 the small sorts in quality as they are in size 



with from two to three beans to a pod. Wood's 

 Prolific or Improved Henderson is probably the 

 best of this type; the bushes bear profusely, the 

 leaves and pods are a dark, glossy green, and each 

 pod is filled with from three to four beans. Jack- 

 son's Wonder bush lima bears small and variegated 

 beans in great quantities. 



Of the thick, clubby dwarf lima I have grown 

 only two varieties, Dreer's or Kumerle bush and 

 the Fordhook. The former is not a true bush 

 form, but trails over a space two or three feet 

 across. It is a great bearer, the pods are short, 

 and average three beans apiece. Fordhook is a 

 new sort which stands boldly erect, and each of its 

 large pods generally contains four beans. 



Of the large, flat bush limas, the Burpee Improved 

 is the largest and earliest, the pods holding from 

 four to five very large beans of fine flavor. The 

 Burpee bush lima, Burpee's Quarter Century, and 

 Dreer's Wonder rank about the same in size and 

 earliness, the last two being a day or so earlier. 

 Pods of all three varieties contain generally there, 

 sometimes four, beans. Henderson's Early Giant, 

 is equally as early as the Burpee Improved, but 

 the pods and beans are somewhat smaller. These 

 varieties are ready for use in from sixty-five to 

 seventy-five days after planting. 



The garden fence makes one of the best sup- 

 ports for running beans, as a row may be planted 

 on each side of it 



Ford's Mammoth and King of the Garden are 

 very large-podded late sorts, from four to five beans 

 being contained in each pod. New Ideal is prob- 

 ably the best of the late main crop pole limas; 

 the pods are very broad, from five to six-and-a-half 

 inches long, and contain five and six beans. The 

 beans of the evergreen pole lima are excellent to dry; 

 they are green instead of white, as the dried beans 

 of other varieties are. The thick and the large, 

 flat limas are ready for use in from eighty-five to 

 one hundred days from planting. 



The large, flat type of pole limas is according 

 to my taste, the best of the three types of pole 

 limas, but it cannot be grown as successfully 

 here in the South as the Sievas and the clubby 

 types. There are a good many varieties of this 

 large, flat lima, the earliest of which is the New 

 Leviathan. The pods are generally very straight, 

 with four beans each. Seibert's Early is a very 

 good early sort, with curved pods having two to 

 four beans each. 



Spring Jobs You Must not 

 Neglect 



AFTER April ist sow annuals in prepared 

 beds. Annuals will grow fairly well on 

 almost any kind of soil, but of course they succeed 

 best on a rich loam, provided it is not too rich in 

 nitrogenous matters, which will produce plant 

 growth at the expense of flowers. The smallest seeds 

 should be sown in fine soil and covered lightly. 



Spread newspapers over the beds to hold the 

 moisture around the seed, removing them as germi- 

 nation takes place, and when heavy rain falls 

 spread oilcloths over the beds to prevent the 

 seed from being beaten too deep into the ground. 



Early in the month begin planting out summer- 

 flowering bulbs (such as dahlia, gladiolus, tuberose, 

 canna, and oxalis). If the soil where they are to 

 grow is not very rich, dig in deeply one-half bushel 

 of well-decayed compost to every square yard. 



Plant gladiolus, tuberose, and oxalis two or three 

 inches deep, allowing twelve inches distance each 

 way. Dahlia bulbs should be planted three inches 

 deep and two and half feet apart each way; canna 

 bulbs two inches deep and from sixteen to eighteen 

 inches apart each way. 



Seed of all semi-tropical plants, such as pepper, 

 egg-plant, tomato, and melons can be safely planted 

 in the open ground after the first of the month. 



For lawns sow grass seed now in soil that has 

 first been made loose and fine to a good depth and 

 well fertilized with old compost. A dressing of 

 fifty pounds of nitrate of soda per acre applied 

 when the seed is sown will be sure to start rapid, 

 healthy growth. 



Select a still day when there is no wind for sowing 

 the grass seed. Use plenty of seed in order to get 

 a good stand and rapid results. 



When setting out plants that the cutworms are 

 likely to attack, wrap a strip of paper around the 

 stem large enough to extend about three-quarters 

 of an inch below and above the surface of the soil. 

 This will prevent the worms from eating the stems. 



Georgia. Thomas J. Steed. 



