1052 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Exhibition, and Neal's Ne Plus Ultra are all abundant croppers, 

 with long, handsome pods, first-rate for home use or exhibition 

 purposes. 



Broad Beans are virulently attacked by Black Fly {see "Aphides'^ 

 in Chapter " On Pests Generally ") ; while occasionally Kidney 

 Beans are infested with what is know^n as Bean Anthracnose 

 {Colletotric/ium Lindemiithianuni). On the Continent and in 

 America this disease is far more prevalent. It is characterised 

 by a spotting of the leaves, stems, and also of the pods. The 

 spots are brown, with reddish margins, and depressed. They are 

 small at first, but usually coalesce. The seeds are sometimes 

 involved, and, on this account, it is injudicious to save those 

 from infected quarters. They have dark sunken spots. If the 

 disease is noted early, spraying wnth weak Bordeaux Mixture will 

 prevent it from spreading. Affected pods and leaves should all 

 be removed and burned. 



Beet. 



Frequently this most useful vegetable or salad is too big 

 and coarse for home purposes, owing to too early sowing or to 

 recent heavy manuring. The soil most suited to Beet is 

 land which has been manured for a previous crop, such as Celery 

 or Onions, as fresh manure causes the roots to become forked 

 or coarse. If the soil is dug up roughly in the early winter, it 

 will be in a nice friable state by the end of April or early in 

 May, which is a suitable time to sow for moderate-sized and 

 tender roots. Make the drills about ift. apart and lin. deep, 

 and level all down evenly when covering the seeds. As the 

 plants appear in the rows, they should be thinned out to about 

 6in. or Sin. apart, and afterwards kept free from weeds by 

 hoeing. In the autumn, before sharp frost can touch the plants, 

 all the roots should be lilted, taking special care not to injure 

 or break them, otherwise they will "bleed" and be of bad colour 

 when cooked. The tops should not be cut off too closely — lin. 

 from the crown is advisable — and the roots should then be stc-ed 

 away in a frost-proof shed in sand or fine ashes, using as wanted. 

 Cheltenham Green-top and Middleton Park are two of the finest 

 varieties for all purposes. The Perpetual or Spinach Beet is grown 

 for its foliage, which is cooked and eaten the same as Spinach. 



One of the Carrion Beetles {Silpha opaca) forsakes its ordinary 

 flesh diet, at least in the grub stage, for a vegetarian one — the 

 Beet. The grubs do much damage to the crops at certain 

 seasons. The Beetle itself is nearly ^in. long, flattish, and black ; 

 this is also the colour of the grub, which is Woodlouse-shaped 

 (asiliform). The insects are nocturnal, and must either be hand- 

 picked or treated to a weak solution of kerosene emulsion. By 

 way of prevention, animal manures, such as butcher's offal, should 

 be avoided. 



