24 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



THE COMMON OR BROAD BEAN 



Faha vulgaris^ Mill. ; Vicia Faba^ L. Leguminoscs, 



French, Feve, Gourgane. Gei-man, Garten-Bohne, Puff-Bohne. Flemish^ Platte Boon. 

 Dutch, Tuin Boon. Danish^ Valske bonner. Italian^ Fava. Spanish^ Haba. 

 Portuguese, Fava. 



Native of the East — Annual. — This plant has been cultivated, 

 so far as we are able to learn, from the earliest ages, the large 

 size and alimentary properties of its seeds having drawn attention 

 to it and brought it into culture at some remote period of antiquity. 

 Stem erect, hollow, quadrangular ; leaves alternate compound, 

 pinnated, without any odd one, and with broad oval leaflets of a 

 glaucous or ashy green colour. Flowers axillary in short bunches 

 of two to eight, coloured white and black, sometimes tinged purple. 

 Pods erect or curved back, broad, green, often flattened, lined with 

 a kind of felt or down, and containing from three to eight seeds 

 variable in shape and colour. The pods are black and brittle at 

 maturity. As the size of the seeds varies very much in the 

 different kinds, we shall always mention it in the description of 

 each variety. In all the kinds the germinating power continues 

 for six years at least. 



Culture. — Beans are usually sown, where they are to remain, 

 about the end of February or the beginning of March. They like 

 a rich, slightly humid, and well-manured soil, but they can be 

 grown in almost any kind of ground. Many gardeners are in the 

 habit of nipping off the tops of the plants when they are coming 

 into flower ; but, as far as we can judge, this practice is more 

 effectual in preventing the plants from being attacked by aphides 

 than in inducing an earlier and more abundant crop. It is a good 

 plan, whenever it can be done, to run the hoe a few times through 

 the drills. There is seldom any occasion for watering, as the crop 

 is generally gathered before this is required. 



Beans may also be sown in a frame in January, and planted 

 out about a month afterwards. It is also not impossible, in the 

 climate of Paris, to grow Beans after the winter mode of culture 

 which is universally practised all through the south of Europe. 

 According to this mode, a sowing is made at the end of October 

 or the beginning of November in a position with a south aspect 

 and well-drained soil, and the young plants are sheltered during 

 the winter by placing frames over them. Instead of frames, we 

 have sometimes seen hoops of casks stuck into the ground across 

 the beds, so as to form an arched support for straw mats, which 

 were spread over them in very frosty weather. This mode of 

 culture is particularly well suited for dwarf or half-dwarf varieties. 

 The plants which have been pushed on in this way are in full 

 bearing three weeks or a month earlier than those which were not 

 sown until spring. 



